Derby City Council aims to create a city where mums feel welcome to feed their babies and are confident to breastfeed for as long as they choose.
This World Breastfeeding Week, we are showing our continued commitment to support Derby families on their breastfeeding journey.
Parents can often feel overwhelmed by the arrival of a new baby and breastfeeding is not always easy. There is support available for mums who want to breastfeed and need help to do so.
Breastfeeding has long-term benefits for both baby and mum. These include:
- breast milk meets all of baby’s nutritional needs
- breast milk protects baby from infections and diseases
- breast milk is available whenever baby needs it
- breastfeeding provides health benefits for mum, reducing the risk of later health problems including breast and ovarian cancer and heart disease
- breastfeeding can build a strong emotional bond between mum and baby
The Council works in partnership with the Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to provide face-to-face breastfeeding clubs run by infant feeding experts who can offer guidance and support to mums. The relaxed sessions are also a good opportunity to meet other new parents and share hints and tips.
Councillor Alison Martin, Derby City Council’s Cabinet Member for Integrated Adult Care and Health, visited the Breastfeeding Club at Becket Family Hub to meet the mums and their babies.
Councillor Martin said:
It has been wonderful to meet everyone at the group and chat to mothers about their breastfeeding experiences. It’s so important to have somewhere like this where mums who want to breastfeed can get the support they need.
Everyone spoke very highly of the support they receive from the staff and how much they value meeting up with other women and their babies. Helping children to get a healthy start in life is a priority for all of us.
Councillor Alison Martin chats to mums at the Breastfeeding Club at Becket Family Hub
Hannah Wilde has been going to the group since her one-year-old daughter Sophie was four weeks old. She said:
Breastfeeding is a journey and coming to the group regularly I’ve been able to get support as Sophie has grown. It isn’t always easy and it helps to talk to other mums. It’s a lovely group and the atmosphere is very friendly.
Gul Chaudhry takes her nine-month-old daughter Irha to the group. She said:
I had some problems when Irha was born. She wasn’t feeding and I didn’t know if what I was doing was right.
The group was recommended to me and it has been great to get reassurance and speak to other mums who were going through the same thing. It really helped me to carry on breastfeeding and now I want to continue as long as she wants to.
Weekly breastfeeding clubs take place in three city venues and plans are in place to extend these to more areas of the city in the autumn.
Natalie Thompson, Infant Feeding Lead for Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said:
We can provide expert feeding support if needed, but a lot of our mums benefit from the reassurance of talking to other mums. That’s invaluable in terms of building their confidence.
A lot of mums will say they wouldn’t have carried on breastfeeding if they hadn’t been able to come to a group like this.
The Council also encourages Derby businesses to support breastfeeding by becoming a ‘Breastfeeding Welcome Here’ venue. Businesses who actively make their premises welcome for mothers and families to breastfeed can positively contribute to a woman feeling more confident to breastfeed in public.
This is not only good for mum and baby, but it’s great for business too. The scheme is free to join and information on how to sign up is on the Derby City Council website.
World Breastfeeding Week 2023 runs from 1-7 August. Since 1992, the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) has coordinated the global campaign, which aims to inform, engage and galvanise action on breastfeeding and related issues.
This year’s campaign focuses on breastfeeding and work. It aims to champion best practices for workplace-related breastfeeding support, and promote actions that can be taken to help ensure breastfeeding works for all women who work, wherever they work.
Find out more about breastfeeding support in Derby on our website.