Mothers should be given longer breaks at work to express breast milk and greater access to lactation consultants, according to a Labour senator.
Kevin Humphreys said that the changes would help to increase Ireland’s breastfeeding rate, which is among the lowest in the world.
The policy document launched yesterday calls for improved access to hospital grade pumps, 15 more lactation consultants and a human donor milk bank, where mothers who are unable to breastfeed can access human milk.
The Labour Party said it produced the document to create a discussion but said it would draft legislation if the suggested proposals were not put into practice. There is no milk bank in the Republic and hospitals that require milk for premature babies have to order it from a facility in Northern Ireland.
Mr Humphreys said that the plan would help to close the gender pay gap because weaning was one of the barriers to women returning to work. In Ireland, women get an hour’s break for breastfeeding. The World Health Organisation recommendation is 90 minutes. There are 13 lactation consultants in Ireland and Labour said an additional 15 would mean that all new mothers could have one-on-one advice.
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Almost 60 per cent of women in Ireland are breastfeeding when they are discharged from hospital. The rate is 90 per cent in Australia, 81 per cent in the UK and 79 per cent in the US.