What Breastfeeding in the U.S. Looks Like

CRC’s dataviz team recently completed a comprehensive and beautiful infographic documenting breastfeeding statistics in the United States.

Our hope is that this infographic can play a part in spreading the word about this important issue.

From a public health standpoint, the medical benefits of breastfeeding are well established.* Breast milk provides babies with all the necessary fats, proteins, and vitamins they need for healthy growth and development. Among other benefits, antibodies in breast milk can help babies fight infections and reduce the risk developing asthma and allergies. Moms who breastfeed experience benefits too. Breastfeeding can help mom lose her pregnancy weight (through the calories it burns) and can protect her against breast and ovarian cancers. In addition to the physical benefits, time spent breastfeeding also helps nurture the bond between mom and baby.

See the full infographic here: https://www.crcdataviz.com/#!breastfeeding-in-the-usa/ccrt

* Although the above benefits of breastfeeding are established in current research, we would like to acknowledge that other bodies of research demonstrate that babies who are not breastfed also can have healthy outcomes and bond well with moms. Many moms cannot or may not choose to breastfeed for a wide variety of reasons, and we support all moms in their choices.