Experts say breastfeed early: 2 in 5 do not
MORE than 40% of new mothers in Sefton do not start breastfeeding in the first two days, despite experts recommending babies be breastfed just one hour after birth.
The latest figures from Public Health England reveal that just 58% in the boroughy initiated breastfeeding within 48 hours of giving birth in 2016/17.
That’s much lower rate than the national average of 74% breastfeeding within two days.
Breastfeeding helps protect newborns against infections and disease, while also reducing the risk of breast cancer in the mother.
Skin-to-skin contact can also help mother and baby to bond.
Formula milk does not provide the same protection from illness, and does not give the mother any health benefits.
Current guidelines from the World Health Organisation and Unicef recommend babies should be breastfed within an hour of their birth and fed only that way until they are six months old.
However, the breastfeeding rate falls even further over time – just 30% of mothers in Sefton were still breastfeeding six to eight weeks after giving birth.
Once again, that was lower than the national average of 44% of mothers.
According to a report by the NHS, 90% of women in the UK give up on breastfeeding before they want to, and studies suggest that this is at least partly due to a lack of support.
Clare Livingstone, professional policy adviser at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “There is a pressing need to support women to not only improve initiation rates, but to also ensure they get the right levels of support to breastfeed for as long as possible.
“The regional variations are a concern and there should be efforts to focus on those areas where initiation rates are lower, to find out why this is happening and take steps to improve this.
“New born babies are usually very alert and responsive immediately after delivery and therefore this is an ideal time to initiate breastfeeding. Sometimes mothers and babies require medical intervention that prevents this from happening and extra support may be given in these situations.
“Whatever infant feeding choices women make, we must ensure we support them in that choice and give them the advice and help they need.”