Breastfeeding advocates look for way to boost Ireland’s low rates

EMPHASISING the risks of not breastfeeding may be the key to pushing up Ireland’s low rate of around 43%, a breast-feeding advocate said yesterday.

National breastfeeding coordinator Maureen Fallon said a similar approach was taken in the United States where the breast-feeding rate now exceeds 70%.

An Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report shows that 41.1% of mothers in Ireland were breast feeding in 2002, compared to 33.89% in 1993. Currently the rate is estimated at 43%, although some maternity hospitals are achieving rates of more than 50%.