Change of attitude leads to rise in breastfeeding

Greek women are increasingly choosing to breastfeed their newborn babies after years of relying on formula, according to a report conducted by the Children's Health Institute in 2017.

Based on the data, seven in 10 women last year breastfed their infants for the first few months, reversing a four-to-10 ratio recorded in a similar report in 2007. 

The report, which was presented last week, was based on a sample of 870 infants born in 43 public and private hospitals in the country.

According to its findings, the overwhelming majority of infants were breastfed on their first day out of the womb (94 pct), while the breastfeeding rate remained high (63.5 pct) until their third month. It then fell to 45.4 percent through the end of the sixth month.

The improvement is attributed by experts to a change in attitudes in maternity wards that are now promoting nature's...