Northern Ireland leads the way with innovative breastfeeding resource
A unique DVD featuring breastfeeding mums and babies from Northern Ireland, produced as a joint collaboration between the Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland (HPA) and UNICEF, will be launched today at the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Annual Conference taking place at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast. The conference has attracted almost 700 delegates.
The DVD is a skills-based visual aid and the result of numerous requests for a teaching resource to support those with the responsibility for providing training for breastfeeding and improving care for breastfeeding mums. This specialist DVD will be used for breastfeeding skills training throughout the UK and beyond.
Speaking from the Waterfront Hall at the launch of the DVD, Janet Calvert, Regional Breastfeeding Coordinator at the HPA, said: "I am delighted that the HPA has been able to produce this DVD in collaboration with UNICEF. This is an excellent resource which will make a big difference to improving the care provided to breastfeeding families. This DVD will help ensure midwives, health visitors and support workers are able to update and improve their skills in this regard, which hopefully will result in more mothers being able to breastfeed for longer.
"The three mothers and babies who feature in the DVD are from here and we are really pleased that Northern Ireland is showing other countries what breastfeeding is all about and contributing to improving the care and support provided to breastfeeding mums.
"Recent figures have shown that 9 out of 10 mums give up breastfeeding before they want to.� While almost all women can breastfeed given the right help and support, many give up early because they have not been shown how to correctly position their baby for breastfeeding and as a result they may develop problems with milk supply and experience unnecessary pain."
Breastfeeding in Northern Ireland has made major progress in the last ten years. Recently UNICEF highlighted that Northern Ireland maternity units were leading the way in terms of breastfeeding services by implementing the highest standards of postnatal care to new families as recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE Postnatal Care Guidelines state that all maternity providers should implement the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative in order to improve breastfeeding support. This positive result for Northern Ireland is down to the commitment and dedication of healthcare staff and mums who want the best for their babies."
This is the tenth UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Annual Conference and the first time Belfast has played host.
END
Notes to the Editor
Further details about the conference can be found on
www.babyfriendly.org.uk/conference
For media enquiries contact:
The HPA Press Office on Tel: 028 9031 1611.
1Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Northern Ireland health and social wellbeing survey 2006. Belfast: NISRA, 2007.
2World Health Organization, Mental health and substance abuse: facts and figures. Available at: www.searo.who.int/EN/Section1174/Section1199/Section1567.htm Accessed 27 September 2007.
3Health Promotion Agency for Northern Ireland. Public attitudes, perceptions and understanding of mental health in Northern Ireland. Belfast: HPA, March 2006.
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