Breastfeeding buddies closes down after funding cut
A breastfeeding support service which has helped mums of newborn babies for a decade has closed down after funding was withdrawn.Breastfeeding Buddies was run by the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) charity in five hospitals in Greater Glasgow and Lothian, offering peer support to mothers who wanted to breastfeed.The Scottish government had previously funded the scheme directly but this year it said it had allowed the health boards to decide how to meet local need.NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and NHS Lothian will no longer fund the scheme but said they remained committed to ensuring women get the breastfeeding support they need.
Parents who had used the service told BBC Scotland News they were concerned that midwives and health visitors were already overstretched and would not have enough time to devote to dedicated breastfeeding support.New mum Katie said she relied on the help of Breastfeeding Buddies when she was in hospital with her son Oliver last year.He was born premature after a high-risk pregnancy and, at first, she found positioning him for feeding hard.Katie said: ''They were able to come and check that his latch was OK and just give me that bit of emotional support because it is quite a vulnerable time for a new mother."My buddy was able to check the feeding position I had him in to make sure I was OK and help me make some changes to get the best out of initiating breastfeeding.''Katie said she got a lot of practical support which gave her the confidence to begin breastfeeding in public."It's something you think is going to come so naturally to you, however it isn't always that easy, especially with him being premature," she said.
New mother Sophie told BBC Scotland News the breastfeeding support service had been a lifeline when her daughter Nora was born last year.''I was quite unwell before I had Nora so she had to come a bit early which meant she was taken to intensive care for a couple of days and we didn't get off to the easiest of starts," Sophie said."'That put us on the back foot with our breastfeeding.''Sophie said the maternity wards were busy and staffing was tight and it was not until she got home that issues around breastfeeding became apparent.She said that being able to go to a community group offering breastfeeding support proved crucial."Being able to go to groups with other mums and sharing your experiences and also having the expertise of the peer supporters was really key for us in helping us to continue," Sophie said.
Sadia Malik is a former Breastfeeding Buddy, who volunteered to help in Edinburgh after her baby spent time in intensive care.Now she's training to become a midwife.Sadia said: "I've seen how little time the midwives have and every time you go in the wards the midwives appreciate us so much - and the parents."As a student midwife, as a mum and a volunteer, I think it's devastating to see that support is going which was so much needed in the hospital and the communities."
Public Health Scotland said there is strong evidence that breastfeeding protects the health of children and mothers.It said that over the past decade increasing rates among younger women and those from ethnic minorities and more deprived areas had reduced health inequalities.The Breastfeeding Buddies service was run by the NCT charity in five hospitals and seven community groups.NCT had a staff team of nine and a volunteer pool of 82 specially-trained peer supporters, split between Glasgow and Lothian.The last services closed on 6 June and pregnant or new mums are being advised to go online for support or contact their midwife or health visitor for help and advice.
