HUDDERSFIELD has gone Baby Friendly in a bid to encourage more mums to breastfeed.
A huge initiative is under way across Kirklees to get mothers of all ages and social backgrounds breastfeeding their infants.
And to mark National Breastfeeding Awareness Week from May 10 to 16, events are being held across Huddersfield to offer mums even more practical advice and tips.
Public health worker Jayne Heley has been working behind the scenes in Kirklees to increase breastfeeding rates and improve support networks.
And just five months into her new role, the mum-of-two has already set-up a Baby Bistro, created a mums’ guide to breastfeeding friendly places and put Kirklees on track to being one of the first primary care trusts to be accredited under Unicef’s Baby Friendly Initiative.
Jayne said: “Ultimately it is about increasing breastfeeding rates in Kirklees and encouraging mothers to breastfeed for their own health and the health of the child, especially in an area where we have quite high rates of infant mortalities linked to health inequalities.
“Hopefully, we can put initiatives in place that will help mothers feel more supported to breastfeed.
“We’re also looking at our policies for staff training.
“If we can get sections of the population who may not consider breastfeeding to experience the benefits, it will all have been worthwhile.”
Jayne – a health improvement practitioner for NHS Kirklees – has been working as a Baby Friendly Co-ordinator since November 2008.
The project assesses the breastfeeding approaches of various health care settings, including hospitals, health centres and children’s centres.
In Kirklees, more than 70% of new mums breastfeed their babies at birth. But by six weeks that figure drops drastically.
Jayne said: “It’s difficult to get a true picture as we are still collating the figures. But we know that of those women who initiate breastfeeding, at least half will have stopped by six to eight weeks.
“So focusing on the duration of breastfeeding is something we are committed to.”
And to help women continue breastfeeding, a new network of mums has been set up to offer guidance and support.
The service – called Baby Bistro – is designed to run alongside the long-established Baby Cafe, made up of health professionals.
Nine peer volunteers have just been trained to provide one-to-one contact with mums, to help iron out any breastfeeding issues.
The group will operate from the Golcar, Cowlersley and Milnsbridge Children’s Centre every Tuesday from 9.30 to 11.30am, from today.
A new guide on breastfeeding-friendly places has also been created. NHS Kirklees teamed up with town centre retailers to produce the guide.
It is designed to support new mums to breastfeed by offering them comfortable and welcoming places to go.
lA Breastfeeding Bonanza continues at the Packhorse Centre every day until Friday between 10am and 4pm. Leaflets, information, demonstrations and freebies will be on offer as well as advice from a range of breastfeeding specialists.
