MUM was the word in Huddersfield town centre.
Nearly 40 mothers gathered in a ‘flashmob’ to show their support for breastfeeding.
Organised by Locala, the community healthcare provider, mums and their babies came from across Kirklees to join in a sing-a-long.
The group burst into song at 11am yesterday with ‘Hey, Hey, We’re The Mummies’, a revised rendition of the Monkees classic.
The aim was to raise awareness of breastfeeding, its benefits and the services available to new mums.
A flashmob is a group of people who assemble in a public place.
Organiser and breastfeeding lead at Locala, Jayne Heley, said: “It is national breastfeeding awareness week and we are trying to promote breast feeding.
“We put the flashmob notice on our Facebook page and told other support groups about it.
“It was wonderful to see so many come along.
“We know some mums do not feel confident with breast feeding in public, and in fact often the prospect of doing it puts mums off it all together.
“The aim is no normalise breastfeeding in public and build local support networks from women and their families.
“We want to show the amount of support that we have available.
“Health colleagues, people from shops including Mothercare and our Breastfeeding Peer Support volunteers joined the sing-a-long too.”
Amy Hawtin, of Marsh, is a peer supporter for breastfeeding.
She went to the event at the Piazza with her 14-month-old son Joe.
She said: “We are here to help women make an informed choice about breastfeeding.
“We want people to realise that there’s support out there.
“I had fantastic support from the Huddersfield Birth Centre following the birth of Joe and I decided to become a supporter to help other mums.
“I used the Baby Bistro in Huddersfield and I had a great experience.
“The flashmob also gives mums a chance to talk to one another and discuss their experiences.”
The women wore pink T-shirts and waved blue and pink balloons to let passers-by know exactly who they were.
Baby Bistros are run by trained volunteer mums who want to use their experience to help others.
Baby Safes are Breastfeeding Centres of Excellence run by a breastfeeding counsellor, specialist midwife and breastfeeding champion.
They offer guidance and advice to mums having problems breastfeeding.
The 13th Kirklees Baby Bistro opened last Friday at Heckmondwike Children’s Centre, Leeside Community Primary School, Old Leeds Road.
It provides support from 10am to 11.30am every week.
To find an up-to-date list of breastfeeding support groups in your area visit www.locala.org.uk/your-healthcare/breastfeeding-support/ or https://www.facebook.com/Kirkleesbreastfeedingbistro or call 01484 464464.
