The UK has a breastfeeding rate at 12 months of 0.5% apparently - worst in the world.

[minifingerz]

Whereas 99.4% of women in Senegal, where there is widespread poverty, double the UK average family size, no maternity leave and minimal medical or midwifery support for postnatal mothers, are still going.

Those statistics are mind-boggling, given that most of the 82% of women who start off breastfeeding in the UK state medical reasons for not being able to continue breastfeeding.

Does beg the question - how is this possible?

here

Anyone can register and see the actual paper for free. If you do so you will see where the stats come from. The authors acknowledge that some of the stats are more reliable than others but they haven't made them up :)

In many countries, BF stats are not the same in every area. In the uk, for example, BF stats in London are very high both in initiation and maintenance compared to Northern Ireland. The same may well be true of France - high in some areas ( perhaps especially in the DOM?) and low in others.

The paper does not talk about 'worst' and 'best' stats. I can see how ppl might be sensitive to headlines using these words but honestly, it's not about you. It really isn't. The paper makes a convincing case that overall, the health of mothers and children would be improved in all settings if there was more BF. So, if BF rates are low, then this is not as 'good' as having higher rates. So somewhere with low BF rates can be said to have 'worse' rates.

It really does not mean that individual baby A who was not BF is somehow 'worse' than individual B who was BF.

Just to emphasise this point - Mistigri, the Lancet is a journal where playing 'fast and loose' with the stats would be unlikely. The paper itself - available, free, online here:

and if you register (again, free) you can read the whole thing - does not use emotive language. It is sober, referenced, and shows you its workings-out, IYSWIM.

By looking at a wide range of research, it calculates what the health impact and public finance impact might be, if more babies, in general, were breastfed, and were breastfed for longer.

This is not an instruction to individual women, but useful information for governments, agencies, HCP training organisations, demonstrating the evidence that support and enablement of breastfeeding is worthwhile.

Support and enablement does not mean pressurising women; it does not mean saying how great breastfeeding is, and then letting women struggle in pain and confusion with it when it doesn't work well. It doesn't mean being evasive about information related to formula feeding, either, making women worry about feeling marginalised and judged.

It means making sure maternity and paternity leave is generous and paid for; that workplaces enable continued breastfeeding (by making it easy to express and store at work); that public places make it easy and comfortable to breastfeed; that HCPs are trained in resolving problems; that hospital maternity units are well-staffed with knowledgable people; that community HCPs are well-trained; that unethical marketing of formula is stopped and false claims about formula are banned.

If you want to see what breastfeeding stats are like more in your area the infant feeding servay linked further up thread will give more local data.

The fact is a large number of women in the UK already want to and initiate breastfeeding. What is still lacking and what I believe they put in place in Norway is some seriously good postnatal breastfeeding support. Implementing the WHO code (which means banning advertising on formula) works as well, they did that to. This doesn't take away anyone's choice it just puts in place the support needed for mums to achieve the Breastfeeding that they want. Anyone experiencing pain with feeding please seek more help this isn't normal.

As many have said on hear already once breastfeeding is already established they often find it easy then bottle feeding.

Although recent article published reckoned the NHS would save money if more babies where breastfed. There's no need to force anyone to do anything. These measures have been shown to work but take upfront investment. Unfortunately we've got formala companies lobby in the government to prevent these things. Also upfront costs for long term gain is never been something the NHS really do. They need a lot of convincing, but the evidence has been there for years on this one. Someone is sitting on it.

Also upfront costs for long term gain is never been something the NHS really do. They need a lot of convincing, but the evidence has been there for years on this one. Someone is sitting on it.

I suspect the NHS internal market is also a big issue here. All the 'breast is best' literature is funded (I think) by the public health budget: it's a national campaign. On the ground breastfeeding support would need to be funded by local commissioners, but the savings would come in a variety of areas: fewer GP visits, fewer hospital admissions. So not only would there be upfront cost for long term gain in a system which commissions services in quite a short term basis, but the upfront cost would be coming from one pot of money, but the reductions in cost will be coming (at least in part) from other budgets. There would be an overall saving to the NHS, but that saving wouldn't necessarily be going to the people who would be paying for the support, so there's a lack of direct financial incentive.

I breastfed for 2 years 8 months, after pressure from DH to stop. Also I knew I wanted to start trying for another child, and didn’t want to be tandem feeding or having to go through weaning when pregnant. My husband felt uncomfortable that our daughter would ask for a feed when we were out (I stopped feeding her in public at a year old, as it was so frowned upon to feed a toddler), and also she would keep trying to put her hand down my top for comfort. I felt embarrassed when she did this too. When DH told my MIL, her response was about time. She formula fed her three children, and encouraged her daughters to do likewise.

My mum and her two sisters extended breastfed. My maternal granny breastfed, and in 1950s I understand there was enormous pressure to formula feed. My granny felt that human milk had to be better. I digress. To breastfeed felt normal, it was what I grew up with seeing my younger siblings and cousins breastfed. I didn’t realise people preferred to formula feed and it was an option, until I was an adult.

Despite all the pain for the first 16 weeks, and I also had mastitis when my daughter was 22 months, I carried on. I wanted to feed her for two years as WHO recommended.

I went back to work part-time when DD was a year old. I would feed her the minute we walked through the door, and before we left. It was fine.

I think the problem is two fold – lots of women find it embarrassing getting their boobs out, and it’s generational. When you have a baby the new mum tends to turn to female family members, if all they know is formula this is what will be advised on you, especially if mum has any problems.

I assume in Senegal the mothers are led by generations who breastfeed and consider this normal and acceptable. Formula is ingrained in our society. Extended breastfeeding is looked down upon. I was an undercover breastfeeder to my toddler. If I admitted it, a disgusted look would appear on certain peoples faces.