Deciding whether or not to breastfeed is a mother’s own choice, and a choice that, at times, can be taken away due to a number of reasons, including health.

 

Not getting enough support is also a significant reason why many women choose not to nurse their baby, something medical journal, The Lancet, hopes to change with their new breastfeeding series. 

 

"The reasons why women avoid or stop breastfeeding range from the medical, cultural, and psychological, to physical discomfort and inconvenience. These matters are not trivial, and many mothers without support turn to a bottle of formula," they wrote. 

 

In line with their series, The Lancet, has also published a report which found that more than 800,000 child deaths worldwide could be prevented if more women breastfed.

 

Looking at data from 28 systematic reviews of previous research it found that breastfeeding has a significant effect on life expectancy for both babies and their mothers.

 

Looking at various, incomes and countries, the results found that breastfeeding reduced the risk of sudden infant death in high-income countries by more than a third. In relation to low and middle-income countries, the study found that breastfeeding also helped to prevent about half of infant cases of diarrhoea and a third of lung infections.

 

 

The medical journal also found, that despite their being evidence that breastfeeding can help protect against obesity and diabetes and reduce the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, it is still increasingly low, particularly in high-income countries.

 

“Breastfeeding is one of the few positive health behaviours that is more common in poor than richer countries, and within poor countries is more frequent among poor mothers,” explained lead researcher Professor Cesar Victoria.

 

However, just 1% of babies in the UK are breastfed up until their first birthday, while the figure in Ireland stands at just 2%.

 

Talking about the need to offer support and highlight the importance of breastfeeding, Janet Fyle from the Royal College of Midwives in the UK said: “This report underpins and reinforces why breastfeeding is the most appropriate method of providing nutrition for a baby. It also highlights the pressing need to promote and increase the uptake of breastfeeding in the UK and globally.”

 

Understanding this need for committed support, The Lancet writes: "More importantly, genuine and urgent commitment is needed from governments and health authorities to establish a new normal: where every woman can expect to breastfeed, and to receive every support she needs to do so."

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