Nearly 50% of mothers choose to breastfeed

ALMOST half of mothers are choosing to breastfeed their babies as a result of a State-backed initiative that encourages maternity hospitals to move away from Ireland’s bottle-fed culture.

When the global Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative started in Ireland in 1998 less than 40% of Irish mothers breastfed their babies.

Even though Ireland's breastfeeding rates are still the lowest rate in the EU, they are increasing at a steady rate.

In Britain and the US the rate is around 70%, while Norway is Europe's star performer with a breastfeeding rate of 99%.

At a European Union conference on Breastfeeding in Dublin Castle yesterday, Health Minister Micheál Martin launched the first pan-European approach to address common breastfeeding issues.

The minister described the Blueprint for Action on Breastfeeding an EU- funded project in which 28 countries were involved as a health tool that could be adapted in individual European countries to boost breastfeeding rates across Europe.

He said Ireland would continue to protect and promote breastfeeding because a child's early years provided a unique opportunity for establishing lifelong health patterns.

Irish National co-ordinator of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative, Genevieve Becker, said that 20 of the 22 maternity hospitals were now participating in the award programme.

Earlier this year, Portiuncula Hospital, Ballinasloe, Co Galway and the Regional Hospital in Waterford, became the first maternity hospitals to win Baby Friendly awards for changing both policy and practice designed to boost breastfeeding rates.

One of the conference speakers, consultant obstetrician, gynaecologist and medical geneticist at the University Hospital Rikshopitalet, Oslo, Norway, Gro Nylander, said Norway was able to boost its breastfeeding rate as a result of a lot of hard work and positive support and funding from the government.

Maternity entitlements in Norway were also very generous, said Dr Nylander. Mothers could opt for 10 months paid leave or remain at home for one year with 80% salary. Those who opted to stay at home to raise their children also got support for two years while those who went back got paid time off to breastfeed.

Only 14 weeks' paid maternity leave is allowed in Ireland but the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Bill 2003, currently at committee stage in the Dáil, will allow women to take 'lactation' breaks until the child is six months old.

Last year the Department of Health changed its guidelines on breastfeeding after new evidence emerged of the added health advantages of breastfeeding babies until they are at least six months old.

Ms Becker said women who give birth in a Baby Friendly Hospital are facilitated in making an informed decision on breastfeeding before her child is born.

"At the time of birth, the baby will be given to the mother on her chest in what is called skin to skin. A lot of evidence has shown that, if you leave a baby on the mother's chest, after about half an hour the baby will start to look for the breast because it is an inborn natural thing."

In the mother's stay in the hospital she will be helped to breastfeed and before she is discharged she will be told of the support services available.