Published: Wednesday, 3rd May 2017
Cannock Chase Council is supporting a Public Health England campaign to help improve breastfeeding rates in the District.
The programme aims to help parents develop healthy behaviours and features a new interactive Breast Feeding Friend (BFF) Chat Bot.
The BFF is accessed through Facebook messenger and provides support for mothers at any time of the day or night to help make breastfeeding a better experience.
The BFF will also dispel any breastfeeding myths and help alleviate concerns mums might have. It also works as a live chat tool, which is able to respond to any questions mums might have.
In Cannock Chase the breastfeeding initiation rates are 66%, but drop to 26.1% after 6-8 weeks. Evidence shows that the right support can help mums to breastfeed for longer.
Natalie Barrow, Public Health Lead Environmental Heath Officer at Cannock Chase Council said “Breastfeeding initiation and prevalence rates in Cannock Chase remain lower than rates in England. The ‘Start4Life Breastfeeding Friend’ is a great tool for mums in the Cannock Chase District who are looking for help and advice about breastfeeding. Support can make a real difference to successful breastfeeding so building a network of people who can share tips and advice or attending local breastfeeding groups can be beneficial.”
A survey of 500 mothers of young children commissioned by Public Health England showed that more than half of new mothers were concerned that breastfeeding could mean they wouldn’t be able to tell if their baby was getting too much, or not enough, milk. Nearly 3 in 10 mums were worried that breastfeeding could mean their baby might not be getting the right nutrients, indicating why mothers may stop breastfeeding early on.
Breastfeeding boosts a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection, with babies who are breastfed less likely to get diarrhoea and respiratory infection. It also lowers a mother’s risk of ovarian and breast cancer and can burn 500 calories a day.
For more information and advice and tips on breastfeeding visit: www.nhs.uk/start4life
To access the Breastfeeding BFF, open Facebook Messenger and search Start4Life Breastfeeding Friend or visit m.me/Start4LifeBreastFeedingFriend to get started.