Breastfeeding in Belgium: tentative evaluation based on neonatal screening cards

In Belgium as in most developed countries, the proportions of breastfed to bottle-fed newborns is poorly known. A compilation of infant feeding information, available on cards which were completed at the time newborns were screened for inborn metabolic errors, indicates that in the years 1992 and 1993, 62.5 percent of infants were breastfed on day five of life. The data collected in this way were consistent for the years studied. Other countries may also be able to use screening cards to estimate breastfeeding initiation rates.