Sorry but the countries with the best breast feeding rates in the world, Sri Lanka and Rwanda have much much less support than we do in the UK.
They also have a much higher incidence of infant mortality and lower rates of infertility. Women in the West have much higher rates of polystic ovary’s diabetes, obesity and conditions that cause difficulty conceiving which has a direct impact on the amount of children born to mothers unable to breast feed.
Many people are underestimating or misunderstanding the direct impact of social and cultural contexts on physiology. We can not compare the physiology of females in developing countries with those of Western women. We are evolving differently and while I am absolutely not taking away from the experiences of those women who, were indeed, misinformed about supply and infant feeding frequency, it is of equal importance not to dismiss the very real experiences of women who tell us categorically they have been unable to do so.
I have been lucky enough to meet a friend from Eritrea recently and discuss breast feeding with her. Although rates there are lower than Rwanda and Sri Lanka she was able to give me a picture of what breast feeding looks like over there.
There are no official child minders, breast feeding councillors, NCT classes etc etc. I was surprised to learn that a new baby does not, in fact, sit on mothers breast hour after hour as she cries with bleeding nipples half falling off while she is expected to clean the house and run round after husband. Nope!
Fascinatingly for me I have learned she just hands baby to multiple neighbours to breast feed for the next feed or four then will perhaps give a night feed. This continues for weeks until her breasts feel better and as they ‘toughen up’ in their own time, the amount of time baby feeds on other women is reduced and mums milk picks up. Women in the community nurse for years, sometimes 3-4 years after their own child has finished nursing so they can feed other children in the community while mum rests and gently build up supply and ‘toughens’ her nipples up! And this was the thing she said, “If you do it alone you get stressed and then your milk stops”!!!
That is straight from the horses mouth. She has been here less than a year and finds our culture so closed and unhelpful for mothers. Over there, if you want to pop out somewhere you just give your baby to one of your neighbours. All the mums pop just chip in and help.
Now I don’t know anyone from Sri Lanka or Rwanda but our entire culture, community set up and advice for mums just so sit there and feed baby while suffering mastitis, cracked bleeding nippples and to ‘soldier on’, I think has a profound impact on our physiology over time. That doesn’t fully explain why UK has lower rates than anywhere in Europe but I do believe over time we are evolving in ways detrimental to BF and no amount of guilt tripping or leafleting is going to change that.