More help for breastfeeding mums

A mother breastfeeding her baby is one of the most natural things in the world.

As well as helping a woman bond with her newborn it has been shown to have a whole host of health benefits for mum and baby too, yet many mums in the region still prefer to bottle feed.

And that is why health chiefs have launched a raft of new measures to encourage mums to feed their babies naturally.

Figures for 2008/09 show only about two thirds of mums in NHS Norfolk's catchment area started breastfeeding their babies - the third lowest percentage in the east of England.

And the area was bottom in the region when it came to the amount of mums still breastfeeding when their children were between six and eight weeks old - with just under a quarter of mothers doing so.

In Great Yarmouth and Waveney over the same time period just over 60pc of mums started breastfeeding their children and this dropped to about a third when their babies were six to eight weeks old.

In Suffolk about 70pc of mums started breastfeeding their newborns, dropping down to just over a third when their babies were six to eight weeks old.

The new initiatives include the East of England Breastfeeding Framework for Action which sets out how primary care trusts in the region and their health and social care partners will offer more joined-up and much-needed support to women who breastfeed their babies.

Birte Harlev-Lam, strategic lead for maternity services at NHS East of England, said the region needed to be proactive about encouraging breastfeeding because of the benefits for both mother and baby.

She said: 'Breastfeeding protects babies from infections, from stomach upsets, gastric flu. They are less likely to be diabetic or obese in later life, and less likely to have heart attacks.

'For the mother you lose weigh much quicker and it protects you from breast cancer and ovarian cancer. It is not just best for the baby, there are real health benefits for the mother too.'

Sheila Childerhouse, NHS Norfolk chairman, said breastfeeding was the best start for babies, and breast milk is all a baby needs for the first six months of his or her life.

When asked why there was such a low number of mums breastfeeding in Norfolk, she said: 'I do not think we fully understand why. If we look back over the last 20 or 30 years there has been very much a drive towards dads doing much more. There is also a generation of women whose mums did not breast feed and if your mum did not breastfeed you may not have the support to do it yourself. The health service has not always been as proactive about support too.'

Mrs Childerhouse said it was important that expectant and new mums were given all the information and support that they need by both health professionals and their family and friends - and that it was also important to encourage society as a whole to have a much more positive attitude towards breastfeeding in public.

'If we want to give the next generation the best possible start we need to have a really positive attitude to this. We need to make sure we are supporting mums,' she said.

At the start of Breastfeeding Awareness Week on Monday the government's Start4Life project, which wants to encourage parents to give their babies a headstart to a healthier life, was also launched in Norfolk alongside The East of England Breastfeeding Framework for Action.

Both initiatives will work alongside NHS Norfolk's new strategic action plan and its joint hospital and community breastfeeding policy and parents guide in a bid to boost the percentage of mums breastfeeding.

Together they aim to give breastfeeding support and advice to mums at all stages of their child's early life - from when they are expecting their child right through the months that they breastfeed their child.

? Breastfeeding support and information, and details about local breastfeeding groups are available from local midwives, community health visiting teams and children's centres in Norfolk.

Alternatively call the NHS Norfolk Patient Advice and Liaison Service on 0800 5874132.

Mums Rachel McCabe, 27, and Amy Bilham, 35, are firmly in favour of breastfeeding and say it is important that mums are given all the support they need.

Miss McCabe, from Eastgate Street, King's Lynn, and who has a nine-and-a-half month old daughter called Daisy said: 'I wanted to breastfeed because being a midwife I knew all about the health benefits of breastfeeding.

'I had some problems at the start with sore and cracked nipples but thanks to the help from my support worker I got over those problems.

'The important thing has been the ongoing support, going to social groups, especially the breastfeeding support drop-in clinic, and talking to other mums because there is always new challenges such as when your baby gets teeth and going back to work.

'I think breastfeeding is really important because it helps you bond with your baby.'

Mrs Bilham, a nurse from Cresswell Street, King's Lynn, and who has an eight-month-old son called Alfie, said: 'My mum breastfed me and I just always knew I was going to breastfeed Alfie. I was very lucky at the start but as the weeks went by it got harder and I had to combination feed Alfie.

'I had a lot of pressure from people saying, 'why don't you just completely bottle feed him,' and if it was not for the Friday support group I go to I probably would have given up and bottle fed. The ongoing support is just so important.'

Health campaigners are calling for the 'breast is best' message to be changed after research suggested it may be failing to convince new mothers.

The Breastfeeding Network said the message suggests breastfeeding is the preferred - rather than the normal - way to feed babies.

It reinforces the view that formula milk is the 'standard' way of feeding, with breastfeeding being an added bonus, the charity claimed.

Lesley Backhouse, chairman of The Breastfeeding Network, has written to the Department of Health, calling for a change of approach.

A Department of Health spokesman said in a statement that 'breast is best' was not its slogan, adding: 'Breastfeeding is good for babies, good for mothers and incredibly convenient.

'It's crucial that mothers get the support they need to make breastfeeding a success for them and their baby.'

The Department of Health recommendation that mothers should feed babies breast milk alone for at least six months is based on World Health Organisation guidance.

Top tips for breastfeeding from Start4Life:

n Try not to give your baby other food or drink. The more mum's milk you give your baby the more milk you will produce. Also, if you give your baby less mum's milk it will not protect your baby against illness as effectively.

n Make sure your baby is properly attached to your breast when feeding because this will help stop your breasts getting sore and ensure that your baby will get a good feed.

n Try not to give your baby a dummy because babies who have a dummy sometimes find it difficult to remember how to attach to mum's breast. Your baby will also be less likely to feed when they need to and so will not take in as much milk.

n Ask for help if you need it. Support is available from your midwife or health visitor or you could call the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 1000212 or Start4Life on 0300 1231021.

For more information on Start4Life visit www.nhs.uk/start4life