Breastfeeding is a fundamental practice for newborn mothers all over the world. Firstly, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), it is the first contact the mother has with her child. This facilitates a stronger bond between mother and child. Secondly, breast milk is full of nutrients that the baby requires to boost their immunity and acquire essential nutrients. Therefore, initial contact and breastfeeding should happen as soon as the baby is born.
Given the sensitivity and the duration required for breastfeeding, mothers do require support. This ensures that they carry out the task effectively and efficiently for both their benefits. Being an advanced region, you expect that breastfeeding support UK should be on another level and it is.
Breastfeeding Support Policies after Birth
Breastfeeding support policies or breastfeeding policies are guidelines in society that should help newborn mothers feed their child. For instance, some of the policies existing in hospitals to help breastfeeding mothers have been adopted from WHO. An example is that there should be early and uninterrupted skin to skin contact between the mother and child immediately after birth. Another is that practical support should be offered to enable newborn mothers to initiate and establish breastfeeding.
For most hospitals that practice breastfeeding support UK, with maternity and newborn units, they should have nursing areas where mothers can go to breastfeed their child. The form of support helps the mother bond with each other, offer one another support and bond with their children.
Support Policies at the Workplace
After leaving the hospital, this does not mean that pregnancy support for breastfeeding mothers stops. They still require having support when at home or anywhere else. For instance, a mother can go back to work while still breastfeeding their newborn. Breastfeeding support would require that their employer should have a chosen room that is friendly, private and designated for nursing mothers.
Breastfeeding, taking lactating supplements or breastfeeding multivitamins from your workstation is uncomfortable and somehow insensitive to your workmates. Therefore, a nursing room is quite adequate for your breastfeeding needs.
Breastfeeding Support for Public Spaces
After childbirth, mothers still have a life. Being a newborn mother does not translate to staying at home. One still needs to make hospital visits for theirs and the baby’s sake. Apart from the hospital, they still should have a social life. When the baby is old enough to move around but still breastfeeding, mothers can visit social establishments to meet with friends and other mothers. However, the only drawback can be lacking a nursing room in the establishment they are meeting. Breastfeeding support UK should encourage establishments to support breastfeeding mothers with rooms they can use for feeding. The same rooms should be used for changing their child’s diapers.
Call On UK Governments
Due to the dire need for breastfeeding support UK, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) is calling on the UK government to:
- Promote, protect and support newborn mothers breastfeeding in all policy areas.
- Initiate and expand a national infant feeding strategy board.
- Implement initiatives based on evidence that would promote breastfeeding.
- Protect newborns and their families from commercial interests.
With such kind of support from different stakeholders, breastfeeding support UK can progress to better levels. This means better support for breastfeeding mothers.