Dept of Health Drops Breastfeeding Awareness Week

[Saffron]

Breastfeeding Awareness Week Dropped by Dept of Health:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/jun/17/breastfeeding-awareness-week-dropped-government

Any thoughts Forumites?

[Otta]

A shame, but to be honest, I'm never convinced this sort of thing really gets much of a message across anyway. It's a bit like preaching to the choir, as the only people who probably pay attention are those who're already on board.

[Saffron]

Otta, I totally get what you're saying. However, I just can't help feeling disappointed at the sentiment that the Dept of Health seems to be sending, i.e. it would rather spend loads of money to treat diabetes, obesity, etc in the future, than to spend a little money now on promoting the choice to breastfeed, when breastfeeding is known to have a high correlation to lowered risk of such diseases in later life.

IMHO they've made completely the wrong decision. More money, not less should be put into promoting breastfeeding. I also find the government's promise of an extra 4,200 HVs by 2015 to be next to useless where breastfeeding is concerned, considering what a load of shite advice I got from multiple HVs at 2 different clinics.

[buggie]

Admittedly I've only read a small piece on this, but was under the impression it had been dropped in favour of locally organised initiatives - which could be more helpful surely??

[Pickle]

It is a shame, but IMO I would like to see more money pumped into services that actually help women who want to breastfeed, rather than just overall awareness campaigns.

[Saffron]

buggie Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Admittedly I've only read a small piece on this,

> but was under the impression it had been dropped

> in favour of locally organised initiatives - which

> could be more helpful surely??

My read of it was that locally organised initiatives are being supported in theory alone. No funding is provided to local initiatives, and funds have been totally withdrawn from the national initiative.

[Saffron]

From the article:

"The government has stepped back from a campaign launched 18 years ago to encourage new mothers to start and continue breastfeeding, in spite of the low proportion of women who breastfeed their babies in the UK for any length of time.

"National Breastfeeding Awareness Week, which begins on Monday, is no longer receiving central funds from the Department of Health. Events will take place around the country, organised by local hospitals or groups such as the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), but there will be no central co-ordination or national campaign, which the Royal College of Midwives said was "very disappointing".

"The Department of Health, which has cut back on all forms of social marketing, is said to be reviewing the situation. But also worrying campaigners is the disappearance of a network of regional infant feeding co-ordinators who were based in the strategic health authorities which are now being abolished."

[sophiechristophy]

Our government should take a leaf out of Sweden's book. The attempts promote breastfeeding in this country fall so short. In Sweden they proved that you can radically increase breastfeeding rates, so I can't see the justification for our government not following the same model (except for "money" of course... but then as Saffron said, prevention is cheaper than cure).

[Ruth_Baldock]

Sophie, what do they do in Sweden? V intrigued now.

I'm in two minds about BF Awareness Week. On one hand, I think it gives support to Mums who are currently breastfeeding, but do agree with others in that a lot more awareness could and should be raised for services that would encourage more women to breastfeed and to help than continue to breastfeed during problems when their LOs are born.

This was a spectacularly vague and useless reply to this thread. Oops.

[sophiechristophy]

Hey Ruth - if you google "Breastfeeding in countries of the European Union and EFTA: current and proposed recommendations, rationale, prevalence, duration and trends" a article comes up with a comparison between rates of BF in Sweden and the UK (those two countries were chosen as one represented very low rates (UK), and the other very high). Basically, in the 1970s, the Swedish government decided to try to improve their BF rates (which was 30% EBF at 2 months). They implemented a number of changes, such as a full year of properly paid maternity leave to give women the best chance to BF, full support for all women at birth in establishing breastfeeding, and various other support initiatives. The result was that now, 81% of mothers are still EBF at 2 months, with pretty much 100% breastfeeding from birth. It is absolutely expected by the medical profession and society that all mum's will breastfeed, expressing is really rare, breastfeeding in public is totally the norm, etc etc.