Borough has one of lowest rates of breastfeeding

Only one third of the babies in South Tyneside were being breastfed in the last year - well below the national rate, new figures show.

- by Gazette Reporter

Data from the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities show 35% of infants in the borough were being breastfed at least some of the time - as the proportion in England rose to a record 56%.

The figures - taken at the six-to-eight-week review by health visitors - have sparked calls from The National Childbirth Trust (NCT) charity for better access to impartial advice and support, to help parents make the best decisions for their newborns.

Current Government advice is that babies should be exclusively breastfed for their first six months.