Charlotte Church backs Welsh Assembly breastfeeding campaign » Local Government » 24dash.com

Charlotte Church spoke today about the joy and the pain of breastfeeding her eight-month-old daughter Ruby.

The singer and TV presenter is backing a Welsh Assembly Government campaign after statistics revealed that only 42% of Welsh mothers under 20 start to breastfeed compared with 76% of mothers over 30.

The 21-year-old, who breastfed her baby for the first six months, said she initially had a breast infection but later enjoyed the feeling of bonding with her baby and even fed her in public.

Speaking at the launch of the Mother's Milk campaign, Church said: "Your boobs are kind of stuck to you, so you're going to have food ready for your child.

"It's cheaper, it's clean, it's the right temperature and everybody knows mother's milk is best."

Asked if she had suffered any problems breastfeeding, she said: "I had mastitis which is not the most pleasant thing at all and I thought 'what am I going to do? It hurts too much!'

"But I fed her through it otherwise your milk dries up. You've got to persevere."

She added: "If you want to get down to the nitty gritty, it's about getting the baby to latch on, mouth shapes and grabbing the nipple in the right way.

"It's definitely a skill and is a bit alien at the start, but it's such a completely natural process."

Church added: "I think people don't like the look of it, so to speak. People are more selfish these days and keep their body to themselves.

"I mostly breastfed at home, but if she really wanted feeding when we were out I've done it in people's houses, and in Boots one time - they had a room which was good - and a couple of times in restaurants.

"Nobody commented on me not to because I wouldn't have been that happy with those people. It's our right."

She said her boyfriend, international rugby player Gavin Henson, was never jealous of her time breastfeeding Ruby.

"Gavin is not that person at all. He wanted what's best for the baby and wouldn't have been happy if I'd not breastfed. He knows all about nutrition."

Church said she even made sure her boyfriend experienced the night-time feeds: "Gavin was pretty good. I was kind of mean and woke him up even though there was not much he could do about it because I was breastfeeding."

She said that once Ruby was six months old she began bottle feeding.

"I was glad to have my body back then, but a part of me was sad to finish it," she said.

"It's such a bonding thing with the baby, also it's nature's way of saying 'sit down and have five - you have just given birth', rather than just giving the baby to someone else with a bottle to feed.

"Now Ruby is on formula I have to cool the bottles and things, nothing can be spontaneous."

She added: "My mother breastfed me until I was 14 months because she reckons she was skint so it was the only option! She really encouraged me to breastfeed."

Speaking about Ruby, she said: "She's just a perfect baby, so well behaved."

The campaign was launched at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff.

Sue Sky, breastfeeding co-ordinator for Wales, said: "There is a great deal of evidence to show that breastfeeding provides important health benefits for both mum and baby.

"Breastfed babies visit the doctor less often than those who are fed infant formula, and they are less likely to have heart disease when they get older.

"For mums, it reduces the risk of ovarian and breast cancer and helps them to get their figures back faster."

She added: "Charlotte Church is a fantastic example of a young mother deciding that breast really is best and we hope that she will serve as a role model to her many thousands of female fans."