New US study suggests $13 billion and 900 lives saved if babies were breastfed to at least six months.

[RubyBuckleberry]

I am not sure how to start off this discussion for fear of a catfight . I am prepared for flaming so bring it on, but FWIW, I am genuinely interested in how on earth to raise breastfeeding rates so try to take that into account. Feel free to hide the thread too!

Should it really be 'my body, my choice', or do we have a moral obligation to breastfeed? Given that personal lactation consultants are not an option, how is the situation ever going to change?

$13 billion is alot. 900 lives is loads of families and babies who suffer . It is an estimate so I would be interested in how many people simply don't believe it. I have it on good authority that this country spends £100 billion a year on the NHS so would a few billion over here even make a difference? It was published in the journal 'Pediatrics'. You probably have to pay to see the actual study but it is all over the internet on many different websites:

here

the daily mail has it too for all those DM readers

and here

ItNeverRainsBut - that is a great link - thanks! And some other great ideas to think about. I wonder who exactly it is that could say, right, lets get this advert done. Anyone know who is responsible for the Scottish advertising campaign?

CarmenSanDiego, I watched The Business of Being Born - brutal, to put it mildly - it put me off induction for life, and expands all your points in shocking detail.

kveta - interesting post, and the points you made about family pressure - 1 and 3 - advertising would help that, surely. I have found loads of support in my area tbh but this seems to be a postcode lottery .

Here are some stats from a recent Irish study:

Non-nationals giving birth in Ireland:

Almost 80% initiate breastfeeding
75% still breastfeeding at 4 weeks
47% still giving some breastmilk at 6 months

Irish:

Just over 47% initiate breastfeeding
22% breastfeeding at 4 weeks
9.6% giving some breastmilk at 6 months

Only 1 person out of 520 people were exclusively breastfeeding at 6 months

So some of it is cultural. But that said I was adamant that I wanted to breastfeed (in the UK) and I know that the midwives 'helping' me had not breastfed their own children and were thrilled when they 'helped' my ds to formula feed within hours of his birth.

Health is a devolved issue in Scotland which is why the ads are only shown here.

sorry mawbroon, what do you mean by devolved?

I don't think you can force mothers to breastfeed, most want to anyway but find that for various reasons they can't.

Support is available, but when you're feeling low after a bad night and have sore bleeding nipples maybe the last thing you want is to go to a group full of happily breastfeeding mums and ask for it?

it means health issues are goverened by the scottish parliament in scotland, not by westminster.

angela - groups are not full of happily breastfeeding mums (well, here they aren't). there are often tears, often scared 1st time mothers wondering what the hell they've got themselves into, and a few old timers who have been there done that got the milk stained t-shirt.

actually, thinking about it, would help immensely if women who plan to bf could go to a group before they pop. then it's normalised more in their mind, they know where/when it is, and they have met the people running it.

(may say this to hv as would be awesome if women in my area used the support group when they need it rather than hearing about it 2 weeks post birth which may be too late)

Must just be my group then . Good idea getting them to go to one before they pop, at least they would get people telling them the truth about breastfeeding.

Oh - thanks Kveta.

I agree that obviously you can't force mothers - you literally can't force them physically, and I think I sound harsh about the moral obligation. I suppose I am thinking about the responsibility a person has for another person, and therefore because it is right thing to do for that other person, we should do it.

I think tbh I have some kind of idealised view about women using their capabilities to save a few billion for the country or something and I'm staggered when I hear all the weird things told to people by the health professionals. I end up thinking, who the fuck is in charge round here and can they sort it the fuck out [exasperated emoticon].

'Support is available'

It really isn't in a lot of places.