Breast is best for bubs: Mum

Jannie Sperling breastfeeding Alivia Meagher Sperling.

David Nielsen

AN IPSWICH breast feeding councillor says the health of Australians is at risk because too many mothers are bottle feeding their children.

Goodna mother of three Jannie Sperling said she was not surprised by a report released this week which revealed negative attitudes to breastfeeding may have contributed to a rise in chronic disease in Australia, particularly among disadvantaged families.

Mrs Sperling has breast fed all her children, including her 14-month-old girl Alivia.

She said breastfeeding was not only far more nutritious for young children but it also gave the child a strong sense of maternal security as it grew past 12 months.

Mrs Sperling assists with the National Breastfeeding Helpline and said she often encountered women who felt pressured to use bottled milk.

“In Australia people feel it’s wrong to breastfeed past infancy despite the World Health Organisation recommending breastfeeding until the age of four,” she said.

The study, published earlier this month in the international journal Public Health Nutrition, suggested more should be done to promote breastfeeding past the age of six months to combat the risk of increased rates of chronic disease in the future.

Dr Julia Smith, from the Australian National University (ANU), said the study mapped the public health impact of premature weaning over the past five decades in Australia.

Mrs Sperling said she had not received any negative comments while breastfeeding in public.

For more information call the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 1800 6862 686.

Mother’s milk

• Research shows breastfeeding can reduce the long-term risk of chronic disease.
• World Health Organisation recommends infants start receiving complementary foods at six months, in addition to breast milk.
• Globally less than 40 per cent of infants under six months are exclusively breastfed.
• Breast milk contains antibodies that help protect against common childhood illnesses including pneumonia.