Gov unveil breastfeeding helpline

A new £150,000 initiative by the government hopes to offer women practical advice on how to breastfeed their babies.

Public Health Minister Dawn Primarolo has launched a national breastfeeding helpline that will provide information for around 450,000 mothers in England.

As well as the helpline, the government also plans to publicise the benefits of breastfeeding through an information campaign, by encouraging maternity units to promote it and by developing a best practice code for employers and businesses regarding the issue.

Ms Primarolo said: "When it comes to feeding babies, breast is best. Our challenge is to help new mums, who choose to breast feed, through those early difficult weeks and months. That's why we have launched this new helpline to give new mums support so they can breast feed for longer."

She added that the government's aim was to increase the number of mums breastfeeding for longer, "and monitor progress at six to eight weeks".

"Local health authorities will gather this information and report back every quarter."

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