Chris Butt, 30, has been refused entry to sessions because women are 'sensitive to men being present. He is one of only 132 male midwives out of 20,000 in the UK, he is training to
be one of the country’s few male midwives but has been prevented from attending breastfeeding classes – because he is a man.
Chris Butt, 30, who is in the second year of a three-year training course, tried to attend breastfeeding classes run by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) near his university.
But since last summer he has been rebuffed several times by local branches that have refused to allow him to attend certain sessions after claiming some women are ‘sensitive’ to men being present.
Mr Butt, who is studying at Bournemouth University, has had the backing of his course tutor and the head of midwifery at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, where he is doing his on-the-job training and has delivered five babies on his own.
The Department of Health encourages women to breastfeed because of the health benefits, and midwives play a key role in educating new mothers.
Britain has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world.
Even so, members of the NCT in Southampton objected to Mr Butt’s presence at the women-only class despite the fact he is a health professional – but said they would have no problem with a female midwife.
The NCT said he was invited to attend more open classes in which the male partners of new mothers also attend.
Chris Butt, 30, who is in the second year of a three-year training course, tried to attend breastfeeding classes run by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) near his university.
But since last summer he has been rebuffed several times by local branches that have refused to allow him to attend certain sessions after claiming some women are ‘sensitive’ to men being present.
Mr Butt, who is studying at Bournemouth University, has had the backing of his course tutor and the head of midwifery at the Royal Hampshire County Hospital in Winchester, where he is doing his on-the-job training and has delivered five babies on his own.
The Department of Health encourages women to breastfeed because of the health benefits, and midwives play a key role in educating new mothers.
Britain has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world.
Even so, members of the NCT in Southampton objected to Mr Butt’s presence at the women-only class despite the fact he is a health professional – but said they would have no problem with a female midwife.
The NCT said he was invited to attend more open classes in which the male partners of new mothers also attend.
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