Right or wrong? Breastfeeding data on birth certificates

I’d like to tip my hat to Angela over at Breastfeeding 123 for writing about this topic as I didn’t know about it, so I did some investigating on my own.

According to an article, Breastfeeding Status on US Birth Certificates: Where Do We Go From Here?, published in the December 1 issue of the journal Pediatrics,

"In May 2008, 56.6% (30 of 53) of US states and territories were collecting data on breastfeeding status at hospital discharge on their birth certificate. The questions used to collect breastfeeding data, however, had not been standardized. Approximately one quarter (12 of 53) reported that they were not yet collecting breastfeeding data on their birth certificate but that an implementation date had been set. Approximately one fifth (11 of 53) indicated that their state birth certificate did not plan to collect breastfeeding data by January 2010."

Is this the type of information that should be on a birth certificate? I don’t think so. I completely agree that the health services need to know where breastfeeding needs to be encouraged, but to make this a permanent record on a certificate that someone needs throughout his or her life, that’s pushing it. Why does a certificate you need at age 30 for a marriage and at 90 for death, need to have any information on it about if you were breastfed or not? It’s very invasive and totally inappropriate.

What do you think? Did you have to provide this type of information?

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Tags: pregnancy blog, breastfeeding, breastfed, birth certificates, breastfeeding data