A MIDWIFE at Whipps Cross Hospital will cycle from London to Amsterdam this weekend to encourage new mothers to breastfeed as it is likely to give babies extra protection against swine flu.
Jo Naylor, 51, an infant feeding advisor, is raising money for Breastfeeding Network, a charity which supports women who breastfeed.
Babies who are breastfed are less likely to need hospital treatment for severe chest infections than babies who are fed from the bottle, because mothers make antibodies which are passed to their babies in their breast milk.
Mrs Naylor said she has been planning the trip for months.
She said: “But now there’s another, more urgent reason - to encourage as many mums as possible to breastfeed as we all seek to safeguard infants this autumn against Swine Flu.”
Mrs Naylor and Islignton-based midwife Claire Davis set off on their gruelling journey on Friday and hope to reach Amsterdam by Monday
