Many women who give birth and attempt to breastfeed receive inadequate support, a new survey has found.

According to the survey, almost 25% said that the breastfeeding support they received after having their baby was either ‘poor' or ‘very poor'. Only 16% said that breastfeeding support was ‘excellent'.

The survey was carried out by AIMS Ireland (Association for Improvements in Maternity Services), and according to its chairperson, Krysia Lynch, ‘many women want to breastfeed', but poor support makes this difficult.

"Immediately after birth, whether that birth is a normal delivery or a caesarean birth, women need to be with their baby to encourage the physiological process of breastfeeding. Following on from those early hours, women need continued support during the early days.

"When women are discharged from hospital or domiciliary care they need to be supported in breastfeeding in the wider community. None of this can happen if women do not receive adequate support at the start," she commented.

She pointed to studies which have shown that babies who are breastfed within the first 24-48 hours, are more likely to still be breastfeeding at six months.

"Early support is vital if we are to improve our breastfeeding rates," she said.

Ireland currently has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe, with just 56% of women breastfeeding at the time of their discharge. Furthermore, this figure drops dramatically in the following weeks and months.

The survey revealed that one of the key issues facing women was the variability of information and advice available. For example, advice varied from one midwife to another, which left mothers confused.

"Many respondents also lamented the lack of specialised lactation support over the weekends. This means that women who give birth on a Friday evening may not ever receive any help from a lactation consultant before discharge," Ms Lynch said.

She also noted that many respondents commented on ‘how quickly staff were to hand over artificial milk despite a mother's intention to breastfeed and hospital charters dictating otherwise'.

"Respondents also commented on the difficulties and lack of facilities for breastfeeding a baby in the NICU, or being facilitated with skin to skin following a caesarean birth," she said.

The results were based on a survey of almost 3,000 women who have used maternity services in Ireland.

Comments from participants included:

-‘The majority of midwives were very unsupportive of my decision to breastfeed and continuously tried to get me to use formula.'
-‘No advice. I was offered bottles every time they came round. In a ward of 10, I was the only one breastfeeding. No chair to even sit on. Broken bed back so had to sit unsupported to feed.'
-‘I felt that healthcare professionals were very quick to recommend breastfeeding, but when it came to helping with feeding after baby is born they were nowhere to be found.'

For more information on AIMS Ireland, click here