BRADFORD Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is proudly supporting Black Breastfeeding Week (Aug 25-31) to highlight the unique challenges and triumphs that are often overlooked in the general conversation surrounding breastfeeding.
Rates of maternal and infant mortality are higher in black women and their babies and reflect the wider health inequalities seen in the UK today. Black women still have more than five times the risk of dying in pregnancy or up to six weeks after giving birth compared to white women.
Women of mixed ethnicity have three times the risk of dying in pregnancy or up to six weeks after giving birth and Asian women almost twice the risk.
This shows a disparity in care during the prenatal and postnatal period between white and black and brown women[1]. Breastfeeding information and support must be culturally appropriate to help black women overcome barriers to breastfeeding. We also need to ensure there are more positive images of black breastfeeding mothers and their families.
Our local services are working towards the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative[2] accredited Stage 2 and offer all mothers and their families support with breastfeeding and parent-infant relationships.
The Big Pause: collective rest
The many months of lockdown and restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic may have had an impact on emotional and physical health and caused isolation from family and friends, financial stress and more.
The Big Pause aims to ensure you take time to rest, reflect, and seek the support you need now.
It is time for you to rest and reflect: slow down; take time to talk to your partner/friends/family and any significant others about your experience of having a baby during this difficult time. Reflect on how you can manage your time to rest. When multi-tasking think about what you can leave for later.
Collective rest: encourage others to rest and support friends and family who are going through similar experiences.
Collective power: let’s see what is possible when we all rest, slow down and reflect. How can we build collective power? Join groups and meet other mothers and families.
Check out the messages that will be shared on a number of social media platforms including the Bradford Birth and BeYond Facebook page to celebrate and raise awareness.
For babies, breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of:
- infections, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
- diarrhoea and vomiting, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
- sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- obesity
- cardiovascular disease in adulthood
For mothers, breastfeeding can help reduce the risk of:
- infections, with fewer visits to hospital as a result
- osteoporosis (weak bones)
- cardiovascular disease
- breast cancer
- obesity
- ovarian cancer
[1] Finally! The 2019 MBRRACE Report is published | All4Maternity
[2] About Baby Friendly – Unicef UK