Out and About: Breastfeeding Welcome in Islington
Out and About: Breastfeeding Welcome in Islington is an exhibition of photographs to celebrate the launch of Islington’s Breastfeeding Welcome scheme. It is a joint project between local mothers, artist Martina Mullaney and scheme co-ordinator Tracy Karkut-Law.
Out and About: Breastfeeding Welcome in Islington shows mothers breastfeeding their babies in a range of public places throughout the borough, from council offices to cafes.
Badges designed for the scheme, designed by teenage Islington mums with local arts project, Inspire! will also be on show at the exhibition. The badges display the slogan ‘breast for tea is best for me’.
Guests for the launch event include local MP Emily Thornberry, Geetie Singh MBE, celebrity author and owner of Islington gastro-pub The Duke of Cambridge, and Sarah Price, NHS NCL director of public health.
A guided local history walk, Upper Street Uncovered, will take place with guide Rachel Kolsky, prior to the launch.
Breastfeeding Welcome in Islington
Islington is fast becoming one of the best places to breastfeed your baby in the capital. It’s the latest place to introduce the Breastfeeding Welcome scheme, a campaign to encourage public venues to welcome women who want to breastfeed their baby. So far, over 150 different places throughout the borough have signed up to join the scheme, including cafés, pubs, council offices and health centres. It is hoped the scheme will increase the numbers of local women who breastfeed and help them to breastfeed for longer.
Each venue displays a Breastfeeding Welcome window sticker to show mothers who wish to breastfeed that they will be welcome. Some venues were signed up as Breastfeeding Welcome after volunteer mothers acted as ‘mystery shoppers’.
Many venues have signed up as Breastfeeding Welcome as a way of promoting their business to local families. The Facebook page for Breastfeeding Welcome in Islington – which has photographs and reviews of participating venues - has become the third most ‘liked’ Islington page.
The scheme was introduced because most mothers stop breastfeeding before they want to (1). One of the reasons given for this is that they felt uncomfortable breastfeeding in public, even though all mothers have a right to breastfeed wherever they like. In a recent survey (2), 31% of Islington mothers interviewed said being worried about being asked to leave a venue would stop them from breastfeeding while out and about51% said lack of a suitable place would stop them. The UK Departments of; Health recommends that babies should have nothing but breastmilk for the first six months.
References:
UK Infant Feeding Survey 2005; 2 Islington social marketing insight study 2010.
For more information see:
www.facebook.com/breastfeedingwelcome.nhs.islington
www.islington.nhs.uk/breastfeeding-and-weaning
www.breastfeedingwelcomescheme.org.uk/
Out and About: Breastfeeding Welcome in Islington shows mothers breastfeeding their babies in a range of public places throughout the borough, from council offices to cafes.
Badges designed for the scheme, designed by teenage Islington mums with local arts project, Inspire! will also be on show at the exhibition. The badges display the slogan ‘breast for tea is best for me’.
Guests for the launch event include local MP Emily Thornberry, Geetie Singh MBE, celebrity author and owner of Islington gastro-pub The Duke of Cambridge, and Sarah Price, NHS NCL director of public health.
A guided local history walk, Upper Street Uncovered, will take place with guide Rachel Kolsky, prior to the launch.
Breastfeeding Welcome in Islington
Islington is fast becoming one of the best places to breastfeed your baby in the capital. It’s the latest place to introduce the Breastfeeding Welcome scheme, a campaign to encourage public venues to welcome women who want to breastfeed their baby. So far, over 150 different places throughout the borough have signed up to join the scheme, including cafés, pubs, council offices and health centres. It is hoped the scheme will increase the numbers of local women who breastfeed and help them to breastfeed for longer.
Each venue displays a Breastfeeding Welcome window sticker to show mothers who wish to breastfeed that they will be welcome. Some venues were signed up as Breastfeeding Welcome after volunteer mothers acted as ‘mystery shoppers’.
Many venues have signed up as Breastfeeding Welcome as a way of promoting their business to local families. The Facebook page for Breastfeeding Welcome in Islington – which has photographs and reviews of participating venues - has become the third most ‘liked’ Islington page.
The scheme was introduced because most mothers stop breastfeeding before they want to (1). One of the reasons given for this is that they felt uncomfortable breastfeeding in public, even though all mothers have a right to breastfeed wherever they like. In a recent survey (2), 31% of Islington mothers interviewed said being worried about being asked to leave a venue would stop them from breastfeeding while out and about51% said lack of a suitable place would stop them. The UK Departments of; Health recommends that babies should have nothing but breastmilk for the first six months.
References:
UK Infant Feeding Survey 2005; 2 Islington social marketing insight study 2010.
For more information see:
www.facebook.com/breastfeedingwelcome.nhs.islington
www.islington.nhs.uk/breastfeeding-and-weaning
www.breastfeedingwelcomescheme.org.uk/
Last updated14 Jun 2011