A MOTION CALLING for breastfeeding lessons to be introduced in secondary schools will be discussed in the Seanad this afternoon.
The motion, being brought forward by Green Party senator Pauline O’Reilly, proposes that secondary schools teach students about breastfeeding as part of the current Social, Physical and Health Education (SPHE) course.
Ireland’s breastfeeding rates are among the lowest in the world, with only 62% of babies being breastfed at birth compared to 90% in Australia, 81% in the UK and 79% in the US.
According to the Irish Maternity Indicator Report 2020, 37% of babies are breastfed exclusively when they are discharged from hospital.
The National Action Plan for breastfeeding from 2016 to 2021 had a target to increase breastfeeding rates by 2% annually. The plan has since been extended by an additional two years to 2023.
“We have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world in Ireland and we have to tackle that from every aspect, and I believe starting young is the way to do it,” O’Reilly told The Journal.
“For that reason. I’m looking to have breastfeeding lessons in schools, also across colleges, across all distance where people will get in contact with women at that time of their life.”
The Galway senator said that there needs to be a “culture shift” in Ireland so that people “feel safe and confident” about breastfeeding, and that these lessons would “normalise” it.
“That’s where I think the piece around education really comes into play, to shift that balance back so that it’s normalised. There is an issue in Ireland and I think it’s the lack of normalisation of breastfeeding,” she said.
“A lot of young people won’t have been breastfed themselves and that means that we have a culture in this country which is dominated by formula. The most successful breastfeeding journeys are those where people have people around them who have been able to give them skills and advice on breastfeeding.
That’s done by a lot of voluntary organisations at the moment, but it could be done in schools so that you’d actually be able to witness what breastfeeding looks like and also then teach about what will help to address some of the common concerns or issues that people have, and just started talking about it, but also talk about the health benefits of breastfeeding.
O’Reilly said that access to information and supports around breastfeeding has been a huge problem for new mothers in this country, with access to qualified lactation consultants limited.
“We have so few in the public hospitals and community health centres that it does mean that an awful lot of women rely on paying for it themselves. That means that some people have access to it, those who can afford, and others not to the same extent,” she said.
“That has to change, and I believe the best way to change that is to make sure that in every healthcare setting, we have lactation consultants, and also that any medical professionals are trained and experienced in delivering breastfeeding support as well, so that you’re not reliant on lactation consultants.”
In a statement to The Journal, a spokesperson for the HSE said: “34.5 new dedicated infant feeding/lactation posts have been approved in the last two years, 10.5 by the National Maternity strategy and 24 as a Ministerial priority to ensure nationwide availability and access to specialised lactation support within hospital and community services.
“20 of the 34.5 of the new posts have been filled, with a further 11 in recruitment. Filling approved lactation posts remains a priority for the HSE to further build and enhance breastfeeding supports across all Community Healthcare Organisations and Hospital Groups. The recruitment of these posts across services remains a dynamic situation as recruitment is ongoing.”
One of the factors in Ireland’s low breastfeeding rate is the formula industry, which O’Reilly says is “big business in Ireland”.
Bord Bia’s export figures for 2015-2016 showed that baby formula produced in Ireland accounted for 10% of the global market, as well as 35% of all Irish dairy exports.
The export of baby formula was valued at €1.5 billion, with the Chinese market accounting for the majority.
However, export figures for this year and last year show that there has been a drop in demand for baby formula in the Asian market, “which proved to be a key factor in countering overall Irish dairy growth with the category recording a drop of over €220 million in exports”.
The motion is calling for the full implementation of the World Health Organisation’s International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes, including assurance that “no state funding is provided to any private sector companies aimed at parents and health care workers”.
“I think that in terms of within Ireland, it is safe to say that there is free formula in some hospitals and that can have a really negative impact,” O’Reilly said.
“Somebody who wants to breastfeed, what they really want is support with breastfeeding, not to be given, necessarily, formula. The reality is when they get home, they’re going to have to pay for formula anyway. I think that the World Health Organisation would recognise that that kind of promotion is not appropriate when you want to increase your breastfeeding rates.”
She said it’s also important that women who want to breastfeed and who want to use formula have the full choice.
“I’m focusing on the number of women who start breastfeeding and supporting them in that breastfeeding journey. So we know that formula exists, we have access to it, it is often easier, and the bit that’s missing at the moment is all of the support around breastfeeding.
“We need to be honest, as a country, that there’s a reason for the low rates that we have, and we have to address that to make sure that everybody has the full choice, including those who want to use formula and those who want to breastfeed. Right now, breastfeeding doesn’t make people that much money.”
The motion also calls for regulations to control the marketing, advertisement and promotion of infant formula and follow-on milk to be implemented.
O’Reilly said she has spoken to Minister Catherine Martin about this and the regulations have been proposed in the Online Media and Safety Regulations Bill 2021, which is currently at Second Stage in the Dáil.
“I’d like to see that passed in the Dáil and this is a way of ensuring that the pressure keeps up for that,” she added.
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