Former NCT Glasgow services manager Kirsteen Buckney said: "When we first found out that we weren't getting funded, everybody that I work with was worried about the families we support and not about ourselves losing our jobs."Statistics show that 90% of parents stop breastfeeding because they didn't have the support to continue, so without the support there that's not a choice for them anymore.''It's quite heartbreaking.''A Scottish government spokeswoman said breastfeeding rates were the highest on record, with 49% of mothers breastfeeding between six and eight weeks after birth. She said a small number of areas had previously seen support provided by third sector organisations through direct Scottish government funding, but this year a decision was taken to only provide funding to NHS boards. "This will allow them to decide how best to meet local need, in a sustainable way, over the long term," she said. NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said it understood the concern the service being discontinued may bring and it ''remains committed to supporting breastfeeding women''.NHS Lothian's director of public health Dona Milne said: "We are aware of recent changes to the funding model from Scottish government and are committed to working alongside partners to ensure that women across Lothian get the support that they need."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
5 hours ago
- Telegraph
Sir Ian McGeechan: Cancer treatment has worked
Sir Ian McGeechan has given a positive update on his cancer diagnosis, saying 'the treatment has worked'. The British and Irish Lions legend revealed he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in an interview with Telegraph Sport last month. The Scot, who was Lions head coach for four tours, said then that he had undergone six weeks of radiotherapy treatment, and would have to wait another six weeks to discover whether it had been successful. Speaking to fellow Telegraph columnist Will Greenwood during Sky Sports' coverage of the opening Lions game against Argentina, McGeechan revealed he had since received good news about the condition. Asked about his health, McGeechan answered: 'All good, thank you, the treatment has worked. Fine.' Host Alex Payne added: 'So glad to hear that Geech has had the all clear'. McGeechan is perhaps the ultimate Lions legend after his unparalleled career both as a player and coach. The 78-year-old was inundated with messages after his Telegraph interview, with the game of rugby uniting to wish him well. McGeechan has been coaching at Doncaster Knights as he maintains his illustrious career in the game, some 51 years after he first went on a Lions tour as a player in 1974, before being selected again in 1977. McGeechan was then head coach in 1989, 1993, 1997 and 2009, as well as coach of the midweek side in 2005. When revealing his cancer diagnosis, McGeechan said he hoped his honesty would inspire others to get tested. 'I don't want to make a big thing of it, but it is important to get the message out about urging people to get tested,' he said. 'I said that to our players here. I said to them that they make sure they get themselves tested. If you are younger, it is more important. 'Hopefully this interview can be educational. What I would say to people is don't back off it. It is a blood test, it is not what you always think. Just get it done. I have good people looking after me. It is the very good side of the NHS. The staff of the Bexley Cancer Wing at St James's Hospital in Leeds have been brilliant. 'When I had my last treatment, from the receptionist to the radiographer, they all said: 'Well done, good luck, have a happy time.' Everyone. They all knew. When they are looking up your details and you are going on to your next step, it says which number of treatment is it, and it is what they say to every person when they get to their last treatment, which I think is great. That support and the environment is so positive. What will be, will be.'
Times
7 hours ago
- Times
Midwife took laughing gas while working on high-risk ward
A Scottish NHS midwife has been suspended after she was caught taking laughing gas while caring for vulnerable pregnant women. Mariedh King was discovered consuming nitrous oxide — also known as 'hippy crack' — in an empty labour room whilst working on a ward for high-risk patients, a disciplinary hearing was told. She admitted to an internal investigation that she had done so multiple times over a two-month period. The midwife claimed that the drug's effects were always out of her system by the time she saw patients but could have caused a problem if there was an emergency. Laughing gas is the colloquial term for nitrous oxide which causes euphoria, uncontrolled laughter, and dizziness. In medical settings it is used for sedation and pain relief. A fitness to practise committee has found that King had put patients at risk by 'knowingly and intentionally' taking the drug. It said the only 'appropriate and proportionate' sanction was a nine-month suspension from the Nursing and Midwifery Council register. The professional tribunal heard that the midwife, who was based in Fife, qualified in 2000 and was working on a ward for high-risk pregnancy patients. In September 2021, King was found by the senior charge midwife in an empty labour room inhaling laughing gas that was intended for patients. After being discovered King went home. The incident was the only time she was found using the drug, but during the course of an internal investigation she admitted to doing it more than once. King told the tribunal the effects of laughing gas are 'very short-lasting' and were always out of her system by the time she attended patients. However, she accepted this could have been different if she had been called to an emergency whilst under the influence. During the hearing it was suggested that the midwife, who had an unblemished career, was experiencing personal struggles at the time of her misconduct but the details have been withheld. A panel found that King had 'knowingly and intentionally' stolen the nitrous oxide from her employer and put vulnerable patients at risk, which amounted to misconduct as well as impairing her fitness to practise. It said: 'The panel determined that Mrs King knowingly and intentionally stole, and used, nitrous oxide at her place of work. 'Mrs King knew that it was wrong to take the nitrous oxide which was for the use of patients only … was responsible for vulnerable patients under her care and the panel was of the view that Mrs King's actions jeopardised patient safety and put patients at a risk of harm. 'This was a serious departure from the standards expected of a registered midwife and amounted to misconduct.' The panel ruled that a striking-off order would be 'unduly punitive' but her drug-taking did warrant further action. King was suspended for nine months with a review hearing required before she can be admitted back onto the register, to ensure she has developed enough insight into her misconduct to practise safely again. 'Mrs King's misconduct arose more than once, albeit it was a single episode, in an otherwise unblemished career,' the panel said. 'It has found attitudinal issues related to Mrs King's dishonesty but it did not deem these to be deep-seated or personality related. There is no evidence of Mrs King repeating her misconduct. 'Whilst the panel acknowledges that a suspension may have a punitive effect, it would be unduly punitive in Mrs King's case to impose a striking off order. 'Balancing all of these factors the panel has concluded that a suspension order is theappropriate and proportionate sanction.'
