Breastfeeding; Health Benefits

Breastfeeding

I am shocked by the latest figures here on breastfeeding -  "The breastfeeding rate in Scotland has stayed at a “broadly similar level” over the last decade, according to official data.  In 2014-15, just over 48 % of babies in Scotland were being breastfed at the time of the first child health review visit in Scotland, which takes place when they are around ten days old. That fell to 38% by the time of the six-eight week review statistics show." 

Compare these figures to Scandinavia, where 96% of babies are breastfed! The main reason not to breast feed is a seriously ill mother. Only a small number of woman are unable to breastfeed. 

Breastfeeding is natural, easy, free and by miles the healthiest option for both mother and baby.  So why on earth are new mothers turning to the extra work of expensive cows milk formula? 

The problem is both formula advertising and that breastfeeding is damn hard work to start off with. But after a few weeks breastfeeding is wonderful and offers a unique closeness with your baby. 

It is also a nonsense that babies don't get enough food breastfeeding! My son tripled his weight in 6 months!  Don't add in extra bottles though - the rubber teat on a bottle is easier for baby and will put them off breastfeeding.

TIPS - Read a book on breastfeeding ; make sure nipple is in a correct position, or sucking can hurt; showers help with full breasts the first few weeks and Vaseline; and try to breastfeed exclusively until adding solids.  Don't expect breastfeeding to be easy and it does take time the first couple of weeks. It is also wonderful too and healthy for your breasts.   

The NHS should pay more attention to preventive medicine and advertise the benefits of breastfeeding.  The statistics are shocking for the UKs health. Breastfed children as less likely to be obese and have stronger immune systems. 

In countries like Scandinavian around 98% are breastfed, in Canada 89%, in Australia 92%. This webpage shows charts of how poor UK figures are for breastfeeding compared to these other countries. I have to think these countries offer belter maternity leave.  

IMV if the Scottish government want to really deal with poverty and inequality the first route is through health and then education.     

 http://kellymom.com/fun/trivia/bf-rates-2004/

My daughter works in Pediatrics - and she says the problem is that new mothers are sent home from hospital almost immediately (unless they ask to stay longer) and are offered NO advice at all often on looking after their baby. It is no wonder there are problems at the first 6 week check up for baby! Some mothers are only feeding their babies every 6 hours! Many babies need fed every 3 hours depending on their weight! Oh dear. Surely some small amount of advice would go a very long way to give new mothers important advice on looking after their babies.

There is support and advice for new mothers.

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/pages/breastfeeding-help-support.aspx#close

Scottish Pride

In ‘79 we were told that not enough people had voted even though the majority voted for independence. After this, some Scots were disillusioned and left Scotland. I left Scotland myself in 1980 for America and returned here in 1989.  Turmoil can create great art though and after ’79 in the eighties there was a revival of Scottish art, music and writing. 

Since then there has also been a revival in Scottish pride and culture. Back in the 70s there were fewer ceilidhs and kilts were rarely seen at events or on the high streets and there was less pride in our Scottish heritage.

Our Culture of Violence

I am writing about the tragic death of a young 20yr-old boy who lived behind us here in a northern suburb of Glasgow. He was a strong young rugby playing man who was violently and indiscriminately attacked in the centre of Glasgow by two youths on the night of an old firm game. He was beaten on his head with a baseball bat. A recent studio from California cited Scotland as having the highest rates of Youth violence in the world and when it reaches so close to home, it shocks and horrifies us all.

As I pick up the Evening Times I read of further attacks. Apparently the two youths involved in this random attack, injured several others that very same night. My son works as a junior doctor in Glasgow and those on call in the Infirmary talked of the numbers brought in injured that same night. It was a Friday night after an Old Firm clash, the Rangers vs Celtic football game. 

We live in a Culture of Violence that starts in the home and spread out into the community at large. Add to this a cocktail of alcohol over-indulgence and ease of access to drugs and you have a lethal combination and a powder keg waiting to explode. 

Irvine Welsh, author of Trainspotting, recently suggested in the press that it was time for an Open Debate on this pressing subject. We need to look at other cosmopolitan areas such as New York which used to have a high level of violence and who adopted a ‘zero tolerance’ approach several years ago, which meant targeting young criminals and the smallest crimes before they resulted in more serious crimes. My daughter was in New York this past summer and found she found the city a safer place to walk around in than Glasgow. We also need to tackle alcohol and drug abuse problems through education and through stricter laws on selling alcohol to the very young.  

The introduction of new Laws banning physical violence in the home may help to raise awareness that violence towards others is not acceptable behaviour in our modern society. This also raises questions about our society’s attitude to violence generally, as a way of controlling others. There are other more successful ways of coping with problems and with young children. Another problem is the severe lack of male role models for many young boys growing up on the UK and the fact that Scotland has such a high rate of single parent families.

The second issue is attitudes to Binge drinking. We glorify ‘being drunk’ and ‘binge drinking’ in Scotland as if it is something to be proud of. A whole generation is being caught up in a cheap triple alcoholic haze. Do we care - well we should. We set the example by what we do and say.

My view is it is the entire Culture and attitudes here in Scotland that have to change and not about a few ‘experts’ telling the less fortunate to behave better.

It is time we looked seriously at these and other alternative ways of behaving before youth violence escalates even further on our streets.