Businesses across North Wales are being urged to support breastfeeding by providing safe and welcoming spaces for mothers and babies as Covid-19 restrictions continue to ease.
Dozens of cafes, restaurants, shops, hairdressers and public services have already committed to the Breastfeeding Welcome initative, which allows businesses to show their support.
But mums, peer supporters and public health experts from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board have used World Breastfeeding Week to call for more to join the scheme.
They say encouraging firms to enrol will help mothers feed their babies confidently while out and about – especially following difficult months of isolating lockdown and distancing rules.
Racheal Turpin gave birth to son Finley in November, and is full of praise for the support she received from midwives, health visitors and breastfeeding networks as she fed her first child.
The 33-year-old from Cefn-Y-Bedd says she is proud of what she has achieved, and would choose to buy from a business which supports Breastfeeding Welcome.
“I’m someone who is quite reserved, so I wouldn’t want to make a song and dance about it – but if I knew a company was part of the Breastfeeding Welcome scheme then it would sway me about where I chose to go for a coffee or a meal,” Racheal said.
“It would be wonderful to know that a place was welcoming, or if it had facilities like a room where you can go to breastfeed if you needed to.”
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Amy Northage-Milburn, 35, is one of around 20 active volunteer peer supporters trained to help new mums as part of the Breastfeeding Friends networks supported by the health board.
The mother-of-six, from Holyhead, has run online groups during the pandemic but is looking forward to getting back to delivering support in-person.
“We know that mums are really reassured by the Breastfeeding Welcome scheme, and we do get questions about places where people have had positive experiences of breastfeeding,” Amy said.
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“Having somewhere you can go – where you know that businesses are positive about breastfeeding – makes it so much easier and can just release that anxiety.”
• More information about breastfeeding support offered by Betsi Cadwaladr is available at https://bcuhb.nhs.wales/health-advice/families-and-early-years/breastfeeding.