Figures show breastfeeding rates for young babies have reached a record high, with more than half of new mothers continuing to breastfeed at six to eight weeks.
Around 52.7 per cent were still breastfeeding their baby at this stage in 2023/24, the highest figure since comparable records began in 2015/16.
This represents an increase from 49.2 per cent in 2022/23 and 48.0 per cent in 2019, according to the government’s Office for Health Improvement and Disparities.
But England fares worse than other nations: 71 per cent of children worldwide are still breastfed at one year of age.
Health officials say breastfeeding provides “the best possible nutritional start in a baby’s life,” protecting him from infections and offering important health benefits to the mother.
Stock photo of a young mother hugging and cuddling her little son with love and care
Stock photo of a young mother breastfeeding a baby. Breastfed children perform better on intelligence tests and are less likely to be overweight or obese later in life.
Breastfed children perform better on intelligence tests and are less likely to be overweight or obese later in life.
Women who breastfeed also have a reduced risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Government advice is that babies should be exclusively breastfed and receive only breast milk for the first 6 months of life.
Other drinks and foods can then be introduced.
However, many women struggle to start or continue breastfeeding and others give up earlier than they would like due to a lack of suitable facilities at work.
Of the 72 local authorities with valid data for 2023/24 and 2022/23, 46 significantly increased their breastfeeding rates, 26 remained stable and none decreased significantly during this period.
However, there is a wide variation in England, ranging from 27.6 per cent in Halton to 81.2 per cent in Hertfordshire.
Mothers living in wealthy areas remain more likely to breastfeed than mothers living in more deprived areas.
But the gap between the most and least deprived areas has decreased from 15.8 percentage points per center to 10.7 percentage points over the past year.
Most disadvantaged groups have seen a year-on-year increase, except for the wealthiest areas, which have seen a marginal decline.
Clare Livingstone, professional policy and public health adviser at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “It is good to see an increase in the number of women choosing to breastfeed, although we know there is underlying variation in these rates, with significant implications.” for health inequalities.
‘We recognize that breastfeeding can sometimes be challenging.
‘That’s why we have long called for adequate investment in specialist and personalized support for all women, no matter where they are, both during pregnancy and in the postpartum period.
“Women returning to work also need to be better supported, with access to places to express and store breast milk.”
Alison Morton, chief executive of the Institute of Health Visiting, said breastfeeding has “profoundly positive impacts on health”.
He added: ‘Unfortunately, the national headline statistics hide a huge variation in breastfeeding rates between different parts of the country that cannot be justified.
‘We know that women are much more likely to be successful in breastfeeding when they have access to good breastfeeding support; Unfortunately, this is not universally available and many families are missing out.
“Urgent action is needed to end the postcode lottery and rebuild postnatal healthcare for all women and their babies – we need more health visitors and midwives.”
Shereen Fisher, Director of the UK UNICEF Committee’s Baby Friendly Initiative, said: ‘Support for child feeding should not be a postcode lottery; should be guaranteed for all babies and their families.’
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: ‘The benefits of breastfeeding for child and maternal health are important and well established.
‘It is positive to see that in some areas there are more mothers who breastfeed and that the gap between families living in the most and least disadvantaged areas has been reduced.
‘It is important that all families are supported to make the right decision for them.
“We are committed to giving every child the best start in life and that includes helping families access support to feed their baby.”
