Mothers Find Breastfeeding Goal To Be Unrealistic, says researchers

Mothers are advised to breast-feed their children for six months, but they find it unrealistic and unachievable, according to a new report.

Researchers from the University of Aberdeen and the University of Stirling have found that several mothers find breast feeding goal to be unrealistic and unachievable because they find breast feeding to be time-consuming; others said breastfeeding in public was difficult.

Experts from WHO say that breast feeding is essential for the first six months as it helps the child achieve optimal growth.

Researchers had conducted a survey of 36 women, 26 partners, eight of the women's mothers, one sister and two health professionals.

The study was carried out at four-week intervals to find out participants' views on breastfeeding from the last month of pregnancy until six months after the birth. Researchers wanted to see if women received the support they required during the six months from partners, family and medical professionals, as well as what they experienced. As a result, they found that women find breast feeding unrealistic because it is quite time consuming.

The latest England figures on breastfeeding from the Department of Health show that 74.1% of women started off breastfeeding in the third quarter of 2011-12. Six to eight weeks later, this figure had dropped to 47%, according to the Guardian.