Press Coverage – Bisphenol A

Nursing Times. Baby bottle chemicals: http://www.nursingtimes.net/clinicalnews/2008/05/warning_over_baby_bottle_danger.html

Charities Aid Foundation. Bottle chemicals: http://www.cafonline.org/Default.aspx?page=15491

BBC News. Baby bottle chemical call: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7384856.stm

Plastics and Rubber Weekly. Chemicals in baby bottles: http://www.prw.com/homePBP_NADetail_UP.aspx?ID_Site=818&ID_Article=24657&mode=1&curpage=0

Food Production Daily. Bottle chemicals: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news/ng.asp?n=85110-bisphenol-a-bottles-labelling

Press Coverage 5th May – 11th May

The Daily Independent, Bangladesh. Cord blood collection: http://www.theindependent-bd.com/details.php?nid=81577

The Gazette Live.co.uk (Evening Gazette). How being a parent can enrich your life: http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/lifestyle/parenting-advice/2008/05/05/how-being-a-parent-can-enrich-your-life-84229-20858114/

The Scotsman. Breastfed babies have higher IQs: http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scitech/Breastfed-children-have-higher-IQs.4051838.jp

The Herald. Breastfed babies higher IQ: http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/news/display.var.2248206.0.Breastfed_babies_grow_up_to_be_more_intelligent.php

Baby World. Breastfeeding boosting IQ: http://www.babyworld.co.uk/news/May08/09.05.08_breastfeed.asp

Sunday Observer. Breastfeeding boosts IQ (bottom of page): http://www.sundayobserver.lk/2008/05/11/imp05.asp

Medical News Today. Breastfeeding Awareness Week 08: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/106327.php

Jamie Stone demands clarification on Scottish Government’s plans for maternity services

Liberal Democrat Public Health spokesperson Jamie Stone MSP has written to the Health Secretary demanding urgent clarification of the Scottish Government’s plans for maternity services in the north of Scotland and warns against downgrading maternity.

The Scottish Government has just published an action plan to “secure” the future of six hospitals in Scotland’s remote and rural areas. In the Scottish Government press release that accompanied the report, the Health Secretary promised that everyone in Scotland should have “equal access to the NHS, no matter where they live”. But, she went on to imply that the Scottish Government wants to see maternity services at 6 core rural hospitals being midwife-led. In his letter, Mr Stone notes that twice the consultant-led maternity service based in Caithness General Hospital in Wick has been considered for downgrading to a midwife led service and both times this has been strenuously opposed as a backward step by local people.

Department of Health launches campaign to address inequalities in breastfeeding

The Department of Health (DH) has used National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (NBAW) to encourage mothers from low income backgrounds to seek help on breastfeeding. A DH press release notes that breastfeeding is a major public health issue in today’s society with significant inequalities in infant feeding practices. Age is a strong factor, with statistics showing that in the UK, 76% of women start breastfeeding, but for mothers under 20, it’s just 51%.

A decision to breastfeed, especially for the first six months of a baby’s life, can have a huge impact on infant health and development. The DH recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months, with continued breastfeeding alongside solid foods after six months. ‘Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives’ a cross-government strategy for obesity ( January 2008 ) aims to reverse the rise in childhood obesity and breastfeeding plays an integral role in this. Breastfeeding provides health benefits for mothers too. It can reduce the risk of against ovarian cancer, breast cancer and weak bones later in life.

The NBAW strapline, ‘Breastfeeding: every day makes a difference to your baby’, reflects the message that each day a women continues to breastfeed is another day the child receives important health benefits from its mother. The plans for NBAW are part of the DH’s campaign to address the inequalities that exist in infant feeding practices highlighted in the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) review of The Infant Feeding Survey (2005).

During NBAW, the DH launched the Breast Buddy initiative, targeted at young mums aged 16 to 25 years. The initiative is fronted by celebrity mum and Atomic Kitten member Jenny Frost. The initiative encourages young mums to get emotional and practical support while breastfeeding by nominating a buddy from within their circle of friends and family. Young mums who sign up will receive an information pack including the NHS leaflet

Breastfeeding: Off to the Best Start and a fridge magnet featuring breastfeeding helplines including the new National Breastfeeding Helpline (0844 20 909 20). Mother and buddy will also receive texts of encouragement for the first six months. Mums can text BUDDY to 60022 to sign up to the campaign.

Dawn Primarolo welcomes National Breastfeeding Awareness Week

Public Health Minister, Dawn Primarolo welcomed the commencement of the week long initiative to make breastfeeding as easy as possible for mothers across the country, asserting that it was essential to demonstrate that breastfeeding was the normal and natural way to feed a baby.

The National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (NBAW) saw retailers such as ASDA, Woolworths and Mamas and Papas becoming ‘breastfeeding friendly’ places, providing comfortable seating, water and a positive attitude towards breastfeeding. Breastfeeding Friendly Places will show a window sticker to let customers know they are ‘breastfeeding friendly’ – this is part of a wider campaign to promote breastfeeding, particularly targeting young mums during NBAW 2008.

Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies and the Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to the age of six months, with continued breastfeeding alongside solid foods after six months. Studies have shown that breastfed babies are less likely to get infections or asthma, become obese or get diabetes in later childhood and that breastfeeding can prevent mums having health problems later in life.

Research shows the majority of mums would like to breastfeed their babies but often give up in the early stages, so it is important to let mums know there is support available to help them continue. Many mums-to-be are put off breastfeeding because they are concerned about breastfeeding in public, it is therefore important for organisations to make it clear that breastfeeding is welcome. Highlighting organisations that adopt a breastfeeding friendly policy is just one of the ways in which breastfeeding mums are being supported. Support is also available through their local breastfeeding groups, from their midwife or health visitor and through helplines such as the National Breastfeeding Helpline – 0844 20 909 20.

BMJ Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases – women who breast feed for longer halve risk of rheumatoid arthritis

The British Medical Journal (BMJ) has issued details of a study regarding breastfeeding and rheumatoid arthritis as published online ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

According to the research, women who breastfeed for longer have a smaller chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis. The study also found that taking oral contraceptives, which are suspected to protect against the disease because they contain hormones that are raised in pregnancy, did not have the same effect. Also, simply having children and not breastfeeding also did not seem to be protective.

The researchers compared 136 women with rheumatoid arthritis with 544 women of a similar age without the disease. They found that that those who had breast fed for longer were much less likely to get rheumatoid arthritis.

Women who had breastfed for 13 months or more were half as likely to get rheumatoid arthritis as those who had never breastfed. Those who had breastfed for one to 12 months were 25 per cent less likely to get the disease.

The proportion of women breastfeeding for more than six months has increased dramatically over the past 30 years. The authors concluded that it was difficult to say whether there was a connection between higher rates of breastfeeding and a corresponding fall in the number of women affected by rheumatoid arthritis, but that the results of the study provided yet another reason why women should continue breastfeeding.

Gordon Brown has set out plans for a “fairer and more prosperous” Britain in a draft Queen’s speech

The Prime Minister used a Commons statement to MPs on Wednesday to set out a raft of future policy plans in his proposed legislative programme for the 2008/09 session of Parliament. The early notification of the proposals is also designed to be an attempt to listen and respond to the public and MPs’ views via a consultation process.

In total there were plans for 18 full bills, linked under four themes of: economic stability; “making the most of your potential”; personalisation and improvement of public services; and “handing back power to the people”. The list of 18 includes an Equality Bill and an NHS Reform Bill which is aimed at taking forward proposals arising from Lord Darzi’s ‘NHS Next Stage Review’ of the NHS in England that would require legislation to enable their implementation.

Ministers plan to give an extra 4.5 million parents the right to request flexible working

An independent review by Sainsbury’s human resources director Imelda Walsh recommended that the right to flexible working should apply as widely as possible. The right is currently restricted to parents whose children are under six or disabled but could be extended to parents of children up to the age of 16.

The government has said it will now consult on how the proposal can be implemented. The review said that any change should be implemented at once rather than staged and added that more needed to be done to raise awareness of the right to request flexible working, among employees and companies.

Around six million workers currently have the right to ask for flexible arrangements, although the government believes more than 14 million people work flexibly. More than nine out of 10 requests to work flexibly were approved last year.

TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: “Any extension of the right to request flexible working is great news for parents struggling to combine work with their often hectic family lives.”