Breastfeeding numbers hitting new highs in N.L.

The number of women breastfeeding in Newfoundland and Labrador continues to climb, says the Baby-Friendly Council of NL, with 76 per cent of new mothers in the province breastfeeding their babies at the beginning of their lives, compared with just 30 per cent of women initiating nursing inthe 1970s.

That number has even climbed in the lastyears, with initiationrates at 74.7 per cent in 2016.

"What we've seen is a nice, steady incline in women choosing to initiate breastfeeding," said Heather Gates, a lactation consultant with Labrador Grenfell Health.

"Changing the culture of breastfeeding is not something that happens overnight."

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Gates credits the provincial government with helping spur the change, with breastfeeding identified as an area to devote resources to in its The Way Forwardcampaign, which Gates saidhas helped increase advertising and support.

Gates saidwhile numbers have been increasingacross the province, it has been somewhat unevenly. with some rural areas lagging behind more urban ones.

"There are other places in the province that pose more challenges, because historically there hasn't been a breastfeeding culture there," she told CBC.

According to Eastern Health, breastfeeding rates for 2017 are as follows:

• 82 per cent in St. John's.
  
• 79 per cent in Labrador City.
  
• 72 per cent in Gander/Grand Falls-Windsor.
  
• 69 per cent in Happy Valley-Goose Bay and St. Anthony.
  
• 60 per cent in Carbonear.
  
• 58 per cent in Clarenville.
  
• 51 per cent in Burin.

Getting support

Gates said as the culture changes, breastfeeding rates pickup steam.

"Women tend to do what they see. They follow the patterns of what they've seen their family do," she said.

"When women are surroundedby breastfeeding, and have seen it, it becomes normal to them."

That normalizing can comein the form of mothers, sisters, friends and colleagues. But even if a woman doesn't have those, Gates said the Baby-Friendly Council of NL and the province's health care system offer a multitude of supports, such as lactation consultations or a Facebook group dedicated to breastfeeding mothers.

"Itell my clients all the time it's important to surround yourself with supportand the knowledge of women who have breastfed before," she said.

More work needed

Gates said breastfeeding statistics are measured through initiation mothers beginning breastfeeding at the start of their newborns' lives and duration, or how long that mother continues to nurse.

When it comes to duration, "women don't breastfeed as long as we would like," said Gates.

She said between four to six months, the breastfeeding rates drop "significantly," following a common trend across Canada.

"We need to bump up our support, from a health-care standpoint," said Gates. "What do we need to do to help women breastfeed longer?"

Health Canada recommends babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life, and then sustained for up to two years alongside appropriate complementary nutrition.

"The mother's body actually has the ability to bump up proteins and antibodies, depending on the baby'sneeds at the time, and that changes through the course of the breastfeedingrelationship. Not at one point will breastmilk ever be the same. It changes, and that's pretty incredible," said Gates.

TheJanewayHospital in St. John's is now giving donatedbreastmilkto premature babies inits neonatal intensive unit, in order to provide optimal nutrition for the start of those babies' lives.

Formula vs. breastmilk

For women struggling to nurse, or uncomfortable with it altogether, Gates said providing them with information about all their options is essential.

"Information provides empowerment," she said.

She addedthat even if a woman chooses not to breastfeed, they should be supported.

"I think when women are supported, they shouldn't feel guilty. When they make an informed choice, there should not be any guiltassociated with that," she said.

"The important thing is that you're thinking about it, and having that conversation."

Read more from CBC Newfoundland and Labrador.