Health news - More mums opt to breastfeed but few stick at it, figures show

More new mums are opting to breastfeed but very few stick at it for
long enough, latest UK figures reveal.
The 2010 Infant FeedingSurvey results from a poll of more than 10,000
women show 81 in every 100 start breastfeeding, up from 76 in 2005.
But after one week less than half of all new mothers are still
exclusively breastfeeding.
And only one in every 100 manage the full recommended six months, the
NHS Information Centre found.
This rate has remained static for years, despite repeated public
health messages about the importance of exclusivebreastfeeding for six
months for infant health.
Things are moving in the right direction, but in the UK we started
from a low base with few women breastfeeding in the 70s
Rosie Dodds, NationalChildbirth Trust
Across the UK, 69% of mothers were exclusively breastfeeding at birth.
At one week this had fallen to 46% and by six weeks the figure was
23%.
The data reveal three-quarters of mothers want to breastfeed and more
than four in five say they are aware of the health benefits.
About a third of mothers were still breastfeeding (although not
exclusively) at six months.
Common reasons for stopping breastfeeding were problems with thebaby
rejecting the breast or not latching on properly, having painful
breasts or nipples and feeling thatthey had 'insufficient milk'.
Women were also less likely to try or persevere with breastfeeding if
they themselves had been given formula as a babyand if none of their
mum friends were breastfeeding.
Rosie Dodds, of the National Childbirth Trust, said the figures were a
step in the right direction.
"There are some positives. Things are moving in the right direction,
but in the UK we started from a low base with few women breastfeeding
in the 70s.
"Confidence in breastfeeding in the UK is still very low and that is
one of the reasons why many women use formula feeding as well as
breast milk.
"It is important that mothers do what they feel is right for them and
their baby and are given enough support and information to make this
choice."
The Royal College of Midwives is concerned that due to staff shortages
women may not be getting the postnatal support they need from midwives
whilst they establish breastfeeding in the early days after birth.
The latest figures also show that fewer women are smoking and drinking
alcohol during pregnancy and more are taking recommended supplements -
folic acid and vitamin D.