BBC News
11 hours ago
- BBC News
Why your hayfever may be bad at the moment
Sneezing, itchy and running eyes, or a scratchy throat. All can take the pleasure out of a sunny summers day, and all could be due to pollen levels in your the next few days very high grass pollen levels are predicted across the respite should come for some from Sunday onwards as we move to slightly breezier, more changeable you're not on your own as pollen-induced hayfever affects approximately 13 million people in the UK and around 95% of those cases can be attributed to grass. We are currently just past the peak of the grass pollen season, which generally runs from late May to early we can expect regional variations in the length and potency of that across the northern Scotland it tends to be shorter, but in areas such as south-east England grass pollen can continue to affect some people all the way through until early not just grass pollen that could be the cause of those sneezes at the moment pollen and fungal spores are also on the rise as they head towards their summer peak. Whilst dry and warm weather are often responsible too, some types of fungal spores, such as Leptosphaeria can increase temporarily during you're very badly affected at the moment you might be pleased to know that this year grass pollen levels aren't expected to be above average over all. Met Office spokesperson Stephen Dixon said this is due to the UK weather in late spring where the combination of warm weather increased grass growth, but the dry conditions conversely reduced that growing potential."While short dry spells and high temperatures mid-season can increase pollen levels, over a prolonged period this could lead to depletion of the available pollen on the plants," he added. When are pollen levels at their highest? Pollen levels can vary from day to day, even hour to hour depending on weather are at their highest during dry and in warm weather, but can decline if the dry spell is a prolonged onset of rainfall helps to dampen down pollen, but the return of a dry and sunny spell can see a sudden rise in levels of day can be crucial too. Hayfever can be at it's worst early morning and from late afternoon onwards. On sunny days, these are the times when winds tend to be at their lightest and the pollen is concentrated in the lower atmosphere, close to nose and eyes. Is there anything I can do to avoid pollen? It's not an easy thing to avoid here in the UK.A first step could be to check the forecast where you are. Up to date forecasts are available on the BBC Weather website and app from late spring to early search for your location and you will find the latest data alongside the UV forecast. If you are particularly susceptible to hayfever try to avoid being outdoors early and in late in the day when pollen levels can be at their and changing your clothes once you've returned home can help to reduce the be mindful when hanging washing out on high pollen days. Pollen landing on clothes and sheets can then be easily brought don't forget our beloved pets. Limit contact or wash hands after handling them if they have also been you want to escape high pollen days sometimes a trip to the coast may help. However, you will need a location where there is a steady wind coming in off the sea and not the land. Is climate change affecting the pollen season? Like much of the natural world, our changing climate is likely to impact pollen levels in the UK in the years to a Government report on the health affects of climate change in the UK, external there are three ways a warming world could impact pollen patternsChanges in temperature and rainfall patterns could lengthen the pollen season and increase pollen is possible that pollen particles could become more potent, with greater amounts of the allergy causing agent on them.A changing distribution of allergenic plants across the UK, including invasive species, could see potential pollen levels increase in some areas.
