Stockton North MP, Alex Cunningham, is backing the Unicef UK Baby Friendly Initiative campaign on breastfeeding, and has pledged to support the campaign to increase ‘Breast Feeding Friendly’ venues in his constituency.
Unicef UK is calling on the government to tackle the UK’s low breastfeeding rates and improve the health of children by leading action to remove barriers – social, cultural, economic, physical and practical – that create difficulties for women to breastfeed in the UK. New evidence provides a compelling case to alter UK attitudes and practices, both locally and nationally, in order to support women to breastfeed.
Alex said:
I’m happy to support Unicef’s campaign on breastfeeding in the UK. There is overwhelming evidence that breastfeeding gives babies the best possible start to life, and yet the UK has some of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world. This needs to change – and I’ll be promoting the ‘Breastfeeding Friendly’ campaign as much as I can.
Only 34% of babies in the UK are breastfed, in contrast to 71% in Norway. The World Health Organisation recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed for six months.