More Women Breast-Feeding

Health officials say breast-feeding rates continue to inch up: Now more than 3 in 4 mothers try to breast-feed their newborns. Rates remain highest in Idaho and lowest in Mississippi, and experts attribute that to regional differences in culture and workplace policies that support breast-feeding. The CDC report shows that 77% of moms tried breast-feeding in 2010. A decade earlier it was 71%. The percent still breast-feeding a year later rose to 27% from 16% in 2000. Experts say breast milk contains antibodies that protect newborns from infections, and breast-fed babies are less likely to become overweight. A separate study for the American Medical Association suggests it makes for smarter babies, too, notes the Wall Street Journal. (More breast feeding stories.)