Breastfeeding and Body Mass Index

Breastfeeding decreased as BMI rose among white women in new study.
The Los Angeles Times (1/25, Stein) reported that "some very obese women may not breastfeed as much or for as long as their normal-weight counterparts." According to a paper appearing in Obesity, "a greater number of white women (67.2%) than black women (41.2%) initiated breastfeeding, and white women breastfed for longer periods compared with black women." Yet, "among white women, breastfeeding was highest among those who were normal weight and went down as their pre-pregnancy body mass indexes rose, with very obese white women having lower odds of beginning breastfeeding than normal-weight white women." However, "BMI was not a factor in beginning to breastfeed" among black women.