Modern motherhood
For Mother’s Day, we look at trends in birth rates and breast milk substitutes in the U.S. and the world.
How many moms are there in the U.S.? The census says there are about 85 million.
Statistics in the last few years: According to February’s Nation Vital Statics Report, 3,613,647 births were registered in the U.S. in 2020, down 4% from 2019. The general fertility rate declined by 4% from 2019 to 56.0 births per 1,000 women ages 15-44 in 2020.
The birth rate for females ages 15-19 fell 8% between 2019 and 2020. Birth rates declined for women ages 20-44 from 2% to 5% between 2019 and 2020. The total fertility rate declined to 1,641.0 births per 1,000 women in 2020. Birth rates declined for both married and unmarried women from 2019 to 2020.
Prenatal care: The percentage of women who began prenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy rose to 77.7% in 2020.
Smokers: The percentage of all women who smoked during pregnancy declined to 5.5%.
Cesarean sections: The cesarean delivery rate increased to 31.8% in 2020. Cesarean delivery continued to be higher among older women compared with younger mothers; women 40 and over were more than twice as likely to deliver by cesarean section (47.3%) than women under age 20 (19.4%).
Birth rates for teenagers: In 2020, the birth rate for teenagers ages 15-19 declined in 31 states with declines ranging from 5% for Pennsylvania and North Carolina to 19% for Montana. Rates were essentially unchanged in the remaining 18 states and Washington, D.C. and it rose in one state: Maine.
Married and unmarried: The birth rate for unmarried women was 38.6 births per 1,000 women ages 15-44 in 2020, down 3% from 2019. The 2020 nonmarital birth rate was 25% lower than the peak of 51.8 in 2007 and 2008. The birth rate for married women also declined in 2020, by 4% to 80.8 per 1,000 married women ages 15-44, from 84.0 in 2019.
The pandemic and moms
In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to have an impact on vital events. A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that analyzed trends in births in the U.S. based on provisional 2020 data revealed that the number of births declined for each month from 2019 to 2020, with larger declines observed for those months in the second half of 2020 (6%) compared with the first half of the year (2%).
Twins and triplets
The 2020 twin birth rate was 31.1 twins per 1,000 births, a 3% decline from the 2019 rate of 32.1 and down 8% from the 2014 high of 33.9. The twinning rate (births in twin deliveries per 1,000 total births) rose 76% from 1980 to 2009 (from 18.9 to 33.2 per 1,000), was generally stable from 2009 to 2012 and then rose for 2013 and 2014 before beginning to decline. The 2020 rate is the lowest in almost two decades (the 2020 rate was 31.1).
The triplet and higher-order multiple birth rate (triplet/plus) was 79.6 per 100,000 births for 2020, a 9% decline from 2019 (87.7). The 2020 rate of triplet/plus births is down 59% from the 1998 peak (193.5) and the lowest rate in three decades.
Out of 3.61 million births in 2020, 108 mothers had quadruplets and 29 had quintuplets or more.
In the news
Last month, the World Health Organization released a report on the extent of exploitative formula milk marketing around the globe. The report shows how formula milk companies are paying social media platforms and influencers to gain direct access to pregnant women and mothers at some of the most vulnerable moments in their lives. The $55 billion a year global formula milk industry is targeting new mothers with personalized social media content that is often not recognizable as advertising.
This pervasive marketing is increasing purchases of breast-milk substitutes and therefore dissuading mothers from breastfeeding exclusively, as recommended by WHO.
“The promotion of commercial milk formulas should have been terminated decades ago,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, director of the WHO Nutrition and Food Safety Department. “The fact that formula milk companies are now employing even more powerful and insidious marketing techniques to drive up their sales is inexcusable and must be stopped.”
The report summarizes findings of new research that sampled and analyzed 4 million social media posts about infant feeding published in 2021. These posts reached 2.47 billion people and generated more than 12 million likes, shares or comments.
Breastfeeding rates in the U.S.
Breastfeeding has many known health benefits for infants, children, and mothers and is a key strategy to improve public health. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends infants are exclusively breastfed for about the first six months with continued breastfeeding while introducing complementary foods for at least 1 year.
Sources: The American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Source: Orange County Register
Be First to Comment