Local providers including Halton Borough Council and Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust held a Breastfeeding Celebration Event at the Glass House in Victoria Park, Widnes, on Tuesday 8 July.
The fun-filled event recognised recent breastfeeding success within the borough, with families able to enjoy activities such as story time, ‘Prams in the Park’ walks, live music and crafts. There was much to celebrate on the day, with Halton having recently reached its highest ever recorded continuation of breastfeeding rate amongst families living in the area. This means that significantly more families within Halton are continuing to breastfeed their babies at 6-8 weeks old.
Staff across a number of partners including Halton Family Hubs, Bridgewater Community Healthcare’s Halton 0-19 Service, Halton Borough Council’s Infant Feeding Team, community and voluntary services, worked with local families to achieve this incredible milestone. A wide range of support is available from these organisations through Halton Family Hubs, with breastfeeding help and advice an important part of this.
The positive impact of breastfeeding for mothers and babies is vast, giving babies the best start in life, offering both health benefits in the short-term and protecting them against ill-health throughout life.
Rebekah Walsh, Start Well Practice Manager at Halton Health Improvement Team said: “We’re delighted to have seen a steady increase in breastfeeding rates over the past two years in Halton. This progress is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our incredible teams who support parents with infant feeding every day. Their commitment, alongside our ongoing efforts to create a more breastfeeding-friendly culture in Halton, is truly making a difference.
“Our Breastfeeding Celebration Event was a fantastic opportunity to recognise this success, bringing parents together to celebrate, share experiences, and support one another in their journeys.”
Visitors to the day were also able to experience ‘Between Us’ – a fascinating poetry and breastfeeding portrait exhibition. The event also featured emotive readings by new mums who have taken part in Halton Family Hubs’ therapeutic creative writing workshops.
Olivia, who participated in the writing workshops, said: “I suffered with post-natal depression and bonding with my baby but breastfeeding was the one thing I did feel like I bonded with him over. I signed up to the breastfeeding creative writing workshop to talk about how breastfeeding made me feel in hopes of meeting other mums who may have experienced similar, so I knew I wasn’t alone and in doing that I met some amazing mothers who have helped push me out of my comfort zone, supported me, they gave me a safe place to talk about the struggles I have faced and overcome, which has led me to be a part of this amazing movement to normalise breastfeeding within our community.”
Sarah, who attended the celebration event with her little boy, said: “It takes a village to raise a baby. The Family Hubs became my village. The support that I have received hasn’t only helped my son, but it has also helped me as a new Mum trying to navigate our new life ahead. It’s not always easy, but with a village around you, you can tackle anything! Thank you to all of the staff attached to the Family Hubs.”
To find out more about the services offered through Halton Family Hubs visit: www.haltonfamilyhubs.co.uk
