London,
13
June
2018
|
12:16
Europe/London

Camden Can Breastfeeding Welcome launches

Yesterday (Tuesday 12 June) marked the official launch of the Camden Can Breastfeeding Welcome scheme. Mums from across Camden came together at the Sherriff Centre in West Hampstead, to celebrate its launch and share their experiences of breastfeeding, and talk about how we can all help mums keep breastfeeding for longer.

The aim of the scheme is to make Camden a place where every mum feels welcome to feed her baby, wherever she needs to, from cafes to museums to our green spaces. We know that many mums give up breastfeeding earlier than they would like, for a variety of reasons, including not feeling comfortable feeding when out and about.

Ellen, a mum of two from Camden, said at the event:

“Breastfeeding away from the home for the first time can be stressful, you try to get in and out of the house in between feeds but this doesn’t always work, feeding on demand means you can’t plan when or where you will need to feed your baby.

“Thankfully my experience in Camden has been good, just having someone talk to you when feeding, or bring you a glass of water, or cutting up your food so you can eat it, makes a huge difference.

“I would encourage any places that welcome and look after feeding mums, or just mums with young children, to sign up to Camden Can Breastfeeding Welcome and let other mums know that they can come in and feed in comfort.”

Dr Helen Crawley, CEO of the First Steps Nutrition Trust and Chair of the London Food Board also spoke at the event: ‘Both the Mayor and the London Food Board are committed to promoting, supporting and protecting breastfeeding and increasing the prevalence of breastfeeding across London.

“It is often said that it takes a village to raise a baby and it’s through schemes like this that we can all make a difference. Making London a breastfeeding friendly city is central to that and Camden Breastfeeding Welcome is an important part of that visible support to help families meet their infant feeding goals. We hope that similar schemes will roll out in all our London Boroughs.’

Councillor Angela Mason, Cabinet Member for Best Start in Life, said of the scheme:

“This is such an important scheme for mums in Camden, as finding somewhere they feel comfortable to breastfeed can be difficult or unnecessarily stressful for both new and experienced mums.”

“I actively encourage our local businesses to show their support, signing up only takes a minute and can make a real difference. We are also asking our mums to nominate places where they feel relaxed breastfeeding in Camden and we will get in touch to encourage them to join the scheme.

“The scheme gives businesses in Camden a simple way to support children’s health, and help reduce isolation which can be a real challenge for new parents.”

Signing up is easy, visit www.camden.gov.uk/camdencanbf to find out more. All venues that sign up will receive a sticker to display to show they are part of the scheme, they will also be included on an interactive map of Camden Can Breastfeeding Welcome venues.