Both babies and mothers gain important benefits from breastfeeding. Breast milk contains antibodies that can protect infants from bacterial and viral infections, and breastfed infants are at lower risk of certain chronic diseases, including diabetes, obesity and asthma. Research indicates that women who breastfeed may also have lower risk of some health problems, including certain breast and ovarian cancers, obesity and diabetes. The breast feeding measures below show the percentage of newborn infants that are exclusively breast fed, exclusively fed formula, or received any breast feeding (either exclusive or in combination with formula) upon release from the hospital.

The information below is obtained from hospitals and submitted to the Illinois Department of Public Health. See Report Card Methodology.

Consumer Tip: You can find information about breast feeding consultant staffing under the Staffing/Beds tab. These consultants are specially trained to provide help with breast feeding to mothers. For more information, read the Surgeon General’s "Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding"