National Breastfeeding Awareness Week
The members' business debate is on motion S1M-1859, in the name of Elaine Smith, on national breastfeeding awareness week. Members who wish to participate should press their request-to-speak buttons. I see that a good number wish to speak.
Motion debated,
That the Parliament notes the importance of National Breastfeeding Awareness Week from 13-19 May 2001; recognises that breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for babies and is good for mothers' health too; notes with concern that the Guthrie Statistics from 1999 indicate that the two main hospitals serving constituents from Coatbridge and Chryston had the lowest percentage of breastfeeding mothers in Scotland, and believes that a national campaign is required to increase public acceptability that "breast is best" in an attempt to change attitudes to mothers breastfeeding in public places and encourage more mothers to breast-feed their babies.
The Parliament has not debated breastfeeding before, so I am especially pleased that we can debate the subject during national breastfeeding awareness week. I hope that the debate will help to raise awareness of the importance of breastfeeding not only for mothers and babies, but for society.
I thank all members who signed the motion, everyone who attended the event at lunch time today, which was kindly sponsored by Unison, and all the mothers, children and health professionals, including Jenny Warren OBE, who have remained for the debate.
How times change. In 1943, a Ministry of Health report on breastfeeding expressed concern that only 80 per cent of hospital-born babies were breastfed, compared with 95 per cent of home-born babies. More than half a century later, and despite copious research on the health benefits of breastfeeding for mother and baby, only about 55 per cent of Scottish infants are breastfed at birth, falling off to about 45 per cent at six weeks old.
I will focus on three of the issues mentioned in the motion: the nutritional and health benefits of breastfeeding for children and their mothers, the low rate of breastfeeding in Scotland and public attitudes.
I make it clear that this is all about choice. No one should feel forced into breastfeeding if they do not want to do it. An unhappy and distressed mother will not have a positive breastfeeding experience, and neither will her baby. A small percentage of mothers will also, for medical reasons, be unable to breastfeed. Great care must be taken to ensure that they do not feel guilty about that. However, the prevailing social attitude in Scotland means that mothers who wish to breastfeed are considered to be behaving outwith the norm. That attitude must urgently be changed.
It is every woman's and baby's right that an informed choice can be made. If that choice is to breastfeed, it is also their right to be supported and encouraged, not only by medical staff, but by society. There is no doubt and plenty of evidence that breast is best. It is the natural way of feeding babies and has major health benefits for mother and baby. It also confers health advantages beyond infancy, into childhood and possibly adult life.
In infancy, breastfeeding has a protective effect against ear infections, diahorreal illness, colds, flu and sore throat. It lessens the chance of eczema and other allergies and prolongs natural immunity to mumps, measles, polio and other diseases. It also assists in better mental development. For mothers, it cuts the risk of breast and ovarian cancer and helps them to get quickly back into better shape.
Important research is being carried out by a team based at Ninewells hospital, Dundee into whether breastfeeding improves the health of Scottish children beyond infancy. The study began in 1983 and early results showed that breastfed children had markedly less diahorrea, vomiting and respiratory illness in their first year when compared to formula-fed children. The children were seen again at the age of seven. Those who had been exclusively breastfed during their first four months had significantly fewer respiratory illnesses, less body fat and lower blood pressure than those that had been formula fed. The children were seen again at the age of 15. Twenty per cent of all the children had above-average levels of cholesterol and blood sugar, with abnormalities of the blood vessels. However, the study also showed that breast milk protected children against high cholesterol and high blood sugar levels. One of the study team, Dr Jill Belch, commented
"to find out what you ate in the first year of life is affecting your heart and blood vessels by the time you are a teenager is quite remarkable."
That most recent information is particularly relevant to Scotland, where the incidence of heart disease, stroke and diabetes is high. Obesity and high blood pressure are recognised risk factors for those conditions. There is considerable worldwide interest in the Dundee study, since it has clearly demonstrated that the health benefits of breastfeeding extend beyond infancy and into later childhood. Current and future studies will explore the possibility of breastfeeding influencing health during later adult life.
Based on current measurement data, the prevalence of breastfeeding in Scotland is the second lowest in Europe. I am particularly concerned about the statistics for my constituency of Coatbridge and Chryston. In June 2000, Coatbridge had the lowest levels of breastfeeding in Scotland. At the first health visitor visit, the figure was 19.8 per cent, compared to the Scottish average of 55 per cent. At six weeks, the figure fell to 11 per cent. Coatbridge also has amongst the highest incidence of heart disease and strokes in Scotland.
Government targets, set in 1994 and adopted by the Executive, aim for more than 50 per cent of Scottish mothers to be breastfeeding their babies at six weeks of life by the year 2005. I would be interested to hear the minister say whether that target can be met over the next four years. If it will be a challenge for Scotland to meet the target, it will be a mammoth challenge for Coatbridge. Perhaps the minister would like to lend his personal support to the recently established community mother's group in my constituency, by visiting the mothers and hearing at first hand of the challenges that they face.
A study reported in the British Medical Journal on 11 November 2000 showed that breastfeeding is represented in the media as problematic. It is identified with negative situations, whereas bottle-feeding is represented as normal. This week, the press showed that popular TV soaps had a part to play. At present they do not promote breastfeeding as the norm. We also know that women are publicly harassed—members may remember the woman who was threatened with being put off a bus in Edinburgh for breastfeeding. Susan Deacon called on the Minister for Transport to look into that. Perhaps Malcolm Chisholm could comment on it, if he knows the outcome of the case. The question of support for returning to work must be addressed, as there is blatant discrimination against women in employment who breastfeed.
Health service staff are central to supporting mothers who want to breastfeed. I am glad to say that there are good news stories. More than 90 percent of our hospitals are participating in the UNICEF UK baby friendly initiative.
Peer support groups are important: they help women to continue breastfeeding and they challenge negative public attitudes. In 1993, there were only four peer support groups in Scotland; there are now 150. Those groups give social support and they share knowledge and experience.
A survey carried out by Jenny Warren in 1997 found that such groups were helpful, boosted women's confidence and helped resolve difficulties. There can be no doubt that breast is best. Our challenge is to ensure that mums, dads and grandparents know that. Excellent information and support before and after birth are needed and must include a commitment to allow babies to be breastfed immediately following birth if that is possible. There should be no unsolicited offers of formula milk in hospital, however well-meaning those may be.
Since 1981, Britain has claimed to support the international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes. The UK has also signed the Innocenti declaration, but the commitment to put in place appropriate standards on the marketing and distribution of breast milk substitutes has not been fulfilled. Will things be different in Scotland? Will the minister tonight commit himself to taking that forward?
One of the most important challenges is to change public attitudes to breastfeeding and to breastfeeding in public places. I find it abhorrent that society accepts page 3 girls, but takes exception to breastfeeding mothers.
I congratulate breastfeeding mothers throughout Scotland, and those who are here tonight, for making the choice—despite negative attitudes—to give their children the best start in life. I also congratulate the health staff who are here today and all others who are working to support breastfeeding mothers.
My contribution is merely to open the debate and I look forward to hearing from colleagues throughout the chamber. The important word in the debate is choice. It should be as easy and as socially acceptable for a mother to choose to feed her baby herself as it is for her to produce a bottle and give it to her baby.
As someone who is currently breastfeeding her baby, I declare an interest in the subject and congratulate Elaine Smith on securing the debate. It is important that we are able to put issues such as this on the agenda and it says a lot about the Parliament that we have been able to do that.
I must admit that when I found out that I was pregnant, breastfeeding was not at the top of my agenda. It was probably my Presbyterian background that made me feel that breastfeeding was not for me. It was my husband, who was a student nurse, who was the biggest advocate of breastfeeding. He had read the information, had the knowledge and was convinced by the arguments. After debate and discussion, we agreed that I would try it. I have to say that it was not easy—it is important that we acknowledge that it is not easy. James would not feed from me for the first four weeks. That was difficult and I felt guilty about it. I thought that there was something wrong with me, then I thought that there was something wrong with him. When it did not work I thought that I must be a bad mother.
We must ensure that the information that people are getting about breastfeeding is honest. For some people, breastfeeding will not be an option and they should not feel bad about that. For others, it will be an option and with a bit of perseverance they will be able to do it. I persevered because I had family support—such support is vital. If my husband had not been willing to get up through the night to change and look after the baby to allow me to feed him every hour, I would not have been able to breastfeed him. If I had been a single mum, it would have been impossible for me to breastfeed James. We must acknowledge that not everybody will be able to do it.
However, we must also acknowledge that there are good health care professionals out there who are able to provide support, encouragement and advice to parents when they begin to breastfeed and who are able to say, when there is a problem, "It's not you. It's just something that happens. Babies haven't read the book before they are born—the book that we might think they should have read." My health visitor and the staff in the William Smillie maternity unit at Law hospital were excellent. I pay tribute to them for all the help and support they gave me to enable me to breastfeed James. We are now thriving and I am thinking about stopping. He is not, unfortunately. [Laughter.]
There are disadvantages to our line of work, as James is not a boy that likes a bottle. He is moving on to a cup, thank goodness. It is not always easy to balance work and breastfeeding. We must ensure that people have the facilities—whether it is a refrigerator in which to store their milk or a room in which to feed their baby—to enable them to do that. We should help to provide whatever facilities are right for people. The Parliament is moving in the right direction. When we open the new building, we will get there 100 per cent. Mothers who come after me will be well served by the Scottish Parliament.
I congratulate Elaine Smith on securing a debate on this important topic.
Breastfeeding is a natural function, but it is not necessarily a natural instinct for mothers. What mothers need most is education during pregnancy, to help them to make informed choices about how and what to feed their babies. As Karen Gillon has said, they need support, encouragement and assistance after the birth to allow them to establish and maintain feeding patterns and enjoy caring for and feeding their babies.
Too often, mothers who breastfeed their babies feel confused by a lack of experience or support. They may feel afraid, or perhaps ashamed, to ask for help for such a natural activity. They may feel overwhelmed by the time commitment, exhausted by frequent feeding, socially isolated from other relationships and activities, or any combination of those things.
Some of those problems might account for the fact that only 55 per cent of Scots breastfeed their babies, compared with 68 per cent of mothers in England and 80 per cent of mothers in Sweden. We know that breastfeeding is beneficial to both mothers and babies. We know that it cuts down the risk of infections to babies and promotes brain and eye development, and that it reduces the mother's risk of certain cancers and osteoporosis. Those are well-documented health benefits. I hope that, with that sort of information, we will be able to turn round the trend that has developed in this country. We lost a whole generation of breastfeeding mothers in the 1950s and 1960s, when formula feeding was vigorously promoted.
I support what Elaine Smith said about the impact of the media. The National Childbirth Trust has condemned the media for rarely presenting a positive image of breastfeeding. Studies have shown that there were striking patterns and major omissions in the media's presentation of breastfeeding. Bottle-feeding was shown more often and presented as less problematic than breastfeeding. Without doubt, women are to some extent becoming inclined to bottle-feed because of misleading media images. We must make breastfeeding socially and culturally unremarkable, so that more women consider it common sense and the norm.
I thank Elaine Smith for giving us the opportunity to contribute to this debate. At the lunch time meeting, when all the prams, babies and mothers came in, Elaine stood up and said that there would be four speakers. I thought, "You haven't got a chance," but the room was silent. When I saw the mothers in the gallery again tonight, I was struck by the evidence of how contented children are when they are breastfeeding.
When she was talking about the health benefits of breastfeeding, one thing that Elaine Smith did not mention was childhood obesity. There are serious problems with childhood obesity at the moment, and breastfeeding can be a great benefit in that regard. The other benefit is that breastfeeding helps a woman to regain her figure after pregnancy. If for no other reason, that is an additional benefit.
Breastfeeding could also save the NHS millions of pounds every year, because it leads to reduced general practitioner consultations and fewer hospital admissions for chest infections and gastroenteritis. I welcome the targets set in the health plan, but the point that Karen Gillon and Elaine Smith made about choice is one that must be made. No mother should feel guilty because breastfeeding somehow does not work out. When advice is given to women by breastfeeding advocates, they should take into account a woman's feelings and experiences.
No one has yet mentioned fathers. Many women feel that fathers are excluded from that closeness and bonding with the new child. When we are talking about mothers and babies, we should also take into account the father's need to bond.
I was told at the lunch time meeting that the NHS is not a very sympathetic employer when women want to return to work while breastfeeding. In looking at private and other employers, it would also be quite a good idea to put our own house in order.
There is an anomaly, in that millions of pounds is spent promoting breastfeeding, while at the same time the Government distributes milk tokens to poor families for the purpose of buying formula milk. The recipients of those milk tokens are usually those women whose infants most need the health benefits of breastfeeding. That is a perverse incentive that must undoubtedly be examined.
There is evidence to show that fathers do not always have knowledge about infant feeding, and gaining the support of fathers in promoting breastfeeding among women in more deprived areas is absolutely crucial.
When we consider what we can do, we must view the issue of infant feeding as a public health priority—I am pleased to acknowledge the health plan's contribution on that—as it has implications for future generations of Scottish children and adults. The work of the Public Health Institute of Scotland and the advertisements this week are commendable.
Research has shown that of women who choose to breastfeed, almost 80 per cent give up breastfeeding before they are ready to do so, because of the lack of support.
I am delighted to endorse the motion and also specifically the peer support groups, which Elaine Smith mentioned. I met many mothers at lunch time whose babies are eight or 10 years old, but they are still working in the peer support group.
I thank Elaine Smith for introducing the debate. I hope that it helps to change the attitudes of mothers and the general public.
Despite all the contraindications that have been mentioned in the debate, breastfeeding should be the default option. It is, as the motion states,
"the best form of nutrition for babies".
It has major health benefits for both mother and baby. It is cheap, clean and convenient. I was going to say that it is pleasurable—sometimes it is not, but it eventually gets that way. So why are not nearly all babies breastfed?
I want to highlight the importance of the role of the health professional, or perhaps more accurately, the attitude of the health professional. I had two very different experiences. After my first baby was born, the nurse in the maternity ward stopped me giving him his first feed. She said, "No, no, dear—you take a rest. You do not have any milk for the first day anyway." It did not seem to occur to her that mother nature knows what she is doing and that colostrum is there for a reason.
However, in the case of a first baby, one does not usually have the confidence to challenge the health professional, so my son was taken away and given a bottle. It took almost a fortnight—a difficult and fraught fortnight—to get breastfeeding properly established.
Two years later, with my second baby, there was no question of not feeding straight away. I had no problem at all: it was a happy and straightforward experience for me and my baby.
That happened 25 years ago. I hope that today's health professionals are better trained and wholly committed to encouraging mums to breastfeed. Every health professional who is in contact with women before, during and after pregnancy should treat breastfeeding as the expected option—the natural and best option.
Another factor that would encourage more women to breastfeed would be to give parenting a much higher status in our culture. It is demonstrably true that the best place for a young child, where humanly possible, is with his or her mother. Pressure on mothers to get back to work or to get into work is often pressure not to breastfeed. That is regrettable.
If we agree that breast is best, let us behave as if we believe it and do all that we can—as politicians, professionals and people—to support and encourage breastfeeding mothers.
I thank Elaine Smith for instigating the debate and for organising the events that were held earlier today to promote breastfeeding during national breastfeeding awareness week.
I was lucky, as a young mother 35 years ago—perhaps because I was not in a Presbyterian family—to have the good example and support of my mother, who had breastfed myself and my two brothers, and of my cousin Teresa, whom I saw breastfeeding her children. I also got good advice from my auntie Katie, a midwife who brought me into the world and who is now 100 years old and still going strong.
Because of that support, it never occurred to me to do anything other than breastfeed my own four children. I did it, not because I had weighed up the medical benefits—to be honest I was not even aware of them when I had my first baby—but because it seemed to be the natural thing to do. I have never regretted it or wished that I had done otherwise, even if on occasions my nipples were a bit sore, my jersey got a bit damp, I squirted milk in the bath or the baby gave me an occasional nip when their teeth came in.
As well as the health benefits that breastfeeding brings, by way of protecting mother and child from medical problems well into the future, it creates a wonderful bond and gives intimate pleasure to mother and baby.
Even 35 years ago breastfeeding was, as Irene McGugan said, on the wane. I was one of only two mothers breastfeeding in the small maternity hospital in the west Highlands where my first baby was born. One would think that breastfeeding would have lasted longer in a traditional area such as that.
At that time, the reasons that mothers gave for not breastfeeding were the same as today. It embarrassed them. They thought that it would be difficult. They worried that they did not have enough milk or that they would not know how much milk the baby had had—breasts do not have measuring marks, just stretch marks. They said that their husbands did not want them to breastfeed and that they wanted the fathers to give the baby his or her feed too. They wanted to be able to have a night out and leave the baby with a babysitter or its granny, and thought that they could not do that if they were breastfeeding.
Such genuine reasons are a mixture of women's cultural attitudes, anxieties about being able to produce enough milk and to cope with difficulties in the first weeks, and the desire to retain some control over their lives. Cultural attitudes can be changed only if people become more familiar with breastfeeding and see it as the norm. Breastfeeding mothers should be invited to speak to both primary and secondary school pupils. Women should not be made to feel awkward about breastfeeding in restaurants, on buses, in department stores or wherever. I would not have fed my children if I had not been aware of other people doing it; and if such a family tradition has been lost, we should try to replace it through education.
Women are great at supporting one another, and often peer support is the only support available. Although there are some breastfeeding groups and new mother groups in my health board area, many areas of the Highlands have no such support and everything depends on the personal commitment of the community midwife. We need more than that.
When I was a young mother, it never occurred to me to express and store my milk—I did not have a fridge anyway. However, I have had the great pleasure of feeding my daughter's and daughter-in-law's babies with their mothers' milk when their mothers were having a well-deserved night out. My son and son-in-law have done the same. My daughter-in-law went back to work while she was still feeding her babies, which meant being organised with expressed milk for the daytime and breastfeeding in the evening. Many women find that their employers have no facilities to allow them to express and store their milk at work. A clean, quiet, private room and a fridge to store milk are essential. Although such facilities exist for women working in the Parliament, they are not ideal and we hope for better.
Employers must realise that breastfeeding women are not freaks. They are doing the most natural thing in the world and need every support, for the well-being of future generations. As a result, I appeal to employers to be mother and baby friendly and to realise how important breastfeeding is. I also ask the Executive to support breastfeeding mothers in every way it can, with strong guidelines and—if necessary—financial support to health boards to promote initiatives in the hospital, the home and the workplace to give mothers the help that they need to breastfeed their children.
This debate is a bit like a coming-out; I also breastfed both my sons. Much of what Nora Radcliffe said was familiar to me. My sons are now 26 and 28 and are 6ft hulking lumps who will be really embarrassed that I have told the chamber that they were breastfed.
I am really sad that there has been a decline in breastfeeding. Like Nora Radcliffe, I experienced difficulties with the culture of the hospital where I had my first son. The only reason I persisted was that my mother breastfed all her children, except for me. I was just difficult—so nothing has changed. Having seen her breastfeed, I was able to see the advantages to the child and to my mother, who was able to rest a little and read the newspaper; indeed, she would breastfeed my sisters while she sat at the dinner table.
When I had my second child, a nurse came and asked me, "Is your baby fed?" The child was sleeping. When I told the nurse "No," she was going to ping its feet to wake him up. I said, "Don't touch him; I want him to sleep. He will be fed when he wakes up." The hospital had a timetable for feeding. I trust that such a culture no longer exists.
Mary Scanlon quite rightly pointed out that breastfed babies are not fat. When I sat in doctors' surgeries with my children, I would hear some women boasting about the weight of their children, who were in fact overweight. Breastfed babies were no bother; they drank until they needed no more and that was it.
The early weeks of motherhood are tough. This is not to put people off; women should know this once they get into it: they will feel sore and believe that they are not up to breastfeeding, especially with a first baby, but they should let their babies do things themselves. They know what they are doing and will soon sort their mothers out. When a friend of mine was desperate to breastfeed and the staff at the hospital were not being helpful, I told her not to let them take the baby away in the night if it was crying and wanted to be fed but to pick it up and to take her time. I also told her not do it with people watching her. When I was there, people watched to see whether she was doing it properly, which was inhibiting. She succeeded because she relaxed and had faith in herself and the baby. We all know that once a baby attaches itself, it cannot be prised off with a wrench, so it is obvious when it is feeding. I am sad to learn that the situation in hospitals is no better 30 years on.
I conclude with a word of warning for Karen Gillon. I stopped breastfeeding my first son at six months, because I thought that that was the right thing to do, but I decided to let Niall make up his own mind. It was only when he started to turn the pages of The Scotsman and take me with him that I decided that he and I should part company. I warn Karen Gillon that she may have decided to start weaning James, but he may have different ideas.
I am disappointed that I am the only male back-bench member who is present to make a speech on this subject. [Applause.] Karen Gillon was lucky to have a student nurse as a partner, as the men are important and their attitude can often put women off breastfeeding. If the men are not prepared to support their partners in breastfeeding, the women are in real trouble.
When I sat down to write my speech, my hand naturally began to write out the advice that I used to give lady patients when they first presented pregnant. I talked to them about breastfeeding at their first interview on the basis that, if I got in first, I might be able to change attitudes. Attitudes are the problem and until we change them, we will not restore breastfeeding to its rightful place.
I pay tribute to my colleague health visitors in the practice in which I worked for the level of breastfeeding in that practice. It was a mixed practice, including a lot of academics from the university and some fairly poor people from an area of Stirling. Across all socioeconomic groups, we achieved an initial breastfeeding level of 70 per cent. We must set ourselves that target. More important, more than 50 per cent of women in the practice were still breastfeeding at six weeks. As Mary Scanlon said, the decline in the level during that time is not because mothers do not want to continue breastfeeding, but because society fails to support them. I therefore welcome the development of self-help groups and mothers support groups. We should encourage them and ensure that our health professionals do likewise.
I draw members' attention to two important issues. First, why do we support milk substitutes? Milk substitutes were entirely appropriate in the 1940s and 1950s, but they damaged the practice of breastfeeding because it became the norm to bottle-feed and use formula. We must revisit the matter and level the playing field. We should either give tokens to breastfeeding mothers, which they could use for other things, or reconsider support for formula milk. I do not have the answer, but I hope that the minister will take up that point and address the issue.
Secondly, there is the question of the promotion of milk powder in this country and abroad. The companies that promote milk powder were scandalised and treated with deep opprobrium a few years ago. After being attacked by many groups, they held up their hands and said, "Yes, okay. We will do something about it." Yet today, the position has improved only marginally. Especially in third-world countries, where there are problems getting clean water supplies, the promotion of formula milk is an abomination and should not be allowed. I therefore urge the minister to ensure that, in co-operation with our Westminster colleagues, we develop our overseas aid and help to promote breastfeeding in those countries. We should also continue to work with the companies that produce milk powder to ensure that any promotion that is undertaken is appropriate.
My first memory of working with new mothers at Stirling royal infirmary is of a consultant obstetrician who was ruthlessly determined that every mother in whose birthing she was involved would breastfeed. A number of women left hospital feeling guilty because they had tried hard to breastfeed but had failed and felt bad about it. The experience of breastfeeding is psychologically important not only for children, but for mothers. If they can breastfeed, mothers gain enormous confidence. We should not make them feel guilty if they cannot breastfeed, but should promote breastfeeding as natural and normal.
I join other members in congratulating Elaine Smith on securing the debate. My speech will be short and members will be relieved to know that I do not propose to rehearse the benefits to new mothers who choose to breastfeed.
I had my son and my daughter in Bellshill maternity hospital in North Lanarkshire and subsequently played my part in increasing the number of breastfeeding mothers there. Although not always easy, I do not regret one opportunity to breastfeed.
I am sure that members across the parties will have recollections of their experiences of childbirth and of their offsprings' babyhood. At this distance in time, my recollections are almost all happy, although the discovery that the young man who was due to repair and suture an episiotomy was the son of a former neighbour is not one of them. Members can imagine the conversation at the time and others that followed.
I am happy to support any effort to increase the number of mothers who breastfeed, which national breastfeeding awareness week will bring. It is curious that something that should come naturally has to be taught and learned in many cases. My teacher—to whom I and my children will be eternally grateful—was Sister Strong, who spent much time on her knees by my side as I learned what comes naturally. After my six days in hospital, I set off home, armed with a breast pump and front-opening bras, to settle the son and heir in the nest that we had built, eager to get back to familiar surroundings and the comforts of home. My son was so overwhelmed by the excitement that he quite forgot to wake up for his first feed at home, irrespective of the production line in overdrive that my body had become. Members will remember the inevitable consequences of that in the early stages of breastfeeding: engorgement and a little discomfort, which was eased by a shower or a bath. However, bathing in milk, albeit my own, is where the comparison between me and Cleopatra should end.
Elaine Smith's motion calls on us to help to change attitudes to mothers breastfeeding in public places. I believe that mothers should have the opportunity to breastfeed if they wish, at a place of their choosing in which they feel comfortable—I doubt that the facilities of the public gallery quite fit the bill. I do not know whether members will agree that this experience qualifies, but I remember, when moving from Ras Tanura to Madinat Yanbu 'al Sinaiyah in Saudi Arabia, that I fed my son Ross under the stars, in the aptly named Rub al Khali desert, which was known as the empty quarter. It was a public place, but I was quite alone.
Elaine Smith highlighted choice as the key and I echo that. Our efforts today are not helped by articles such as that in The Herald on Tuesday. I never had mangled or aching nipples. Neither are breastfeeders smug—content, yes; smug, no.
I will end on a point to which Mary Scanlon referred—getting one's figure back. Under my current figure lurks the body of the size 12 that I used to be.
I, too, was disappointed that I did not get my figure back after breastfeeding—mind you, given that it was not there before I started, perhaps my expectations were far too high.
I thank Elaine Smith for securing this important debate. As the babies in the gallery have been making noises and crying, I have been rocking back and forward. I am not getting ready to sing; I am doing the same as when I rock my trolley when I hear a baby cry in a supermarket. Babies are a wonderful addition to the chamber and it is lovely to hear their wee tones and their crying.
It has been 22 years since I last breastfed. I breastfed both my children. Having my children was the best thing that ever happened to me—including politics and everything else—and provided my proudest moments.
I remember the culture shock on having my first babbie. I had to fight with people in a hospital, because I wanted to breastfeed. My wish to breastfeed was not necessarily to do with my figure; I thought that it was important. Then, 25 years ago, when I had my first daughter, I was the only woman in the ward to breastfeed her baby. Sadly, that situation has not changed all that much.
I remember nappy pails, twin tubs—I hope that the mums up in the gallery can remember twin tubs—boiling nappies and all the rest of it. I remember some of the hard bits, but, for me, the joy of breastfeeding was important.
By the time that I had my second baby, I had one or two problems. I remember a health visitor telling me, "You won't be able to feed, hen—go and get a bottle." I remember my husband coming back from the shop, saying, "They didnae have any." I persevered and I am glad that I did.
Mums need support. I had support from my husband, my mother and my granny, who showed me how to feed a baby with a shawl wrapped round me so that I could walk about at the same time. She had done it with seven kids prior to her youngest. I also got support from a health visitor, who frequently brought round student nurses to see a mum in a working-class community breastfeeding her baby. It is important for us to recognise the need for support. Self-help groups are important, as they enable women to tell other women, "This is how you do it," and, "It's natural." It is important to have that time to persevere.
We know that breast is best but we need to find ways of encouraging women to consider the possibility of breastfeeding their babies without guilt. The first feeling that mothers feel next to love is guilt. My children are now 22 and 25, but I still feel the guilt every time something goes wrong or one of them reminds me, "You didnae go to my fiddle concert"—we are used to the guilt. However, it is important to tell mums that, if they cannot breastfeed for some reason, that it is not their fault—we need to get away from guilt.
I would like health promotion in communities to encourage women to consider breastfeeding. Women cannot really get support on breastfeeding unless it is from someone else who has done it. That might be a nurse, health visitor, friend, mother or granny. That support was certainly important for me.
This has been a good debate, and we need to look to the way forward. We need to spread the idea that women who breastfeed are not smug. For me, breastfeeding is a great memory and was a great joy. We need to get rid of the old attitudes, with people being appalled at breastfeeding. When I came to go shopping in Edinburgh, for example, I had to breastfeed my kids in a toilet. Let us get away from that. There is nothing nicer than seeing a mum sitting breastfeeding a baby. I would be the first to go up to say, "That's lovely"—I really enjoy watching it.
I thank Elaine Smith for choosing this subject and I thank all the wonderful folk in the public gallery for coming along. Let us hear the babies again, giggling in the gallery. I have enjoyed it—and I will stop rocking back and forward now.
I congratulate Elaine Smith on securing this debate to coincide with national breastfeeding awareness week. I, too, welcome the mothers and babies in the gallery, whom I enjoyed meeting at lunch time—Elaine also organised that meeting.
As Elaine Smith said, this debate is about choice. The choice of feeding method is a deeply personal decision and is to be taken by the mother herself. Whatever that choice, it must be respected. The important thing is to ensure that women are provided with the information, support and advice to be able to make an informed choice and to follow that choice through. The Executive is 100 per cent committed to that objective. Susan Deacon has taken a direct personal interest in taking forward work in this area.
We are committed to the promotion of breastfeeding throughout Scotland and to the target of having 50 per cent of women breastfeed their babies at six weeks by 2005. As part of our drive towards that breastfeeding target, the Executive funds and supports the Scottish breastfeeding group and the national breastfeeding adviser, who actively promote breastfeeding.
Studies have compared the health of breastfed babies to the health of babies fed on artificial formula milk. There is now a large amount of research showing beyond doubt that breastfeeding gives babies vital health advantages. I will not go over all the detailed evidence, as it has been covered by Elaine Smith, Irene McGugan and others. Elaine Smith referred to the interesting and important research being done at Ninewells hospital in Dundee, and we look forward to further evidence from that.
Recently published data show that the common reasons for general practitioners seeing nought to four-year-olds are the very ailments that can be helped by breastfeeding. Various speakers also reminded us of the health advantages to women of breastfeeding.
The second part of Elaine Smith's speech referred to the disappointing figures on breastfeeding. Indeed, as she reminded us, the Scottish figures are the second lowest in Europe. In view of that, our target is challenging. That is why we have set in motion several initiatives and policies to reach the target.
The most recent policy document on this subject is "A Framework for maternity services in Scotland", which was issued in February. It emphasises that
"Maternity services should promote, support and sustain breastfeeding".
It deals with what hospitals should do, which I will address in a moment. It also says that health boards should have an adviser on infant feeding and should actively nurture the setting-up of peer breastfeeding education and support groups.
Social support has been shown to increase successful breastfeeding. That is why the development of peer and social support for mothers is important. I was pleased to meet such groups from Glasgow and Lanarkshire at lunch time. Indeed, I will be pleased to take up Elaine Smith's invitation to visit the group in her constituency. Members will know that Lanarkshire Health Board is doing excellent work through community-based campaigns such as the "You can't get fitter than a breastfed nipper" campaign.
Another reason for support groups is that we do not yet have a breastfeeding-friendly culture. There have been many instances of hostile reaction to mothers who breastfeed in a public setting. Elaine Smith referred to the incident in Edinburgh in which, we were all horrified to learn, a mother was told to get off a bus because she was breastfeeding. Ministers wrote to Lothian Regional Transport, as it then was, but under current laws we do not have powers to enforce anything on a bus company in that regard.
Karen Gillon talked about breastfeeding in relation to employment. Last year, the Scottish Executive published "Breastfeeding and returning to work", which sets the agenda for enabling mothers to continue breastfeeding after they return to work. The document is already being implemented in the national health service in Scotland and in the Scottish Executive, in line with family-friendly policies. The Health Education Board for Scotland recently issued guidance for the private sector.
The influence of the media has been mentioned. Elaine Smith referred to a British Medical Journal article, which I, too, read recently. Clearly, negative media images are extremely damaging. She also expressed her abhorrence at the fact that society accepts page 3 but takes exception to breastfeeding mothers. That might apply in particular to some of the men whom Richard Simpson mentioned. There is a horrifying article in the Edinburgh Evening News tonight that suggests that some women may be prevented from breastfeeding by their partners.
I am glad that there has been a positive media example this week in the HEBS advertising campaign, which is part of our work to increase activity and awareness. I am pleased that HEBS used some of the money from the health improvement fund to put on the advertising campaign, which members may have seen on the television.
Elaine Smith also talked about the UNICEF UK baby friendly initiative, which takes me back to the work that is being done in hospitals. Scottish maternity hospitals continue to have a high level of participation in the UNICEF UK baby friendly initiative, which promotes breastfeeding in hospitals and the community. Seven hospitals have received the baby friendly initiative UK award and 12 hospitals have been awarded the baby friendly initiative certificate of commitment. Most other hospitals are implementing the UNICEF 10 steps to successful breastfeeding; some are fully participating and others are using the 10 steps for guidance only.
The issue of the marketing and promotion of formula milk was raised. We can certainly control what happens in hospitals—I do not believe that formula milk is being promoted in hospitals and, if it is, we can take steps to stop it. Clearly, however, we cannot control wider advertising, which is a reserved matter anyway. Equally, the issue of milk tokens, to which Mary Scanlon and Richard Simpson referred, is reserved to the Department of Social Security. However, I remind members that breastfeeding mothers can get free milk for themselves.
My time is up, so I will conclude by repeating that the Executive attaches great importance to breastfeeding in relation to both child and maternal health. I have outlined some of the actions that the Executive is supporting as the means of reaching our ambitious target. I hope that all MSPs will use their influence to help to bring about the cultural changes that are necessary to make that target a reality.
Meeting closed at 17:35.