Figures released on the first day of National Breastfeeding Week show that fewer than one in a hundred women follow government advice to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months.
The Infant Feeding Survey shows in 2005 76% of UK mothers started out breastfeeding - up 7% from 2000. But, most end up using formula within weeks, and fewer than half still breastfeed by the time their child is six weeks old.By the time their baby is six months, just one in four are still breastfeeding.The survey, which has been carried out every five years since 1975, also found that well educated, professional women aged over 30 who were first time mothers were the most likely group to breastfeed. Professor Denise Lievesley, of the Information Centre, said the survey would help health workers to target resources at those on which they would have the most impact.
"Overall, it is encouraging to see that more mothers than ever before are starting out breastfeeding their babies and, while there is a sharp drop-off, more are continuing to breastfeed for longer." BREASTFEEDING BENEFITS
 Breastfed babies five times less likely to end up in hospital than formula-fed babies with gastroenteritis
Breastfed babies half as likely to end up in hospital with respiratory disease in their first seven years of life
Breast milk protects against diabetes and obesity
Westminster are about to launch a Breastfeeding Manifesto which is supported by 183 MPs and various celebrities and aims to promote breastfeeding and create an environment in which women feel more comfortable about doing so.
Alison Baum, from the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition, said: "Women need to be able to feel confident and comfortable to breastfeed wherever they need to. Babies need to feed at all sorts of times, and you can never know when a baby is going to need to feed. It's the most natural thing in the world, and the evidence for the health benefits are huge, so we should be doing all we can to support women."
She added that most women who breastfed in public did it so discreetly that people barely noticed. But she said: "There are the odd cases where women are thrown out of restaurants and cafes."
In Scotland it is illegal to ask someone to stop a woman breastfeeding in an establishment that normally serves food.
May 2007 | 
Midwife Work Done By Unqualified Support Staff
