Latest news with #maternitysupport
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
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 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 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 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 mum Katie said she relied on the help of Breastfeeding Buddies when she was in hospital with her son Oliver last was born premature after a high-risk pregnancy and, at first, she found positioning him for feeding 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 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 she's training to become a 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 said that over the past decade increasing rates among younger women and those from ethnic minorities and more deprived areas had reduced health Breastfeeding Buddies service was run by the NCT charity in five hospitals and seven community had a staff team of nine and a volunteer pool of 82 specially-trained peer supporters, split between Glasgow and 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."
BBC News
01-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Sunderland children's hub 'relieves pressure' on parents
Parents living on maternity pay say a centre providing free support and activities for children will relieve the pressure on "struggling mams". The family hub, which offers services including health advice, breastfeeding drop-in sessions and children's play, has opened in Sunderland's Thorney is the fifth to open in the city, with the staff employed by Together for Children which runs children's services for Sunderland City Council. Danielle Moore, mother of ten-month-old Ozzy, said it was invaluable as many new parents could not afford to meet the costs of entertaining children. Ms Moore said: "You feel stuck inside seeing the same four walls every single day, it's something different."At other places there are things you have to pay for and sometimes having to entertain your child at these places could become a struggle." Leah Morrison is receiving maternity pay after giving birth to nine-month-old Niall and said it was important to have somewhere to get support without having to pay. "It's really good to see other mams in the same boat, taking about teething, weaning and everything that goes on with being with a new parent," she said."Maternity wage can dip down quickly so knowing there is something free we can come to every single week is amazing." Jamie Scott, interim head of family hubs for Together for Children, said it was a "universal offer" and open to "any family in the city, whether parent or carers" of any said: "[Before this] families would engage with services independently, so they might come to a family centre to engage in activities and then a clinic to see a midwife, whereas now we have everything under one [roof] and we can really support their needs without the need to go to multiple venues." In January 2025, the Labour government said £22.4m of funding would be made available for the expansion of family hubs across the country. The scheme was initially rolled out under the Conservative BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Caithness campaigners welcome UN report on maternity services
A campaign group for improved access to maternity support in Caithness has welcomed UN recommendations on health services in rural areas. The community-led Caithness Health Action Team (Chat) has been leading calls for the restoration of a consultant-led maternity service in Wick.A report by the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has raised concerns about "high rates of maternal mortality" and "disparities in access to sexual and reproductive health services" affecting women and girls in remote Highland said it provided as many gynaecology and maternity procedures as it could in Caithness General Hospital. The Geneva-based UN committee has been examining a number of issues related to human rights across the United a section on sexual and reproductive health rights, the committee said women and girls in "peripheral and remote areas" were adversely affected by maternal mortality and disparities in access to sexual and reproductive services and recommended that the governments of the UK "increase efforts to ensure equal access to maternal health services" for migrant women and women from ethnic minority groups. It also recommended that facilities be properly equipped for antenatal, perinatal and postnatal care, "particularly in rural areas". The report went on to say that the availability of sexual and reproductive services should be strengthened, particularly for women and girls in rural and remote areas. 'Extra support' Chat has been campaigning for consultant-led maternity support to return to service was replaced by a midwife-led unit in 2016 because of safety concerns. People in the north Highlands can face round trips of 210 miles (338km) or more to give birth in campaigner Iain Gregory said the UN report provided "a huge amount of extra support" and he hoped the intervention would bring changes to the current said the UN committee considered written submissions by Chat in the process of writing the report.A spokesperson for NHS Highland said it provided as many gynaecology and maternity procedures as it could in Caithness General health board added that it had increased the midwifery team in Wick, with high risk or complex cases continuing to be referred to Scottish government said it was considering the recommendations of the report carefully.
