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12/12/2014

Breastfeeding Could Save NHS £40m - Report

A new report has claimed that increasing the number of mothers who breastfeed for longer could save the NHS more than £40m a year.

The study, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood, said that by doubling the number of mothers who breastfeed for seven to 18 months, as well as encouraging others to continue for at least four months could save the NHS "significant" amounts of money.

The savings would be made by reducing the incidence of common childhood diseases and lessening the subsequent risk of breast cancer in the mothers. It has been said that the above have been linked to low rates of breastfeeding.

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Those behind the research looked at the financial impact no breastfeeding had on five priority diseases; gastrointestinal and lower respiratory tract infections, the ear infection otitis media in infants, necrotising enterocolitis in preterm babies; and a lifetime risk of breast cancer in mothers.

They said that the annual cost of treating the four childhood illnesses is £89m, while the lifetime costs of treating breast cancer in women who had given birth is £960m.

However, if the period of breastfeeding is extended, costs could be reduced. The report added that it does not rely on encouraging more women to breastfeed, but rather on helping those who have already chosen to breastfeed to do so for longer.

Jacque Gerrard, Royal College of Midwives' Director for England, explained: "It is without doubt a positive way for a woman to give her newborn the best possible start in life and support her own health at the same time.

"Breastfeeding starts with skin-to-skin contact at birth – now normal practice in the UK – and provides a unique opportunity for mother and baby attachment."

(JP/IT)

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"A new report has claimed that increasing the number of mothers who breastfeed for longer could save the NHS more than £40m a year."