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Monthly and Quarterly Breastfeeding Rates
Breastfeeding initiation and continuation at 2 months for infants enrolled in Minnesota WIC within 60 days of birth.
On this page:
Monthly
Quarterly by Location
Quarterly by Cultural Identity
Formula Given in Hospital
Data Tables
The Minnesota WIC Program provides breastfeeding support to parents across Minnesota and encourages families with infants to turn to WIC for help.
Monthly
Minnesota WIC began tracking monthly breastfeeding rates in 2020 to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic's effects on breastfeeding.
Key dates:
- March 2020: COVID lockdowns
- February 2022: Formula manufacturer shutdown
- Breastfeeding initiation declined and early weaning increased in 2020 and 2021. Changes in hospital and clinic services in response to COVID-19 created new challenges to initiating and sustaining breastfeeding. This included reduced labor and lactation support in the hospital, early discharge (within 24 hours of birth), and fewer resources post-discharge.
- These challenges, along with added social and economic stresses, may explain the decline in breastfeeding initiation and increase in early weaning since early 2020. Medical professionals strongly support breastfeeding during crises to provide optimal nutrition and protective immune factors found in human milk.
- Breastfeeding initiation spiked early in 2022, peaking in June. Formula shortages, including specialty formulas for infants with medical need, may have fueled this increase.
- In-hospital formula feeding dropped in the pandemic’s first weeks, then spiked later in 2020. Rates gradually declined in 2021 and 2022.
Quarterly by Location
Quarterly by Cultural Identity
First quarter of 2020 to the first quarter of 2021
Initiation rates declined among several cultural groups, most steeply among White (4.1 points), Hispanic (-2.6 percentage points), American Indian (-3.0 points), and African American (-4.1 points) families.
First quarter of 2021 to the first quarter of 2022
- Initiation rates continued to decline among Hmong (-0.9 points) and East African (-2.5 points) families, and steeply declined among non-Hmong Asian (-5.8 points) families, while rates partially recovered for White (+2.2 points), Hispanic (+2.4 points), and African American (+1.8 points) families. American Indian rates returned to pre-pandemic levels (+3.1 points).
- After formula supply shortages began in February 2022, initiation rates for the second quarter of 2022 increased from first quarter 2022 among all WIC participants, from 80.5% to 85.5%. The biggest gains were seen among African American (+7.4 points) and Hmong (+6.2 points) families.
Suggested citation: Minnesota WIC Information System. Breastfeeding Initiation and Continuation at two months for Infants Participating in the MN WIC Program and Certified Within Sixty Days of Birth. Minnesota WIC Program: 2022.
Around 4 out of 5 infants who enroll in WIC do so by 60 days of age. Fully breastfed infants are more likely to enroll in WIC at a later age, so final initiation numbers tend to be higher than those reported here.
Infants born and infants 2 months are number of infants for whom breastfeeding status is known.
Methodology and Interpretation: Location and Race/Ethnicity (PDF)
Q1: Jan 1 – Mar 31 Q2: Apr 1 – Jun 30 Q3: Jul 1 – Sep 30 Q4: Oct 1 – Dec 31
*Numbers < 5 are suppressed. Percentages are not calculated for locations with < 30 participants.
Data as of March 3, 2023
Formula Given in Hospital
The percentage of infants receiving formula during their hospital stay initially declined in March 2020, despite an increase in the number of fully formula-fed infants. Hospitals discharged many families early during the first part of the pandemic. Most supplementation occurs on the second day; babies become more alert and seem to want to nurse “non-stop.” This can cause concerns about milk supply and lead to unnecessary use of formula, especially when lactation support is not available. Supplementation rates declined in the second quarter of 2022, as initiation rates increased, likely because of the wide-spread formula shortages.
Suggested citation: Minnesota WIC Information System. In-Hospital Formula Feeding among Infants Participating in the MN WIC Program: 2022.
Information on in-hospital formula feeding is collected at the first postpartum WIC visit. Numbers are considered preliminary until 6 months postpartum, so rates for 2022 may change over time. In-hospital formula supplementation is collected on around 1/3 of infants participating in WIC.
Methodology and Interpretation: Location and Race/Ethnicity (PDF)
Data as of January 5, 2023
Data Tables
Downloadable file of WIC quarterly breastfeeding exclusivity data (csv)
Downloadable file of WIC monthly breastfeeding by county data (csv)
Downloadable file of WIC monthly breastfeeding by cultural identity data (csv)
For more information, please e-mail health.WIC@state.mn.us.