Hundreds of new babies across North Lanarkshire are now being given the best possible start in life every year thanks to a range of breastfeeding initiatives.
The number of babies breastfed in their first days in North Lanarkshire’s most deprived areas has increased by more than 12% in the last five years.
This was one of the key messages at an event where North Lanarkshire Council became Scotland’s first local authority to achieve gold status in the Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Local Authority Award.
The Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, Jenni Minto MSP, presented the award to the council’s depute leader at Coatbridge Community Centre, where they were joined by community champions and breastfeeding mums and babies.
As part of its commitment to supporting breastfeeding in the workplace and wider community, the council has implemented a number of initiatives over the last three years with 30.4% of babies now being breastfed by their 6-8 week review.
We have worked collaboratively with the Scottish Government and the council to develop the new evidence-based accreditation process aimed specifically at local authorities in Scotland.
This has led to a wide range of the council’s services incorporating breastfeeding into their delivery in order to positively impact on culture and practice to promote long-term progress in breastfeeding.
Professor Jann Gardner, chief executive, NHS Lanarkshire, said: “This accreditation for North Lanarkshire Council is well deserved and clearly demonstrates the positive impact of giving our children the best possible start in life.
“Our colleagues at the council are playing a key role in tackling significant long-standing health and inequality challenges and, crucially, we have worked with them to ensure they’re doing this in an evidence based way.
“I’m sure this great work will make a far-reaching positive impact on the culture and practice not only in the council, but also lead to progressive change and have a lasting legacy throughout North Lanarkshire.”
Depute Leader of the Council, Councillor Louise Roarty said, “We had one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in North Lanarkshire, driven by significant health and inequality challenges.
“Yet one of the biggest levellers of inequity that we naturally have is breastfeeding, and the council is committed to cultivating a more welcoming environment to encourage more mums to breastfeed.
“We have worked hard to implement a range of measures across services to support breastfeeding, make the workplace environment more conducive to breastfeeding and expressing milk and to developing a culture where breastfeeding really is the norm.”
Public Health Minister, Jenni Minto MSP, said: “My sincere congratulations to North Lanarkshire Council on achieving gold status in the first-ever Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Local Authority Award, recognising its commitment to supporting breastfeeding in the workplace and wider community.
“The Scottish Government is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of the Scottish population and ensuring that every child gets the best possible start in life. We continue to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding and enable fully informed infant feeding choices, including for mum’s who struggle to breastfeed, and this should include their feeding journey in public places.”
