'I've had some odd looks breastfeeding'

12:12pm Thursday 1st May 2008

Better public facilities must be provided for breastfeeding mothers to improve children's health, according to a new report.

Siobhan Ryan speaks to a mum who says the public should not be embarrassed about breastfeeding.

The issue of breastfeeding in public has long been a subject of stares and unease.

Brighton mother-of-two Linda Brooker has had a range of experiences from very good to downright awful.

The 34-year-old, who is currently breastfeeding eight-month-old Max, said: "I've breastfed in lots of different places in Brighton and while I haven't had any serious problems, there have been occasions when I've had some odd looks or someone's behaviour has made me very conscious.

"I was in the park the other week and a woman physically moved her back to face me when I started to breastfeed and I've had some odd looks when breastfeeding in my car.

"The absolute worst place I've breastfed is on a plane - a place where it's so necessary.

"Thinking ahead and planning your day if you're out and about is such an important consideration when you're breastfeeding. You can't rely on it being possible just anywhere.

"I was out at Hove Lagoon recently and I noticed that I was getting some stares from teenagers who seemed a bit embarrassed about it all.

"These are the sort of things we should be dealing with so younger people are able to take it in their stride."

The subject is tackled in a report, Supporting Breastfeeding in Public Places and When Returning to Work, commissioned by Brighton and Hove City Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Brighton and Hove City Council.

It highlights the different attitudes to breastfeeding in public and confirms younger mums from working class backgrounds are less likely to breastfeed than their older, more middle-class and professional counterparts.

Shops and shopping malls are cited as not providing enough appropriate and comfortable places to breastfeed - as one young mother said: "Who wants to eat in a toilet?"

Employers are also criticised for not providing places at work for breast milk to be expressed and stored.

Key themes of the report include the sexualisation of breasts by the media as a barrier to breastfeeding as well as the important role schools have to play in helping to normalise attitudes to breastfeeding.

The Department of Health and World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a baby's life.

However, national data suggests that only 43% of women are breastfeeding at six weeks.

In Brighton and Hove fewer mothers and babies from more deprived neighbourhoods even begin breastfeeding.

Research has shown that breastfed babies have lower rates of hospital admissions, infections, diarrhoea, rashes, allergies and other medical problems than bottle-fed babies.

They are also more likely to be healthy because of antibodies in the mother's milk, are less likely to become obese in later life and have a smaller chance of suffering from allergies, eczema and asthma.

Mothers who breastfeed find it easier to lose weight after pregnancy and are less likely to become obese in later life, develop type 2 diabetes or breast and ovarian cancer.

The report also found little has been done to tackle the social and cultural views of breastfeeding in public which will be required to make breastfeeding the accepted feeding norm.

The report's authors have also called for measures to help increase the uptake of breastfeeding among the younger and lower socio-economic groups.

They say there need to be more facilities to assist breastfeeding in public plus a list or directory of cafes, pubs and restaurants in the city that are breastfeeding friendly.

The report also says workplaces have a duty to support mothers when returning to work and policies need to be drawn up to provide explicit support for breastfeeding mothers.

There also needs to be communication with employers regarding the benefit to them and society generally of supporting breastfeeding employees.

On the other hand, the report acknowledged mothers should be prepared to be discreet when breastfeeding in public.

Brighton and Hove director of public health Tom Scanlon said: "While a large amount of research exists into breastfeeding generally, there is little existing research into breastfeeding in public and when returning to work.

"We will use the insight gained by this project to shape our policies and services and to drive campaigns to change attitudes and behaviours."

Public health programme manager Terry Blair-Stevens said: "There is currently no legislation protecting the rights of babies and mums to breastfeed in public or to help them continue breastfeeding once they've gone back to work.

"We want to ensure that women have the right and confidence to feed their baby in the way they have chosen."

The study also asked more than 170 businesses, including retailers, leisure centres, restaurants, cafés and bars, public libraries and large employers about their views on breastfeeding in public places and workplace settings.

Almost half said they were happy to receive more information about how they could improve their environment for breastfeeding mothers and to provide child-friendly support but few organisations had specific policies relating to breastfeeding in public places or for women returning to work.

The businesses generally, however, said they did not consider breastfeeding in public places to be a problem.

• For more details on the report, visit www.brilliantfutures.org.

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