Dr Liz O Sullivan discusses a new report into breastfeeding in Ireland and the background to Ireland's comparatively low rates of breastfeeding. Listen back above.
Ireland is close to the bottom of the scale when it comes to breastfeeding in a survey of European countries, according to a recent government study.
Of 22 European countries surveyed, Ireland is number 20, as lecturer in nutrition at T.U. Dublin, Dr Liz O’Sullivan, explains to Cormac on Drivetime:
"We have some of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. There was a report published by the government just last month that had us in 20th place out of 22 of European countries for the prevalence of breastfeeding at three months."
At three months old, the majority of babies in Ireland (60%) are fed with formula, according to the findings of the WBTi (World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative) Assessment Report on Ireland 2023.
Dr Liz O’Sullivan is lead author of the report and she says that formula feeding has now become an embedded cultural norm in Irish society:
"At three months, about 40% of infants are breastfed. That means that 60% are fed formula. So you know, it really indicates that our cultural norms; what most people do, is feed formula. And that kind of permeates culture."
Cultural norms are underpinned by the marketing and promotion of baby formula which is not matched by equal promotion of breastfeeding, Dr O’Sullivan says:
"It’s that constant visibility of that one way of feeding that that can be really hard to counteract. You know we don't see the same level of marketing and promotion of breastfeeding and mostly because it's incredibly expensive."
This imbalance can lead to an information gap on baby nutrition, which is filled mainly by companies with a commercial stake in parents’ feeding choices, Liz explains:
"I think that's a real challenge that marketing and promotion happens and so families are getting feeding information from companies that stand to make a profit from what they do and how they feed."
Dr O’Sullivan says that the World Breastfeeding Trends Initiative (WBTi) who published the recent report, agree that information on babies’ nutrition should come from medical professionals:
"The core group for the WBTi would be really clear that information to families should come from healthcare professionals and evidence-based sources."
Health professionals in Ireland are very keen to play their part in boosting breastfeeding rates in practical ways. There are action plans in place, but they need to resources to implement them, Dr O’Sullivan says:
"It’s a considerable public health challenge and the report highlights, that while we have a breastfeeding action plan and we've got dedicated people who are appointed to drive that action plan forward, we don't actually always see that kind of plan translating into practice."
Research shows that expectant mothers are encouraged to try breastfeeding, but when the time comes, there is little in the way of practical support to help make this happen. Dr O’Sullivan says the mums feel let down by this:
"We see in the research reports from mothers saying that they feel let down because they've discussed during pregnancy, 'Would you consider breastfeeding? You know you should breastfeed your baby, breastfeeding is great.’ And then postpartum, if they have any challenges, they’re not necessarily given breastfeeding- related solutions."
The current National Breastfeeding Plan expires this year, and Cormac asks Liz what kinds of measures she would like to see being implemented on foot of a new plan. She says the sector needs more funding to match the birth rate for a start:
"We need to have sufficient midwives for the number of births that we have. We need to have enough public health nurses that mothers can get visits postpartum, where the health nurses can spend enough time with them."
Addressing gaps in medical education are also key, Dr O’Sullivan suggests. She says that most healthcare professionals will encounter breastfeeding and mothering as a part of their practice, but currently it is only a certain cohort of health workers that are fully trained in techniques to help mothers who want to breastfeed:
"Standardised public health education across all the health professionals is something that's really needed. I've mentioned midwives and public health nurses a couple of times now, because they are the two health professionals that consistently receive standardised breastfeeding education, but the other healthcare professionals don't; and so that's a real challenge."
Drivetime will be returning to the topic of breastfeeding in Ireland at a later stage, so keep listening live, weekdays from 4.30 on the RTÉ Radio app and listen back any time on the show page here.
If you have been affected by issues raised in this story, please visit: www.rte.ie/helplines.
