Yahoo Lifestyle Financial incentives to breastfeed a waste of money?
New mums in some areas of Britain will be given financial incentives up to the value of $300 to breastfeed their babies under a trial scheme.
The plan is aimed at boosting breastfeeding rates in areas of the country where few mothers manage to successfully breastfeed for six months. But while it may have good intentions, the overwhelming reaction from mums and experts alike is that the scheme misses the point.
Though the 'breast is best' message has been drummed into most mums, experts still say the money would be better spent on more education and support.
Dr Rebecca Chicot, the co-creator of the Essential Baby Care Guide DVDs and Apps, says: "I think there are much better ways to spend money to increase breastfeeding rates... in a way that encourages and supports mums."
She says that the government should concentrate on making sure all women get the right advice to start breastfeeding, and then the right support to continue at home and as their baby grows.
"The money could be used to make sure every maternity hospital in the UK gets UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Status. This means that mums are supported to breastfeed after their baby is born.
"But as mums leave hospital very soon after giving birth, community support is vital for normalising breastfeeding in UK communities as well as actually providing practical support in the form of peer support and drop in breastfeeding clinics."
Dr Chicot has first hand experience of how vital continued support is for new mums, while making the Essential Baby Care series.
"We filmed breastfeeding with an inspirational group of young mums in a housing estate in Bristol with very low breastfeeding rates. Barnardo's ran an NHS-funded, peer support breastfeeding group in the children's centre in the middle of the estate.
"We arranged a big picnic and filmed with lots of the mums. The community spirit and the practical and emotional support for breastfeeding produced this oasis where lots of young mums were being supported to breastfeed."
"I think this kind of support is what money should be spent on; creating lots of community and practical support for mums to breastfeed.
"The peer supporters become friends and neighbours to these new mums and support them as they establish breastfeeding and become a breastfeeding mum in their community (they also often become peer supporters themselves so it's really goes 'viral').
It seems the vouchers may be an incentive to some, but for the vast majority of mums, the benefits of breastfeeding are the only incentive they need. What they are lacking, is the support and help to allow them to successfully start and continue feeding their baby in this way.
What do you think of the new UK scheme?
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Kim Hookem-Smith is a staff writer for Yahoo! UK & Ireland Lifestyle.
