OPPOSITION to public breastfeeding is a major barrier to women choosing to breastfeed.

I run antenatal sessions giving information about infant feeding and the most common worry mothers come to me with is that they are nervous about feeding in public.

This stops many women from choosing to breastfeed.

R Cochrane claims that it is an 'indisputable fact' that one bottle will not harm a baby.

If a woman does not breastfeed when out in public she would need to give several bottles every day and research clearly shows this does harm.

Or perhaps R Cochrane thinks women should stay indoors.

I would like remind R Cochrane that if they feel offended, nothing happens.

It does him no physical harm at all.

However, if a mother does not feed in public she can become ill and her child will be denied the right to the best possible nutrition.

So next time R Cochrane sees a mother breastfeeding in public I suggest he takes the simple step of turning his head.

D Brady Claughton