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Is breastfeeding welcome here?
This is the question breastfeeding mums will be asking businesses across Northern Ireland, that are open to the general public, during this week's National Breastfeeding Awareness Week.
The Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) today launched a new regional initiative, Breastfeeding welcome here, to support mothers who wish to breastfeed when they're out and about. The scheme aims to encourage social acceptability of breastfeeding and increase awareness about the importance of breastfeeding to the health of both mother and baby.
Janet Calvert, Regional Breastfeeding Coordinator with the HPA said: "Breastfeeding is really important to the health of both mother and baby, yet Northern Ireland has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe. Research shows that over half of Northern Ireland mothers breastfeed their babies at birth but more than a quarter of these women will have given up breastfeeding by the end of the first week, and just over half will have stopped by the time their baby is six weeks old.1 This is often because they feel there is a lack of support, particularly when they want to feed their baby outside the home.
"Breastfeeding mums need everyone's support and the Breastfeeding welcome here scheme will make it easier for mums to recognise places where they can breastfeed when they are out with their baby. Businesses which are open to the general public and have non-smoking facilities will be eligible to join the scheme. They will be given a window sticker and certificate to display on their premises to show that breastfeeding is acceptable in all areas open to the general public and that their staff are aware of the scheme and supportive of breastfeeding mums."
Breastfeeding in public areas is often viewed by the public as embarrassing or unacceptable, yet mothers who breastfeed their babies while out and about can breastfeed discreetly and often completely unnoticed. In a recent Northern Ireland survey, 92% of respondents thought it was acceptable to breastfeed outside the home but out of public view, eg in toilets, nappy changing rooms or designated breastfeeding rooms with just 40% believing it to be acceptable to breastfeed in places providing hospitality and within view of other customers, eg restaurants, cafes and pubs.2
Sinead Boyle, breastfeeding mum, said: "When I had my first child three years ago, I had no experience of where I could go to breastfeed while I was out of the house. This scheme is really important because it gives someone like me the confidence to know where I can go and where people will be supportive so I don't have to worry about the reaction I may get from some people or being asked to move."
Eileen Friel, Breastfeeding Coordinator of the Breastfeeding Mothers Group at the Mater Maternity Hospital said: "As someone who facilitates a Mothers Group I greatly welcome this new initiative. In the Mothers group we have often talked about how useful it would be if we had a list of places mothers could go to breastfeed, as in the early days mums are quite nervous about going out and would like to feel comfortable wherever they happen to be when their baby needs a feed."
The initial idea for the Breastfeeding welcome here scheme came from a group of peer support mothers in the North and West Belfast Health and Social Services Trust area. They aim to change the negative attitude towards breastfeeding in public in Northern Ireland by asking local businesses to welcome breastfeeding in all areas of the business open to the public.
1 Infant feeding Survey – Hamlyn B, Brooker S, Oleinikova K, Wands S, 2000.
2 Omnibus Survey NISRA, June 2004.
END
For
further information contact
Rosie McGaughey at the HPA Press Office on 028 9031 1611.
Email: r.mcgaughey@hpani.org.uk.
Website: www.breastfedbabies.org.
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