2020 National Breastfeeding Goals for Maternal, Infant and Child Health

November 19, 2019 – The New Mexico Breastfeeding Task Force (NMBTF) announces New Mexico is one of the leading states in the nation when it comes to breastfeeding statistics, which means New Mexico’s communities and families are on the right track to creating a healthier generation. NMBTF’s mission is to create breastfeeding supportive environments, empower parents, and remove barriers to breastfeeding to improve mother, infant and child health in New Mexico.

Healthy People 2020 outlined the 2020 objectives for Maternal, Infant and Child Health.

• Increasing the proportion of infants who are ever breastfed to 81.9%
• Increasing the proportion of infants who are breastfed exclusively through 6 months to 25.5%
• Increasing the proportion of infants who are breastfed at 1 year to 34.1%

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Breastfeeding Report Card, New Mexico’s numbers already surpass these national goals with the following measures:

• 87.7% of infants in New Mexico are ever breastfed
• 27.6% of infants in New Mexico are breastfed exclusively through 6 months
• 35.1% of infants in New Mexico are breastfed at 1 year

Additionally, in New Mexico, 54.3% of live births are breastfeeding in a baby-friendly hospital.

“It’s great news that mothers in New Mexico initiate breastfeeding at high rates, thanks to Baby Friendly hospitals, nurses and doctors with support from amazing lactation professionals,” said Jennifer Mastripolito, NMBTF Executive Director. “Together, we can all help mothers continue breastfeeding for the duration they choose, by supporting them at health clinics, in workplaces and in the community. NMBTF is proud of our projects that provide such support with our partner organizations.”

ABOUT NMBTF

The mission of NMBTF is to create supportive environments in which breastfeeding is the cultural norm. NMBTF’s vision is a world without barriers to breastfeeding. The values of NMBTF include evidence-based practice, respect for all, consistent messaging, support, all voices heard, diversity, inclusion, and transparency.

The purpose of NMBTF is to bridge the gap in breastfeeding disparities by ensuring all families have the support they need to reach their breastfeeding goals. A breastfeeding culture includes all forms of feeding human/mother’s milk, including pumping, donor milk feeding, and milk sharing. For more information, go to breastfeedingnm.org.