Between September 1 last year and August 31 this year, six out of 24 or 25% of mothers aged under19 were breastfeeding their babies when they were discharged from the Wick hospital.
In the 20 to 24 age group, 19 out of 54 or 35% of mothers were breastfeeding when they took their babies home and for mothers aged between 25 and 29 the figure was 34 out of 74 or 46%.
Lead Midwife for the North Highland Community Health Partnership, Mary Burnside, said she was delighted they had been so successful with these age groups.
She said: “I am very pleased that we are reaching the age groups that are notoriously hard to reach.
“It is really positive, especially as mothers of this age are more likely to go on to have more babies in the future.
“There is good breastfeeding support from midwives and other breastfeeding mothers in the area and this targets all ages.
“The midwifery team does not always run classes specifically targeted at this age group as numbers can be low, however I feel this reflects the amount of good work that is happening on a one-to-one basis.”
Mrs Burnside explained that parentcraft classes have always included a session on infant feeding, however, now there are additional classes which concentrate solely on breastfeeding. Mums choosing to bottle feed are also given individual advice.
NHS Highland Breast Feeding Advisor Janet Kellock said the main reasons teenage and younger mums were less likely to breastfeed may be due to a lack of education on the subject in schools and the desire to lead a more active social life.
She said: “We need to go into schools and do more education with younger people to help them understand the many benefits of breastfeeding.
“It really does give a baby the very best start in life. It’s free, convenient and good for the future health of both the baby and the mother.”
Mrs Kellock explained that the benefits for the baby include a reduced risk of developing obesity or diabetes.
For the mother, the benefits include a reduced risk of developing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. Breastfeeding has also been proven to help mums return to their pre-pregnancy figure more quickly.
Mrs Kellock added that Caithness General was working towards Baby-Friendly status, which should result in an increase in the number of mums choosing to breastfeed their babies.
The Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, launched in 1991, is an effort by UNICEF and the World Health Organisation to ensure that all maternity units become centres of breastfeeding support.
It accredits maternity and community health-care facilities and higher education institutions that have implemented best practice for breastfeeding and have passed an external assessment.
It is hoped that the Caithness hospital will achieve full accreditation by the end of next year.
Mrs Kellock said: “Statistics show that when a hospital adopts the Baby Friendly principles the breastfeeding rates go up and, once they achieve full accreditation, they go up again.”
Anyone wanting more information or support with breastfeeding should contact NHS Highland’s infant feeding advisors Janet Kellock or Karen Mackay on 01463 704374 or by email at Janet.kellock@nhs.net or Karen.mackay3@nhs.net
