Registered nurse and midwife at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH), Shermena Kirton, has called for a cultural shift in Barbadians’ approach to breastfeeding, arguing that more mothers need support from families, workplaces, and society if the island is to improve breastfeeding rates and the long-term health of its population.

“The vision is to make breastfeeding the culture. Right now breastfeeding is not the culture in Barbados,” she said on the season five finale of the QEH’s Pulse Radio Show. “The culture has to change. People have to see the benefits of breastfeeding for their child, for themselves, for the economy, for the nation. One mother choosing to breastfeed affects the nation.”

While more mothers are being encouraged to breastfeed, changing public attitudes remains one of the biggest challenges, she said.