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.

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.

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.