Research reveals mums feel less confident breastfeeding in public due to coronavirus

A new survey conducted by Lansinoh has revealed the impact of lockdown on the confidence levels of new mums – only two in five mums now feel confident to breastfeed in public. Following months of lockdown and social distancing, three quarters of breastfeeding mums have now admitted to feeling more cautious about breastfeeding in public as a direct result of COVID-19. With restaurants and bars now re-open, 43% will take measures to try to avoid breastfeeding in public, while a further 14% will avoid it completely.

Furthermore, 30% of mums say they would love to share pictures of themselves breastfeeding on social media but don’t feel confident enough to. In fact, mums are more than twice as likely to share a picture of their baby’s birth (22%) than a photo of themselves breastfeeding (10%) on social media.

The research has been released as part of Lansinoh’s annual Feed with Confidence campaign, which aims to encourage mums to feel more empowered to breastfeed their child outside of their own home.

Lisa Craven, UK Marketing Manager at Lansinoh, says: “It’s completely understandable that following so many months of lockdown, the prospect of breastfeeding in a public space can feel daunting for many mums.

“It’s also highly likely that for many new mums who have given birth in the months since March, this will be their first ever experience of breastfeeding in public, so it is understandable they may feel anxious.

“However, it’s crucial that mums feel confident in feeding their little ones, whenever and wherever their child gets hungry. Breastfeeding is the most natural way for a mother to feed her baby, and we want to support mums to breastfeed in public, and help more mums feed with confidence.”