Irish mums ‘least likely to breast-feed’ (The Sunday Times)

IRISH mothers are the least likely in Europe to breast-feed their babies, according to a European commission survey of 23 countries.

More than two-thirds of Irish mums opt for the bottle, in striking contrast to their counterparts in Scandinavian and Eastern European countries who shun formula milk. The commission’s report on health and food found that just 34% of Irish women breast-fed their babies.

One reason for the low figure is that a high percentage of mothers are embarrassed about feeding their babies in public. Irish restaurants and hotels are still likely to ask breast-feeding mothers to move out of public areas, despite legislation banning the practice.


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