To coincide with World Breastfeeding Week, the 24/7 Breastfeeding Friend from Public Health England’s programme Start4Life will be available on Google Assistant to provide helpful advice for parents in the West Midlands during the first few weeks of breastfeeding. Many mothers can find breastfeeding challenging and often this may cause them to give up. Currently breastfeeding rates in England rank amongst the lowest in the world.
The 24/7 Breastfeeding Friend complements the support provided by health professionals and offers friendly advice to mums who have questions and need support with breastfeeding at any point, day or night. The tool is voice activated on Google Assistant meaning mums in the West Midlands can get NHS-approved advice in the moment and when they may have their hands full. The 24/7 Breastfeeding Friend is also available on Amazon Alexa and Facebook Messenger, allowing mums to access the service across multiple digital platforms.
Evidence shows the right support helps mothers to breastfeed for longer. A recent survey from Start4Life found that 45% of breastfeeding mothers in the region wish they had known that breastfeeding may not come easy at first but getting support and advice can really help. When mums reflected on breastfeeding, the survey also illustrated that 20% wish they had known that asking for help breastfeeding can make a real difference and 27% wish they had known that there is lots of help and support from breastfeeding groups, other parents and online.
Work is being done across the West Midlands to encourage and support new mothers to breastfeed. The Dudley Breastfeeding Buddies are made up of volunteer peer supporters who run breastfeeding groups across the borough. The group is supporting the ‘Big Latch On 2018’, a synchronised breastfeeding event taking place in locations across the world during World Breastfeeding Week (1-7 Aug), including an event at Huntingtree Park in Halesowen, on Friday 3 August from 10am. Meanwhile, Wolverhampton’s Infant Feeding Team and Low Hill Healthy Living Hub is inviting parents to a family fun day on Tuesday 7 August from 1pm to 3pm at the Low Hill Community Centre – so new mothers can meet and share experiences over tea, cake and activities for the children. The Health Visiting and Infant Feeding Team will be offering advice to pregnant women, new parents and families with young children.
David Elliott, programme lead for PHE West Midlands Health and Wellbeing team, said: “The Start4Life ‘Breastfeeding Friend’ is a great tool for mums in the West Midlands who are looking for help and advice about breastfeeding, and now it is available on Google Assistant and Google Home, as well as Amazon Alexa and Facebook Messenger. to provide even more parents with support during that first few weeks.
“Combined with support from midwives, health visitors and peer supporters, the suite of digital support services from Start4Life can make all the difference to help mums get breastfeeding off to a good start and to carry on. Information and support just when you need it is vital; professional help along with a network of people who can share tips and advice or attending local breastfeeding groups can be beneficial for those who might require a little more help. There is also the National Breastfeeding Helpline 0300 100 0212 and NHS Choices webpages which signpost families to wider local support and resources.”
Viv Bennett, Chief Nurse at Public Health England said: “In the UK almost three-quarters of women start breastfeeding when their child is born, however by 6-8 weeks this drops to just 43%. Breastfeeding mothers often need help during hours when health professionals might not be accessible which is why Start4Life has extended the 24/7 Breastfeeding Friend to Google Assistant. Anyone with a smartphone in the West Midlands can now access this tool – all they need to do is download the Google Assistant app and ask to talk to Breastfeeding Friend. It’s so important that local mums have accessible sources of breastfeeding help and advice when they need it and we hope the Breastfeeding Friend can help complement breastfeeding services from healthcare professionals.”
The NHS recommends exclusive breastfeeding for around the first six months. As well as boosting a baby’s ability to fight illness and infection, breastfeeding lowers the risk of breast cancer and may also reduce the likelihood of ovarian cancer. Babies who are not breastfed are more likely to get diarrhoea and chest infections.
