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| Zoe Bull with 12 week old Kruiz |
Charlotte Church has called on other young mums to breastfeed after new statistics revealed that only 42% of Welsh mums under 20 start to breastfeed compared to 76% of mothers over 30.
Charlotte is supporting the Welsh Assembly Government drive aimed at tackling this generation gap.
During Breastfeeding Awareness Week (11-17 May), Charlotte has joined forces with Minister Jane Hutt and health experts from across South Wales to urge more young mothers to consider the protection that breastfeeding gives both to them and their babies.
21-year-old Charlotte, who breastfed eight-month old Ruby Megan for 6 months, says that shedding her baby weight quickly was just one of the many benefits of breastfeeding:
“It was really reassuring knowing that Ruby had extra protection from chest, ear and stomach infections, as well as from diabetes and allergies. On top of that, breastfeeding is free and really convenient – especially in the middle of the night!”
Experts believe that young mothers are less likely to breastfeed due to a lack of understanding combined with social pressure from people who themselves may never have breastfed.
Breastfeeding Co-ordinator for Wales Sue Sky said:
“There is a great deal of evidence to show that breastfeeding provides important health benefits for both mum and baby. Breastfed babies visit the doctor less often than those who are fed infant formula, and they are less likely to have heart disease when they get older. For mums, it reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer and helps them to get their figures back faster. It is concerning that so few young women choose to breastfeed when you consider all the benefits. This campaign is designed to show that breastfeeding is a free and convenient way to give babies the healthiest start in life. Charlotte Church is a fantastic example of a young mother deciding that breast really is best and we hope that she will serve as a role model to her many thousands of female fans.”
Charlotte said:
“Feeding Ruby myself has been such a positive experience and I would definitely recommend to other mums that they try it. I don’t know why so few young mums choose to breastfeed but I think there are a lot of myths out there. It’s important they hear from real mums like me and have all the information they need to make their minds up.”
Welsh Assembly Government Children's Minister, Jane Hutt, said:
“Wales is providing a lead when it comes to the promotion of breastfeeding and support for women who want to breastfeed. We hope to reach out to as many young women as possible and demonstrate that there are many good reasons to consider breastfeeding; too many to ignore in fact!”
May 2008
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