The CDC released the 2018 Breastfeeding Report Card yesterday and highlights include:

• Kansas is one of only 4 states to exceed national averages and Healthy People 2020 goals in 4 core measures – any breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding at 3 & 6 months and any breastfeeding at 12 months.  Kansas also improved in each of these measures over last year.
• Kansas formula supplementation rates in the first 2 days of life continue to decline and are well below the national average of (13.5%  Kansas v. 17.2% U.S.).
• 41.1% of babies in Kansas are born in Baby-Friendly facilities, far exceeding the national average of 27.6%.  This is a dramatic increase from 0% only 3 short years ago.  Kansas is one of only 12 states to exceed 40% of births occurring in Baby-Friendly Hospitals.  We expect the percentage of babies born in BF hospitals in KS to climb to over 50% within the next 2 years.

Our shared vision of a state where breastfeeding is normal and supported is closer to becoming a reality.  Thank you for the important role each of you have played in creating a culture of breastfeeding support in Kansas.

We look forward to working with you to build on this momentum!