Chris, I have replied privately to you but will send this to the list as
well, in case any one else is interested.


>1. Does the UK have the worst breastfeeding rate in Europe?  I thought it was
>Ireland that did, but I've just heard differently.  And of course there are
>different ways of defining "breastfeeding rate."

No, the UK is not the worst. You can get figures for Europe from the UNICEF
website (URL not to hand but it should be easy to find!) and there is a
page with all the major Eureopean figures for initiation and, I think, at
12 weeks. Ireland is certainly worse than the UK, and I think France is,
too - there must be others because I remember thinking we are about halfway
down/up the list. Norway is the best.


>2.  What is the price for human milk, for instance banked donor milk, in the
>UK?  The price charged to the recipient is what I'm looking for.

It's free! At least I have never heard of anyone being charged for
it....would be very odd if it was. It is donated freely and I have never
heard of anyone being paid to donate (the analogy is with our blood
donation service - donated freely, given freely). The National Health
Service does not organise a central human milk banking scheme, but there
are a number of milk banks at various hospitals, and there is a milk bank
association.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK