A pilot scheme in South Yorkshire and Derbyshire – an area with extremely low breastfeeding numbers – will offer new mothers High Street vouchers to the value of £200 if they breastfeed for six months. Project leader Dr Clare Relton believes such remuneration is a way of ‘acknowledging the value of breastfeeding’, but her views seem to be in the minority, if my social media feeds this morning are anything to go by.
Let’s just look for a moment at some of the reasons women don’t breast-feed:
– Lack of education: if parents are not given sufficient information about the benefits of breastfeeding, it is very likely they will not consider it important, and they are more likely to default to formula feeding.
– Lack of support: breastfeeding is hard work. It’s time-consuming, exhausting and at times extremely painful. Mothers need support from their partners, from midwives, health visitors and their peers. Without that, they are very likely to give up.
– Physical difficulties: this is a contentious one. The breastfeeding militia will have you believe that any difficulty – be it from poor latch, supply issues or any other problem – can be overcome with the right support. Certainly support is crucial, but I have met dozens of women, and heard stories from dozens more, who found they simply weren’t able to feed. As the mother of premature babies, I know only too well that circumstance can sometimes throw a spanner in the best of intentions.
So tell me, Dr Relton, how will £200’s worth of High Street vouchers help with that?
Breastfeeding is free. Women do not choose to feed formula because they are short of money – it’s the more expensive route to take, with bottles, sterilisers and milk powder to buy. So why on earth are we offering financial reward to those who choose to breastfeed? Why, instead, could such a pilot scheme not trial step-by-step leaflet guides, interactive web sessions, DVDs, peer support workers, drop-in breastfeeding clinics, baby-friendly cafe sessions, or one-to-one masterclasses? There are so many practical ways in which women can be supported in feeding their babies, and to throw this money away on bribes is a crime.
Like most women I know, I am pro-choice. Feed your baby in whatever way you can – I know it’s not always as straight-forward as it seems. Breast or bottle, I won’t criticise: I’ll save that for the brains behind this latest scheme.