Wednesday 14 April 2010

Breastfeeding is good for mums and babies

Northampton General Hospital
NHS Trust

Gemma Munt and Kate Bates with new mum
Roxane Maye and baby Tara Ellie

NGH has appointed two breastfeeding coordinators, Kate Bates and
Gemma Munt, both qualified midwives, to improve support for mums
learning to feed their babies naturally.
The aim is for the hospital to eventually be registered as a Unicef ‘baby friendly’
hospital, an externally accredited award which is expected to take around three
years to achieve.
Kate and Gemma will be working to ensure that every healthcare professional
that comes into contact with mothers and their babies is trained in providing
consistent breastfeeding advice and support.
Gemma said: “There is a big drop off in breastfeeding in the first few weeks, and
many women wish they had been able to breastfeed for longer. We can help
them to overcome many of the difficulties they may face.”
Kate said: “Human babies are designed to have human milk, and anything else
increases the wide variety of diseases and infections. It is the natural way of
feeding a baby.”
The pair are also encouraging mums and babies to have more skin to skin
contact, as often breastfeeding will begin naturally this way. Kate added: “Some
people worry that babies will get cold, but we know that when you have just had
a baby you get hot – and cuddling skin to skin is an instinctive behaviour.”
New mum Roxane Maye, who also works at NGH on Talbot Butler ward, has
started breastfeeding her daughter Tara Ellie. She said: “It takes a bit of getting
used to, but it is a good way of bonding with your baby. There are hundreds of
benefits for the baby and myself too, as it is meant to ward off ovarian and
breast cancers.”
For more information, you can contact the national breastfeeding helpline on
0844 20 909 20. Details of breastfeeding supporters and drop-ins throughout
Northamptonshire are also available from Baby Ways (07828 169427,
info@babyways.org

Factfile

Breastmilk gives babies all the nutrients they need
for the first six months of life and helps protect them
from infection and diseases. It also reduces mothers’
chances of getting certain diseases later in life.
Breastfeeding also allows mother and baby to get closer
- physically and emotionally. Bottle feeding does not provide
the same ingredients as breastmilk, which is designed to be
easy for babies to absorb and is perfect to help them grow
and develop. Also, bottle feeding doesn’t provide protection
against infection and diseases.
Breastfeeding helps protect babies against:
■ ear infections
■ gastro-intestinal infections
■ chest infections
■ urine infections
■ childhood diabetes
■ eczema
■ obesity
■ asthma
Breastfeeding helps protect mothers against:
■ ovarian cancer
■ breast cancer
■ weak bones later in life
Women who breastfeed return to their pre-pregnancy
figure faster.

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