A MOTHER-OF-TWO from Monmouthshire is supporting a campaign to promote breastfeeding during a national awareness week.

Breastfeeding Week runs until Monday, August 7 and Public Health Wales has revealed that only 51 per of Welsh parents were planning to nurse over bottle feeding.

The survey was carried out earlier this year as part of Every Child Wales, Public Health Wales’ new programme to improve the health and wellbeing of children under five.

Carys Evans from Bettws Newydd breastfed her three-year-old daughter Hâf to the age of nine months old and is currently breastfeeding five-week-old Mari.

“I want to give my children the best possible start and breastfeeding provided this from a nutrition and health point of view.

“It’s also providing me with some positive benefits such as lowering the risk of me developing breast and ovarian cancers.

“Breastfeeding is a very convenient way of feeding my daughter, especially in the middle of the night, no bottles to make up.

“It’s also free and makes me think about having a healthy diet so that I can produce enough milk to help my daughter grow. Breastfeeding burns a lot of calories.

“As the only person able to breastfeed my daughters, I have been able to spend several very special hours bonding with them.

“Having that physical contact, especially in the early days helped settle them down.

“It’s hard work and can be physically and emotionally draining so making sure I eat well and rest when I can is really important.”

The recommendation from Public Health Wales is to give babies nothing but breastmilk for the first six months; before introducing other foods and continue breastfeeding for as long as they wish.

Evidence suggests that breastfed babies are more likely to grow up a healthy weight and are less at risk of high blood pressure and heart disease as they get older.

The Raglan mum overcame difficulties when she first began breastfeeding and added: “With my first daughter I expressed milk so that others could feed her when I was tired or sore.

“It also meant that her father and other family members could enjoy cuddles with her too.

“I had advice from a lactation consultant and her guidance on positioning was invaluable in me continuing to breastfeed as long as I did.

“Knowing the challenges are temporary and that others experience them really helps.”

Karen Thompson, a consultant in public health for obesity prevention and nutrition for Public Health Wales said: “These results are important because those parents who were really positive about breastfeeding were much more likely to succeed compared to those who were uncertain.

“In many parts of Wales breastfeeding is very rare and bottle feeding is normal.

“Unless we can change this, many babies in Wales will not get the many benefits that breastmilk brings in both short term and longer term health outcomes.

“Breast milk is all a baby needs in the first six months, providing them with all the vital nutrients to grow healthily.

“It is not just good for baby’s weight, it’s good for mums too.

“You can naturally burn 500 calories a day through breastfeeding.

“We need to understand more about why some parents are unsure about breastfeeding and help to address those concerns in a positive way.

“If parents are uncertain we would encourage them to talk to their midwife or health visitor and they will be able to put them in touch with other mums who have breastfed successfully – above all we would say just give it a go, you may find it is easier than you think.”

Every Child Wales brings together lots of great information and advice to support breastfeeding parents as part of its 10 steps to a healthy weight.

For details and free advice, visit everychildwales.co.uk or search @EveryChildWales on social media.