LONDON — Only 1 in 200 women in the U.K., or 0.5 percent, breastfeed their children until they are 1 year old — the lowest rate in the world. That jaw-dropping figure was published this week in the Lancet medical journal in a study analyzing global trends in breastfeeding.
January 6, 2023. The UK leads the way in so many sectors, but sadly, breastfeeding is not one of them. In fact, here in the UK we have the lowest breastfeeding rate in the world.
Poor attachment, "not enough breastmilk for the child", and an unsettled baby were the top reasons for ceasing to breastfeed cited in the Australian national infant feeding survey (by parents who stopped breastfeeding entirely before 6 months).
Croatia has the highest rate of breastfeeding in the entire world. More than 98 percent of all babies are breastfed starting at birth. Some of the other countries that also have very high rates of breastfeeding include Rwanda, Chile, and Burundi. All of these countries have breastfeeding rates greater than 80 percent.
In this sample, 'any breastfeeding' rates were 89, 71 and 72% in Australia, Ireland and the United Kingdom respectively. Within-country differences were evident in Australia, Ireland and the UK.
69% of babies are receiving some breastmilk at 4 months of age. 60% of babies are receiving some at 6 months. 28% of babies are still breastfeeding at 12 months.
Key findings. In 2017–18, around 6 in 10 (61%) children aged 4–47 months had been exclusively breastfed to at least 4 months of age. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of infants in 2-parent families were exclusively breastfed to at least 4 months of age, compared with less than half of infants (46%) in 1-parent families.
However, within low-and-middle-income countries, wealth disparities affect how long a mother will continue to breastfeed her child, the data show. Babies from the poorest families have rates for breastfeeding at 2 years that are 1.5 times higher than those from the richest families.
Most mothers in Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States feel six to 12 months is ideal. On the other hand, French mothers favored a shorter period of three to six months, while Turkish mothers felt it better to carry on for 12 to 24 months.
In China the exclusive breastfeeding rate has fallen to 28 per cent nationally.
In 2019-20, the rate had fallen to 1.61 babies per woman. According to the report, the data suggests people “adapted to the uncertainty of the pandemic and quickly caught-up on delayed childbearing plans”.
No one should try to make you feel you have to breastfeed, although health professionals are likely to point out the benefits of breastfeeding, while supporting your right not to do it.
Under Australian law it is illegal to buy or sell parts of the human body, including breast milk.
Reduced breastfeeding support, cuts in public health funding, negative attitude towards breastfeeding in public and a lack of knowledge of the health benefits of breast milk all contribute to Britain having some of the worst breastfeeding rates in the world.
“More than half (51.8 percent) of infants were breastfeeding at six months,” it added. That's up significantly from just 35 percent of women in 2000. But then it drops off. “Less than a third (30.7 percent) of infants were breastfeeding at 12 months,” the CDC said.
In the sophisticated, emancipated societies of the global west and north, it has been suggested that 5% of mothers are unable to produce enough breast milk to nourish their babies at the breast.
Saudi Arabia. In strict Islamic regimes, like Iran and Saudi Arabia, breastfeeding in public is forbidden. On the flipside of this law, breastfeeding is also seen as a religious duty.
In China, the rates and duration of exclusive breastfeeding are still relatively low in many areas. A survey conducted in the central and western regions of China reported a rate of exclusive breastfeeding of 58.3% for newborns (aged 0 to 27 days), which declined to 29.1% at 3–4 months and 13.6% at 5–6 months [1].
Around the world, many children are breastfed for 2.5 to 7.0 years, including some in the US, Canada, and Great Britain. species.
The ESRI's seminal Growing Up in Ireland study draws links between increasing rates of birth by caesarean section, with lower levels of breastfeeding. It is thought that this could be due to the early hours of the baby's life coinciding with the recovery time post-surgery, during which mother and baby are apart.
Breastfeeding in the Western world declined significantly from the late 1800s to the 1960s. By the 1950s, the predominant attitude to breastfeeding was that it was something practiced by the uneducated and those of lower classes.
Concerns about infant nutrition and weight. Mother's concern about taking medications while breastfeeding. Unsupportive work policies and lack of parental leave. Cultural norms and lack of family support.
The Australian National Breastfeeding Strategy guides Australian Government, and state, territory and local government policies and programs to effectively support parents and their babies throughout their breastfeeding journey.
If your baby takes a bottle but not the breast, try a bait-and-switch. Start by bottle-feeding in a breastfeeding position and, while baby is actively sucking and swallowing, pull out the bottle nipple and insert yours. Some babies will just keep suckling. Use breastfeeding tools.
Breastmilk or infant formula should be your baby's main source of nutrition for around the first year of life. Health professionals recommend exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months, with a gradual introduction of appropriate foods in the second 6 months and ongoing breastfeeding for 2 years or beyond.