Breastfeeding mums 'need more support'

Breastfeeding campaigners in Oxfordshire say more support needs to be given to help new mums keep on doing it.

While more than three quarters of women start off breastfeeding their babies, less than half are still doing it when their child is four weeks old.

Julie Osbourne, who runs Oxfordshire's Baby Cafe Bus - a bus that travels around and runs mobile sessions for mums to get advice on how to breastfeed - reckons more support would up the proportion of mums who keep on breastfeeding, and benefit both mum and baby.

"It can feel quite overwhelming if the feeding is all down to you and nobody else can really help," she said.  People are left a little bit to their own devices and it's up to them to go and find support if they can and are able to."

She thinks more support should be offered to mums, rather than them having to go and look for it themselves.

Breastfeeding is good for both women and babies because it ensures the child has all the nutrients they need for the first six months of life.  It can also reduce mums' chances of developing some diseases later in life.

Monday 21 June 2010 is the start of National Breastfeeding Week.

Check out the benefits of breastfeeding