Breastfeeding success rates in different countires.... What's yours like?

Question

I find it very interesting the variation in breastfeeding around the world. From looking at posts on here I believe the USA have a high rate? I am from the UK and I think we have a poor rate of breastfeeding. Where I live anywhere (feel free to disagree from the UK in a different part) I am around Glasgow and I would say its more normal to formula feed than breastfeed. I find it amazing in America amazing that in hospitals there are feeding rooms with places to express. We do not have that on Scotland, I am a nurse.
Personally I tried to breastfeed. I did for 7 weeks but still had to top up with formula and still do this day feel so guilty I beat myself up about it. Although I would say most people's attitude here is  all my kids were formula fed and are healthy. I am not saying there's anything wrong with formula. My son is now completely formula fed and is thriving but surely breastmilk is best. I just wonder if society has different opinions over the world.
Edit: I don't mean it's not supported in UK I believe it is if want the help. I more meant more people formula feed than breastfeed.

Answer

I’m in Ontario,Canada and breastfeeding is very much supported.  Your employer has to allow you both time and space to breastfeed.  Maternity leave is also 12-18 months depending on what you choose which allows breastfeeding to continue even longer.   You are supported both in the hospital and afterwards by being contacted by the local health unit and can request to have the lactation consultant come to you.  I think it’s great to see more and more support for it worldwide.

Answer

I’m from the U.K. and actually feel quite differently. I’ve been EBF from day one and have had lots of encouragement from my midwives etc. At each visit they’d ask how it was going and even in the early days when my DS was slow to gain weight they were great at encouraging me to keep going. My BIL’s GF had her little boy a couple of weeks ago and has found BF a challenge - she’s had extra support including a feeding lady (not sure what they’re actually called 🙊 😂) come to visit her. I feel like I’ve seen so many posts from ladies in the US that have been told to supplement with formula as a first response. 
I think in the U.K. the mindset might be more open towards formula? I know when I went to my hospital pre-birth classes, they told me formula was provided if you didn’t want to breastfeed so I feel like we might be more accepting of it. Maybe that’s why women feel less pressured to stick with it if they don’t want to?

Answer

I’m EBF in the UK down in Cornwall. I have mixed views on the support. On one hand although they weren’t pushy I don’t feel like you’re informed of how hard or time consuming breastfeeding is as they are so desperate to get you to do it. They don’t give you all the information and I was so scared to pump/ offer a bottle/ dummy in the first few weeks which all made it even harder. On the other hand my particular midwife was fantastic, they have a local group for breastfeeding which I never ended up going to and the aftercare in the first three weeks were great, they recognised my mastitis and had me on antibiotics by the end of the day. Shown me latches to help as I had a funny nipple one side that baby had managed to cut open 🤮. I also had a home birth so the first few appointments I had were at home which made it even easier. HV absolutely useless though.

Answer

I’m from the uk and feel breastfeeding is well supported but our mental health isn’t as much. I was desperate to breast feed I got all the advice going I went to breast feeding café the lot but unfortunately we just couldn’t get the latch right and PDA/D hit hard. I still feel like a failure that I swapped over. My little is doing great but I will always feel like I let her down. What I am surprised about is the amount of US baby’s on medical formula. I’m a neonatal nurse and we hardly ever use the formulas mentioned here plus the amount of babies on ranitidine. I also see a lot of ?cows milk protein intolerance. At much higher rates then in the uk. I’ve never met a breastfeeding mother at work who has had to restrict their diet like the ladies on here. Maybe it’s how the health care system works 🤷🏻‍♀️

Answer

Im in Belgium and recently we had something dubbed 'The breast feeding mob' in the news. Basically, you are kindly nudged and sometimes even forced to (try to) breastfeed. In the hospital, after you gave birth, midwifes come in to help latch and the whole after care in the hospital after birth is about breastfeeding. I personally felt very forced to continue breast feeding even when it made me terribly unhappy. Pediatricians told me at least 60% sticks to it for 3 months. Luckily I have a very supportive husband and family who even ended up begging me to stop at it was hurting me both physically and mentally. I even had to go into therapy to tell myself it was ok to stop. I have friends who breastfeed and some of them I avoid as they keep telling me bf is about persistence and it is normal for it to hurt the first few weeks and/or months. Basically, they made me feel like a quitter and someone who gives up easily when it doesnt work. Let me tell you, I am not a quitter, I am someone who learnt the hard way that I cant be there for others if I dont take care of myself. I am a happier and better mommy to my son than I was when I was still breastfeeding. 
Fyi we have this association who follow the development of the baby very closely and they told me 60% the first 3 months, 40% after 6 months and a steady decline after that.
I am not sure yet if I will ever try again with my second. I am sure as hell not going to let myself get pressured by people from my environment anymore!

Answer

Also in Ontario. I live in a rural community and I still have access to a free lactation consultant. In many of the larger cities malls and shopping centres will have a breastfeeding area for nursing Mamas its definitely supported.

Answer

It's definitely heavily supported in the US to parents but not publically. Most hospitals wont give the option of formula you have to ask for it and they'll have a lactation consultant check in on you. We also get breast pumps for free with insurance but that's relatively new. What's funny about the support is that it's very publically not supported. There are so many people that say women sbouldnt be allowed to breastfeed in public which is very discouraging. Luckily that's changing but its still an issue.

Answer

I feel that in the UK they are pro breastfeeding but due to the NHS funding they obviously can’t help mothers as much as they can in the US because they pay for their healthcare. 
There are lots of breastfeeding support classes in my area which are run by the health visitors also.

Breastfeeding success rates in different countires.... What's yours like?

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