HEALTH bosses have called for more mums to breastfeed.

The calls come after figures show around 70 per cent of babies in Lancashire receive breast milk as their first feed.

But by four to six weeks, as little as 40 per cent of mums in the county are still breastfeeding, and eight out of ten of these mums have stopped earlier than they wanted to.

Now with World Breastfeeding Week taking place from August 1 to August 7, health professionals from East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust and Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust have come together to encourage more breastfeeding in the area.

A 2010 Infant Feeding Survey identified that one of the main contributing factors for the figures, which come from Public Health England, was the lack of support mums received to continue breastfeeding.

Katie Wharton, infant feeding co-ordinator at Lancashire Care NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The UK has some of the lowest breast feeding rates in the world and although more mothers are starting to breastfeed their babies, by four to six weeks many have given up.

“Breastfeeding is everyone’s responsibility and it should be regarded as the normal, natural way for all babies to be fed.”

Sue Henry, infant feeding co-ordinator at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “Breastfeeding is a highly emotive subject because so many families have not breastfed, or have experienced sadness around breastfeeding personally not working out for them.

“No parent should feel they have not done the best for their child.

“It is really important to consider what everyone in our communities can do to support more mothers to breastfeed for longer – we all have a part to play.

“I would like to encourage everyone to get involved”.

World Breastfeeding Week is an annual global event involving 120 countries to raise awareness about the value of breastfeeding.

The theme for this year’s campaign is ‘Working Together for the Common Good’.