Almost two-thirds of babies were breastfed during their first hospital feed last year, according to new data showing an increase in rates in Ireland.
Health Service Executive (HSE) statistics published on Tuesday show a rise in breastfeeding across several stages of babies’ development.
When it comes to the first feed after birth in hospital, 65.2 per cent of babies were breastfed in 2024, compared with 63.8 per cent in 2019.
At the first public-health nurse visit, a rise from 60.3 per cent in 2023 to 61.9 per cent in 2024 was reported, while figures increased from 42 per cent in 2023 to 44 per cent in 2024 at the three-month public-health nurse check.
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Out of 32 public health nursing areas, 20 reported increases in rates at the three-month mark in 2024 on the previous year. Of those 20, 13 have recruited new lactation consultant posts in the last three years.
The HSE has also highlighted the benefits of safe skin-to-skin contact in supporting feeding, bonding and recovery after birth as part of its national breastfeeding week campaign, which begins on October 1st.
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According to the latest HSE data, 89 per cent of mothers and babies had the opportunity to have such skin-to-skin contact immediately after birth.
The practice of placing a baby directly on their mother’s chest is a key moment immediately after birth, the HSE said. It helps the baby to adjust to the outside world and stimulates their brain, also facilitating the passage of good bacteria – microbiome – from mother to baby.
Laura McHugh, the HSE’s national breastfeeding co-ordinator, encouraged new mothers to practise skin-to-skin contact “as much as possible as your baby grows”.
“It comforts your baby and makes them feel secure. Skin-to-skin contact helps you develop confidence in caring for and feeding your baby. It also helps improve your sleep and your baby’s,” she said.
Research shows the more skin-to-skin contact a baby experiences during their first year of life, the better their physical and mental health outcomes will be. The HSE’s mychild.ie website includes information on how to do it safely, including a video tutorial.
