But a father's discomfort with nursing was the top reason cited by new mothers who chose formula, a new study found.
Experts agree breast milk makes babies healthier in many ways.
And the U.S. secretary of health and human services wants at least 75 percent of mothers to breastfeed their babies right after the birth and at least 50 percent to nurse until the baby is 5 to 6 months old. But the actual numbers are much lower, according to a study in the current issue of Pediatrics . In a Pennsylvania medical center, just 44 percent of new moms were breastfeeding at the hospital, and by six months the number had dropped to 13 percent. The father was on the one side, and the maternal grandmother on the other side. Liz Seaman, a breastfeeding consultant who counsels new mothers and their partners in Connecticut, says fathers have concerns about breastfeeding.