News

6th May 2005

National Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2005

This year's National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which runs May 8-14, is focusing on the importance of support from friends and family for women who are breastfeeding.

The annual health campaign is coordinated by the Department of Health to promote the benefits of breastfeeding and encourage more mums to give it a go.

This week, new research commissioned by The Department of Health for the campaign has revealed that, despite popular belief, the majority of men are supportive of breastfeeding, with 79 per cent of those surveyed saying that they would want their children to be breastfed.

The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. Almost 29 per cent of women in England and Wales never try to breastfeed compared to 2 per cent in Sweden.

As a result, in 2003 the government set targets for all primary care trusts to increase the number of women taking up breastfeeding by 2 per cent a year, focusing especially on women from disadvantaged groups.

The campaign is being backed by Friends star, Courtney Cox Arquette who breastfeeds her daughter.

She says, "Breastfeeding is undoubtedly the best thing you can do for your baby.

"It took a lot of persevering through the early weeks because my daughter did not latch on properly, and, honestly, it really hurt.

"But I am so happy I stayed with it because not only do I have a special bond with my child, but it's so easy now and she is extremely healthy."

Dr Anthony Williams - senior lecturer and consultant in neonatal paediatrics at St George's Hospital Medical School, London, says "Breastfeeding for three months or more reduces a baby's chances of catching diarrhoea, chest and ear infections.

"It may also reduce the risk of later eczema, obesity and diabetes for the child. Breastfeeding may also reduce the risk of a mother acquiring breast cancer before the menopause.

"There is additional evidence to suggest that breastfeeding leads to a reduction in blood pressure at school age and an improvement of IQ levels, especially when babies are born prematurely.

"This is a very positive and exciting development for the health of future generations.

"Breastfeeding gives a baby the best start possible and helps to set down a pattern of good health for life."

Rosie Stamp, mother to 12 month old Betsy, hit the headlines this week when she spent nearly £1000 flying from New York to give her daughter a breastfeed.

Miss Stamp had flown to America for a five day stay, leaving her daughter at home in the UK with bottles of expressed milk. Unfortunately, Betsy refused to drink from the bottle and Miss Stamp made the decision to cut short her trip and get the next flight home, landing back at Heathrow within 36 hours of setting off.

Miss stamp insists that her 14,000-mile tour was only what any devoted mother would do in the circumstances.

And a spokesman for the National Childbirth Trust said: "It was a drastic step to take but we support Miss Stamp's commitment to breastfeeding her child."

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