National Breastfeeding Week 2021
The 21st-27th of June was Breastfeeding Celebration Week as a part of Breastfeeding Awareness month. Early Nourishment is here to support all parents no matter how they choose to feed their babies. So we couldn’t miss an opportunity to show our support for breastfeeding/chestfeeding parents. On Wednesday 23rd June we decided to host a Breastfeeding Brunch at our premises in Barnstaple. We invited all breastfeeding, chestfeeding and pumping parents to join us for a free coffee and pastry as a way of bringing parents together after so much isolation over the past 18 months. Having a network of peer support is invaluable to pregnant women and new parents. With so little opportunity to access baby groups and support networks in recent months, we wanted parents to know that we are here for them.
How to Support a Breastfeeding Mother
This year’s theme for Breastfeeding Celebration week was how partners and the wider family can support new mothers to breastfeed. You can read our blog post on this subject here. Public Health England recognises the importance of emotional and practical help when breastfeeding a baby. What can be a smooth journey for some can be more difficult for others. So having that support can make a huge difference. Encouragement and support can help build confidence in a new mother. This could be telling her what a great job she’s doing, or helping her seek support if she is struggling. Helping with household tasks or looking after older siblings helps to ensure she can focus on nursing her baby.
Mum to Mum Support
At our Breastfeeding Brunch in Barnstaple we welcomed nearly 30 mums with their breastfeeding children of varying ages to a beautiful relaxed picnic on the green outside our premises. We met mums of various backgrounds and a wide range of ages. We had the most wonderful morning chatting, sharing stories and offering support. Some of our lovely volunteers were there lending a hand and making families feel welcome whilst hot drinks and pastries were served to everyone. The weather was on our side and we enjoyed the most beautiful sunshine! The atmosphere was absolutely wonderful. So much positivity, mums supporting mums, sharing stories, lifting each other up. Celebrating successes and cheering each other on. There was much smiling and laughter, and people formed new connections and learned more about available support.
Feedback
We had an overwhelming amount of positive feedback about the event. We made an effort to ensure that everyone who came felt included and left feeling good. Mums talked a lot about how good it felt to be returning to some level of normality after feeling so isolated, and how much they’d enjoyed the opportunity to connect with other mums. We saw many familiar faces who have accessed our services before, as well as some who were new to us. Those who hadn’t met us before were keen to hear about the range of free services we offer, from feeding support to toddler activities. Everyone seemed to leave feeling happy and somewhat emotionally replenished, staff included!
Until Next Time…
We felt that this event was so successful that we can’t wait to do it again! So we are planning another similar event to celebrate World Breastfeeding Awareness Week. Watch this space for further details!