New and expectant parents in Tameside are being reminded that breastfeeding advice and other support is available to them.
New resources from Start4Life are particularly helpful to new mums who are unable to access the face to face support needed to initiate and continue breastfeeding successfully.
NHS Tameside and Glossop Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Tameside Council are backing Public Health England's new Start4Life Breastfeeding campaign reminding mums that if they want to breastfeed, it’s normal to need support to get the hang of it, and although things are different right now, there are still many ways to find the help they need, including The Start4Life website.
New mums with breastfeeding questions can access the Breastfeeding Friend chatbot from Start4life, available 24/7. All information provided is NHS-approved and based on questions asked by thousands of new mums.
Whether mums are experiencing breastfeeding difficulties, or have sore nipples, or want to know about vitamins and what they should include in their diet – if it's a breastfeeding related question, the Breastfeeding Friend is ready to help. It is available on Amazon Alexa, Google Home and Facebook Messenger.
To get expert advice, videos, information and tips on pregnancy, birth and beyond, mums, dads and partners can sign-up to the Start4Life Information Service for Parents (ISP). They can also join Start4Life on Facebook and Twitter. Once parents are signed up, they'll receive regular emails tailored to their stage of pregnancy or child's age.
A range of topics is covered, including baby's development, preparing for labour, coping with sleepless nights and more. The emails link to trusted, regularly updated sources of NHS-accredited health information, such as the pregnancy and baby guide on the NHS website and also link to other useful sources of information about parenting, money and rights.
Councillor Eleanor Wills, Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Population Health, said: “Having a new baby is a joyous occasion and something you don’t ever forget. I have three children and I cannot image not being able to have the face-to-face support needed during those first few weeks.
“Many new and expectant parents will be delighted with Start4Life’s offer but there is also support locally too from Home-Start Oldham, Stockport and Tameside (HOST), a fantastic service provider.
“HOST is a local community network of trained staff and volunteers, who work in partnership with the Community Infant Feeding Team providing support to help new mums breastfeed successfully. Their duty phone is manned seven days a week during lockdown. To contact telephone: 07802 883947 and for the national breastfeeding helpline telephone: 0300 100 0212.”
Further information can be found on Tameside Council’s website by searching breastfeeding and by visiting https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/baby/breastfeeding/
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