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14 May 2001
BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS WEEK
It's National Breastfeeding Awareness Week - a yearly event promoted by the National Network of Breastfeeding
coordinators and funded by the Department of Health.
Breastfeeding experts say that statistics are increasingly showing that new mums don't choose to breastfeed and believe that the images commonly portrayed in society and on television don't encourage women.
The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) is calling on television programme makers, and in particular popular soaps, to give breastfeeding a positive boost. Chief executive, Belinda Phipps, says, "Far too few women are starting to breastfeed. We need to make breastfeeding socially and culturally unremarkable so that more women consider it common sense and the norm rather than the alternative."
The Department of Health points to medical evidence that shows that breastfeeding for three to four months can give a baby added immune protection and reduce their risk of having upset tummies, ear infections or allergies. Women who breastfeed have a lower risk of pre-menopausal breast cancer, plus they tend to lose the weight gained during pregnancy quicker if their bodies are busy making milk.
Health professionals say the "benefits last a lifetime" and hope that the positive coverage during this week will encourage more new mums to give the method a try. They admit that some people can experience problems and not all women adapt immediately, but say that help is available from midwives, health visitors or breastfeeding experts.
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