Rotherham health leaders pledge to work towards becoming a Breastfeeding Friendly Borough

Baby breastfeeding
Baby breastfeeding

Rotherham’s Health and Wellbeing Board have agreed plans for Rotherham to work towards a Breastfeeding Friendly Borough status.

The pledge will see Rotherham Council and health partners, along with children’s and young people’s services, working together to ensure parents make informed and supported choices when it comes to caring for their children.

The Council and its partners are fully committed to support breastfeeding parents wherever and whenever they need to feed their baby, and encourage businesses to support expecting and new parents to get access to information they need so they can make the choice that’s right for them.

The commitment to become a breastfeeding friendly borough includes supporting local businesses and public transport partners to provide environments where parents feel encouraged to breastfeed if they want to.

This will also include working with leisure centres, restaurants and shopping centres to welcome breastfeeding parents, as well as encouraging the general public to be supportive in any of these environments.

Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Adult Care, Housing and Public Health and Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board, Cllr David Roche, said: “Our ambition to become a breastfeeding friendly borough is to emphasise that any parents who want to breastfeed in Rotherham are welcome to do so without worrying what other people might say. This decision is also quite timely as from Monday 27 June to Sunday 3 July is National Breastfeeding Week, where health organisations raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding, the options available to parents, and also to break down barriers around breastfeeding. 

“This is about saying that mums and babies come first, and we want them to feel supported and safe when out and about across the borough, whatever feeding choices they make. I am proud that, as a council, we are making a strong stand on this fundamentally important issue and we will be working with other partners and workplaces over the coming months to support parents in how they choose to feed their babies.

“The move to a breastfeeding friendly borough would also not be possible without the support of Rotherham NHS Foundation Trust’s Infant Feeding team and their peer support volunteers who support new parents all year round.”

Further information about the breastfeeding on the Infant Feeding Team’s webpage at www.therotherhamft.nhs.uk/Maternity_and_Gynaecology/Infant_Feeding/.

Published: 24th June 2022