What’s all the fuss?

LAST week, a Time magazine cover got the world talking. The picture of model Jamie Lynne Grumet breast-feeding her son, Aram, caused outrage. Why? Because Aram is four years old, and he stood on a stool to feed. People considered the image off-putting, even unnatural.

Is it? Breast milk is healthiest for a baby. For best effect, a woman should breast-feed her child for two years, and beyond, and not just the previously recommended six months, says the World Health Organisation.

Breast-feeding rates in Ireland are low. Last year’s ESRI report found that just 22% of babies are exclusively breast-fed at three months old. The figure is higher for newborns, with 45% of mums breast-feeding when they leave hospital, but this figure pales compared to 99% in Norway, and 93% in Austria.