‘Respect’ mums who bottle feed

Women who decide not to breastfeed their child must be respected for their choice, midwives are being told.

Updated advice from the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) stresses new mothers should be given appropriate support if they make an informed decision to bottle feed.

The new guidance still says babies should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of their life, in line with advice from the World Health Organisation (WHO).

However, the RCM has acknowledged that some mothers struggle to start or carry on breastfeeding.