VOA标准英语2010年-Three of Four US Infants Get Breast Mi

A new survey finds that three-quarters of U.S. newborns are breastfed beginning at birth. But the number of breastfeeding infants rapidly falls off during the first year of life.

Seventy-five percent of babies started life breastfeeding, according to this latest Breastfeeding Report Card. That represents a slow but steady increase in recent years in the percentage of American infants who are breastfed.

The new survey is for babies born in 2007, the most recent year available.

The breastfeeding study comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A public health adviser¹ at the agency, Carol MacGowan, says it's not enough for a new mom to want to breastfeed her baby.

"There's still a lot of practices that need to take place in the hospital to support the mother's decision to breastfeed," she explained. "So she may have decided² to breastfeed, but if there's no support in place that helps her to continue that, then she may not even start."

Hospital practices that encourage breastfeeding include putting the newborn skin-to-skin with the mother right after birth, and not offering infant formula or pacifiers.

Although three out of four babies started life on their mother's milk, by the time they're six months old, just 43 percent were still breastfeeding. And by 12 months, only one baby in five was getting any breast milk.

U.S. officials recommend babies be breastfed for the first year of life. The World Health Organization says breastfeeding should last two years.

MacGowan says there are a number of reasons why American women don't continue breastfeeding.

"Some of it is the community support; thus, we address the number of lactation professionals out there to help the women. A big barrier to women is working and breastfeeding. It's a perceived barrier in some cases. It's a real barrier in others."

But despite the barriers, the underlying³ message is that breast milk is the right food for babies. Many studies have shown that infants who are fed breast milk are healthier.

MacGowan says the benefits are multiple. "Everything from prevention of certain infectious and chronic⁴ diseases - respiratory, for example, being one, decreasing the severity of asthma⁵, if they're prone⁶ to asthma - and chronic disease such as diabetes⁷ and obesity⁸."

Mothers benefit, as well. Breastfeeding lowers the risk of some cancers, naturally promotes spacing between pregnancies⁹, and it costs less, too.

 

1 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 underlying   

adj.在下面的，含蓄的，潜在的

参考例句：

• The underlying theme of the novel is very serious.小说隐含的主题是十分严肃的。
• This word has its underlying meaning.这个单词有它潜在的含义。

4 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

5 asthma   

n.气喘病，哮喘病

参考例句：

• I think he's having an asthma attack.我想他现在是哮喘病发作了。
• Its presence in allergic asthma is well known.它在过敏性气喘中的存在是大家很熟悉的。

6 prone   

adj.(to)易于…的，很可能…的；俯卧的

参考例句：

• Some people are prone to jump to hasty conclusions.有些人往往作出轻率的结论。
• He is prone to lose his temper when people disagree with him.人家一不同意他的意见,他就发脾气。

7 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

8 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

9 pregnancies   

怀孕，妊娠( pregnancy的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Since the wartime population needed replenishment, pregnancies were a good sign. 最后一桩倒不失为好现象，战时人口正该补充。
• She's had three pregnancies in four years. 她在四年中怀孕叁次。