Breastfeeding supporters have been dealt a blow this week after Whitehall announced it would axe support for National Breastfeeding Week, planned for 19-25 June.
Campaigners warned that the move would put immense pressure on breastfeeding support networks and would undo years of good work just as the message of 'Breast is Best' is starting to hit home in the UK.
The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) was reported to be "disappointed" by the u-turn. The RCM's professional policy adviser, said a national campaign "galvanises everybody, from professionals to mother-to-mother groups", adding: "It is not cost effective to drop something with which you have had some success. The Government needs to look at all the very good work that it has done to generate interest in breastfeeding, and the help that support groups have received."
The chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, Belinda Phipps said: "The evidence of the health benefits of breastfeeding is unequivocal. But as a society we have a funny attitude towards breastfeeding because breasts are used for sex, so I can see why [promoting breastfeeding] is not a total win-win for government."
iMama expert and top midwife Sofie Jacobs talks about the difficulty in finding the right breastfeeding support and advises new mums to ask as many questions as possible when still in hospital.
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