Table 3.
National Breastfeeding Recommendations, the Questions Used to Monitor Progress Toward Meeting Targets, and the Potential Interpretations of These Questions
| Current recommendation | National Breastfeeding Report Card language11 | NIS question8 | Potential interpretations of the NIS question(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initiate breastfeeding | “Ever breastfed” | Was (child) ever breastfed or fed breast milk? | Did your child ever, at any age, consume: |
| • Breast milk from his/her own mother's breast? | |||
| • His/her own mother's expressed breast milk from a tube, spoon, cup, or bottle, without ever having to consume breast milk from the breast? | |||
| • Breast milk at another mother's breast? | |||
| • Another mother's untested and unpasteurized expressed breast milk from a tube, spoon, cup, or bottle, without ever having to consume breast milk from the breast? | |||
| • Another mother's tested and pasteurized breast milk from a tube, spoon, cup, or bottle, without ever having to consume breast milk from the breast (breast milk from a milk bank)? | |||
| Breastfeed exclusively until the infant is 6 months old | “Exclusive breastfeeding at 6 months” | How old was (child's name) when (child's name) completely stopped breastfeeding or being fed breast milk? | When was the very last time your infant consumed: |
| And | • His/her own mother's breast milk—either at the breast or expressed breast milk—regardless of whether the infant's own mother is still producing breast milk (lactating)? | ||
| How old was (child's name) when (he/she) was first fed formula? | • Another mother's breast milk—either at the breast or expressed breast milk—regardless of whether the infant's own mother is still producing breast milk (lactating)? | ||
| And | AND | ||
| When was the first time your infant consumed: | |||
| This next question is about the first thing that (child) was given other than breast milk or formula. Please include juice, cow's milk, sugar water, baby food, or anything else that (child) may have been given, even water. How old was (child's name) when (he/she) was first fed anything other than breast milk or formula? | • Any liquid or solid other than breast milk? | ||
| Breastfeed in combination with complementary foods until the infant is at least 12 months olda | “Breastfeeding at 12 months” | How old was (child's name) when (child's name) completely stopped breastfeeding or being fed breast milk? | When was the very last time your infant consumed: |
| • His/her own mother's breast milk—either at the breast or expressed breast milk—regardless of whether the infant's own mother is still producing breast milk (lactating)? | |||
| • Another mother's breast milk—either at the breast or expressed breast milk—regardless of whether the infant's own mother is still producing breast milk (lactating)? |