More support needed for breastfeeding mothers

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 16th May 2007

Today in Westminster, a coalition of more than 30 organisations is launching the Breastfeeding Manifesto which sets out objectives to help more mothers breastfeed their babies for longer. Local Liberal Democrat MP Dr Evan Harris, who supports this manifesto and is among MPs calling for a change in the law to give women the legal right to breastfeed in public, said:

"For the health of both the baby and mother, the World Health Organisation recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of a child's life yet survey results published earlier this week show that less than 1% of UK mothers are currently able to do this.

Many factors affect a mother's ability to breastfeed from simply not being aware of the benefits to social attitudes to breastfeeding in public, flexibility at work and insufficient encouragement, support and help from health professionals. Dr Harris supported the successful campaign to save the world-renowned breastfeeding clinic at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford from closure.

"It is important that mothers receive the information and support they need to help them to breastfeed their children for as long as they choose. Clinics, like that at the John Radcliffe, and the new mobile 'breastfeeding bus' run by the Barton Baby café are a huge, important step in helping new mums."

The manifesto calls for seven key objectives to be met to improve the situation for UK mothers.

"By ensuring more babies are breastfed for their first six months of life we can directly improve the health of future generations of children in the UK. The Government must take notice of this manifesto by providing the necessary support and resources to achieve its objectives."