‘Creating breastfeeding Communities’.
The Harrow Example.
How can communities change to give parents consistent support with breastfeeding?
Our Harrow model of integrated working across hospital and community services showed that when professionals, lay supporters and specialists worked effectively together under a shared strategy and infant feeding policy, that more parents felt supported to breastfeed their babies. Over two years higher breastfeeding initiation, continuation and exclusivity rates were beginning to be reported. Parents found that they experienced less conflicting advice and breastfeeding gradually began to be seen as the normal way to feed babies in Harrow.
This was achieved through joint training sessions involving community and hospital staff. Midwives, midwifery managers, paediatricians, neonatal nurses, paediatric nurses, A&E nurses, health visitors, peer supporters and breastfeeding counsellors all attended the same sessions. Through these, they were able to understand each other’s roles and responsibilities and plan care together.
Peer supporters helped to run daily community drop-in groups with health visitors, and some worked in the antenatal clinic and postnatal wards of the hospital. Specialist, targeted peer support was offered to teenage parents, those with multiples and Somali mothers. A copy of Best Beginning’s ‘Bump to Breastfeeding’ DVD was given to all antenatal parents, who were also invited to a popular Saturday morning breastfeeding workshop.
Over a period of ten years, mothers felt comfortable breastfeeding their babies all over the borough and became visible in shopping centres, cafes, supermarkets, parks, and school grounds.
The National Maternity Review reported in 2016:
‘In Harrow, a multi-ethnic London borough with high infant mortality rates, and areas of deprivation and poverty, the Director of Public Health identified breastfeeding as a top priority for 2006. A multi-professional approach was adopted with Harrow Community Health Services working with the local hospital to improve breastfeeding rates. UNICEF Baby Friendly training was commissioned for midwives, health visitors and support staff in 2007. A peer support training programme began and mothers were recruited from a local support group. A network of breastfeeding support groups was established running from children’s centres, eventually achieving one every day within walking distance for all mothers. In 2008, Bump to Breastfeeding DVDs were given to every pregnant woman by midwives, health visitors and peer supporters. Harrow became accredited as Baby Friendly in 2012 and the local hospital gained the award in 2013. The staff training, peer support programme and free DVDs increased breastfeeding rates, so by 2010 initiation rates had risen to 82% and 6-8 weeks to 73%. By 2013, Harrow had 87% of mothers initiating and 75% breastfeeding at 6-8 weeks (50% exclusively), with one of the lowest drop-off rates in the UK. UNICEF assessed Harrow for its re-accreditation in 2014 and stated that it was the only local authority in the UK where breastfeeding was the ‘normal’ way to feed babies’.[1]
Other examples of Integrated community breastfeeding support:
https://www.wearebesideyou.co.uk/Swindon
Harrow was featured in the UK WBTi report in 2016, as an example of good practice
Email us at wbti@ukbreastfeeding.org
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[1] ‘national-maternity-review-report.pdf’ (2016). Available at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/national-maternity-review-report.pdf
Breastfeeding trends (UK) 