Is breast always best?
Tue, 08 Feb 2011 12:12:00 GMT
For years breastfeeding has been promoted to UK women as 'Breast is Best', and figures suggest mothers agree, with 78% initiating breastfeeding following the birth of their child. However, this figure drops to 48% after just six weeks of feeding.
Dr Abigail Locke, Principal Lecturer in the Division of Psychology and Counselling at the University of Huddersfield, has embarked on research that looks into the teaching of infant feeding techniques. Alongside this Dr Locke is interested in what is happening during the six week period following birth which is making mothers abandon breastfeeding.
Following analysis of antenatal classes, which she recorded four years ago, Dr Locke noticed that concerns around pain, discomfort or difficulty were not readily addressed and that breastfeeding was being taught with the focus placed upon the benefits, combined with the best methods for positioning babies for successful feeding.
"The drop in breastfeeding rates is massive, something must be happening in those first six weeks which is making women stop feeding" said Dr Locke "I believe that during the first few weeks following birth, breastfeeding can be tricky, and some women are hitting difficulties. Although some of those women go and seek support and carry on, many just find it too hard and stop."
Dr Locke is keen to explore alternative approaches to the teaching of infant feeding, on the premise that, if women were made aware during antenatal classes of the difficulties they may face when breastfeeding and how to deal with them, they would be more likely to carry on through.
"Breastfeeding is a very emotive subject; a new mum is very vulnerable and it's a big stress if she encounters lots of problems which she wasn't expecting" said Dr Locke, who is also a mother of two.
"I wholly believe that breast milk is the best milk a baby can have; encouraging breastfeeding is important and in ideal world every mother would do it. But the reality is it doesn't always work out like that, and it's about dealing with that group of women who it doesn't work for and how we can improve things for them."
