Good breastfeeding policies–Good breastfeeding rates

In Norway, where breastfeeding policies protecting breastfeeding women’s needs have been in place since the 70’s, approximately 97% of women breastfeed when leaving hospital, 80 per cent are breastfeeding at 3 months and 20 per cent beyond 12 months.

Government family policies play an important role in enabling women to achieve good breastfeeding rates.

In Norway:

• maternity leave is 42 weeks with full pay or 52 weeks with 80 per cent of salary
• flexible part time is available for women from two months after giving birth with income supplemented from maternity benefits
• after returning to work women are entitled to 1 - 1 1/2 hour breaks to return home to breastfeed, or to have the child brought to work.

“Breastfeeding is so normal,” writes Hege Jacobson Lepri, “it’s more embarrassing to bring out the feeding bottle in public.”
--Thanks to Hege Jacobson Lepri, Oslo,Norway.