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Breast-Feeding State by State: Who's #1?

January 14, 2011 / 12:51 PM EST / CBS News

breast feed, breast feeding, breast-feed, breastfeed, baby, suckle, generic, 4x3 — istockphoto

Doctors say breast milk is best, and the World Health Organization says babies should be fed exclusively with breast milk for six months. But long-term breast-feeding is more popular in some parts of the country than in others. Here's a state-by-state rundown, based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Keep clicking to see where your state stacks up...

51. Mississippi

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8.0 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

50. Louisiana

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9.8 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

49. South Carolina

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12.0 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

48. Oklahoma

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12.2 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

47. West Virginia

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12.5 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

46. Arkansas

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12.6 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

45. Kentucky

Andy Dean

13.1 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

44. Alabama

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15.9 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

43. Illinois

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16.4 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

42. Indiana

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16.9 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

41. Tennessee

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17.2 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

40. Florida

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17.3 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

38. (tie) Georgia

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17.9 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

38. (tie) Maryland

Andy Dean

17.9 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

37. Pennsylvania

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18.5 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

36. Iowa

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19.2 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

34. (tie) Missouri

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19.4 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

34. (tie) North Carolina

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19.4 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

33. New Jersey

Andy Dean

19.8 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

32. Kansas

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20.2 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

30. (tie) Ohio

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20.3 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

30. (tie) Delaware

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20.3 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

29. North Dakota

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20.7 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

28. Nevada

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20.8 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

27. Connecticut

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21.7 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

26. Texas

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21.8 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

24. (tie) Rhode Island

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22.7 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

24. (tie) South Dakota

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22.7 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

23. Michigan

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22.9 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

22. Massachusetts

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23.3 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

21. Wisconsin

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23.5 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

20. District of Columbia

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23.7 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

18. (tie) Nebraska

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23.9 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

18. (tie) Virginia

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23.9 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

16. (tie) New Mexico

Carl Weaver

24.8 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

14. New Hampshire

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29.5 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

13. Minnesota

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26.6 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

12. Maine

Andy Dean

27.6 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

11. Wyoming

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29.0 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

10. Colorado

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29.3 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

9. Idaho

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30.8 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

8. California

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31.4 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

7. Alaska

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32.7 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

6. Hawaii

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33.1 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

5. Washington

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33.4 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

4. Montana

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34.8 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

3. Utah

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35.4 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

2. Oregon

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39.6 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months

1. Vermont

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39.7 percent of moms are still breast-feeding at 12 months