Breastfeeding incentives for mothers!
Read this article from BBC news which offers incentives for mothers who breastfeed with the objective of encouraging 6 months of mandatory breastfeeding!
“Offering shopping vouchers to new mothers can encourage them to breastfeed their babies, a study published in JAMA Pediatrics has found.
About 10,000 new mothers in Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire were offered up to £200 in vouchers as an incentive.
Breastfeeding rates increased in these areas, which typically have low uptake.
The vouchers gave mums a “lift” and helped them feel part of a network, the Sheffield University-led study found.
They could be used to buy food, household items, toys, clothes, books, DVDs or music in supermarkets and other shops.
Overall, 46% of all eligible mothers signed up to the scheme and more than 40% claimed at least one voucher, paid for by research councils, medical charities and Public Health England.
Fiona Sutcliffe, 29, from Sheffield, took part in the scheme with her baby girl.
She had considered breastfeeding while she was pregnant but was nervous that a caesarean would make it tricky: “There were definitely times when I was thinking ‘this is really difficult, I’m really struggling’.”
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Breastfeeding reduces a baby’s chances of:
Diarrhoea and vomiting
Chest and ear infections
Becoming obese
Sudden infant death syndrome
Type 2 diabetes in later life
Childhood leukaemia
Eczema
Cardiovascular disease in adulthood
Source: NHS Choices
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Fiona said being part of the scheme encouraged her to breastfeed, and to do so for longer.
“The scheme is a really good way of keeping going — keeping motivated to stay on track rather than giving up and going for the bottle.
“It provides little milestones, little stepping stones and helps you get breastfeeding established.”
Fiona and her partner saved the vouchers and spent them on presents for their daughter’s first birthday.
Breastfeeding levels in the UK are some of the lowest in the world — in some areas only 12% of six to eight week-old babies are fed in this way.
One of the study’s authors, Mary Renfrew, of the University of Dundee, said: “It can be particularly difficult for women to breastfeed without strong family and community support, because of strong societal barriers.”
She said some women encounter barriers when breastfeeding in public and that there is “widespread misleading marketing that formula is equivalent to breastfeeding”.
Abigail Wood from the National Childbirth Trust said it was important that women feel supported not pressurised to breastfeed.
“It’s good to see the mothers involved in this scheme appear to have had a positive experience.
“We know that most women want to breastfeed yet many stop because they don’t get the information and practical help they need.”
Source : www.bbc.com
Picture source : www.babycenter.in
Summary
Breastfeeding offers a host of advantages for the health of both the mother and the child.But often mothers are not aware of it and they discontinue breastfeeding and reach out for the bottle even before the mandatory period of minimum 6 months of breastfeeding stipulated by the World Health Organization. In order to change this scenario and create a supportive practice of breastfeeding some counties in England have introduced a scheme of monetary benefits in the form of vouchers to mothers who continue breastfeeding. This has shown that some mothers were definitely encouraged by this supportive practice and incentives provided which also helps them to enjoy benefits. Breastfeeding has definitely been prolonged by the introduction of this benefit scheme were women are not pressurized but encouraged to continue breastfeeding and in the process they have also become aware of it’s relevance in the child’s development and growth.
