More than a hundred new mothers, pregnant women, parents and children got into the festive spirit at a seasonal celebration of breastfeeding.
Dozens of families visited County Durham’s Festive Feed event, which aims to normalise and raise awareness of breastfeeding and its benefits during a host of Christmas activities.
Highlights included a dedicated storytelling corner where Durham County Council’s library service read festive tales, and a visit from Santa, who invited families to join him for a selfie.
Babies and children loved playing with toys on a cosy cushioned area, joined by their parents who also took the opportunity to socialise and enjoy a mince pie or two. The Darlington Voices choir added to the festive atmosphere by singing Christmas carols.
The event was organised by the council’s public health team and the Growing Healthy infant feeding team, which is commissioned by the local authority and part of Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust Breastfeeding and expectant mums were encouraged to speak to the teams about their breastfeeding experiences, questions and concerns.
Cllr Lucy Hovvels MBE, the council’s Cabinet member for adult and health services said: “The Festive Feed was even bigger and better than last year’s and was the perfect chance for parents and families to meet new people at the same stage of life in a fun and informal setting.
“Breastfeeding is a great way to get your baby off to the best start but becoming a parent can be an exciting and scary time, so events like this are a great way for people to get to know each other and to get support and advice from health professionals.”
28-year-old Becky Winnard, from Spennymoor, said: “The Festive Feed was amazing. It’s always lovely to feel so supported in the community, especially at Christmas time.
“This year my husband was off and came along too, and it was great to see him and other partners being supportive of breastfeeding. My little boy is one now and had so much fun toddling about and trying to pinch mince pies.
“I think these events are really important in showing support to breastfeeding mums, and letting the community meet their peer supporters and NHS staff.”
Jessica Young, specialist infant feeding practitioner with the Growing Healthy team, said: “This year’s Festive Feed event was a great success. We arranged it following the success of our first event in 2018 to raise awareness of breastfeeding and celebrate the achievements of families on their breastfeeding journey.
“We know breastfeeding can be tough and families can require a lot of support, so we wanted to make sure we celebrated breastfeeding, whether that be for one feed or a thousand feeds. We wanted to hold an event to change perception around breastfeeding and allow mums to feel like they are amazing for choosing to give their baby breast milk, regardless of how long it was for.”
Further information about the benefits of breastfeeding and the range of support available to breastfeeding mothers is available at www.durham.gov.uk/breastfeeding
