Perdita
21-09-2009, 14:42
Coronation Street producers have been criticised by the Royal College of Midwives over scenes involving the soap's new mum Maria Connor.
In a letter to the show's bosses, the organisation's education and research manager Sue Macdonald complained that there was no mention of Maria's midwife on-screen after she gave birth to baby Liam earlier this year. The RCM believes that writers should have made reference to the "postnatal advice and support" on offer to the character, Midwives magazine reports.
Macdonald also slammed the ITV1 drama's portrayal of breastfeeding. Earlier this year, viewers saw Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) advising Maria to start using bottles after she experienced problems with feeding her child naturally. Most experts agree that human breast milk is the healthiest form of milk for young babies.
The RCM manager commented: "The representation of bottle-feeding as the way to feed an infant in a family programme such as Coronation Street contributes to normalising bottle-feeding in our society."
A producer for the programme responded to the concerns by claiming that Coronation Street cannot always match the requirements of "accuracy and interested bodies".
The representative added: "We do not want Coronation Street, which is a character-led drama serial, falling into the genre of drama-documentary. Notwithstanding, we have of course taken your comments on board over the issue of breastfeeding and it may well become the nub of a story on some future occasion."
Actress Samia Smith, who plays Maria, is currently pregnant with her first child.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a178399/corries-maria-sparks-breastfeeding-row.html
In a letter to the show's bosses, the organisation's education and research manager Sue Macdonald complained that there was no mention of Maria's midwife on-screen after she gave birth to baby Liam earlier this year. The RCM believes that writers should have made reference to the "postnatal advice and support" on offer to the character, Midwives magazine reports.
Macdonald also slammed the ITV1 drama's portrayal of breastfeeding. Earlier this year, viewers saw Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) advising Maria to start using bottles after she experienced problems with feeding her child naturally. Most experts agree that human breast milk is the healthiest form of milk for young babies.
The RCM manager commented: "The representation of bottle-feeding as the way to feed an infant in a family programme such as Coronation Street contributes to normalising bottle-feeding in our society."
A producer for the programme responded to the concerns by claiming that Coronation Street cannot always match the requirements of "accuracy and interested bodies".
The representative added: "We do not want Coronation Street, which is a character-led drama serial, falling into the genre of drama-documentary. Notwithstanding, we have of course taken your comments on board over the issue of breastfeeding and it may well become the nub of a story on some future occasion."
Actress Samia Smith, who plays Maria, is currently pregnant with her first child.
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/a178399/corries-maria-sparks-breastfeeding-row.html