Breastfeeding training award for uni’s health team
The health visiting team at the University of Stirling has received a prestigious award from UNICEF in recognition of the high levels of breastfeeding training it provides to its students.
Award-winning MSc Early Years Practice (Health Visiting) programme director Alison Hackett received the Baby Friendly Award on behalf of the university from Janet Dalzell of the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative.
Mrs Hackett said:“We are proud to receive the Baby Friendly Award from UNICEF as it reflects our ongoing commitment to ensuring a high standard of training in breastfeeding for all student health visitors graduating from our programme at Stirling.
“Many women give up breastfeeding before they want to because of difficulties which could have been prevented if skilled help had been on hand. By ensuring that our students are fully trained in how to help a mother breastfeed her child, more women will be able to breastfeed their babies for longer. Regardless of how a mother chooses to feed her baby, she can be sure that she will be supported to form a strong loving relationship with her newborn – through having maximum skin-to-skin contact and understanding how her baby communicates with her and needs her to respond.”
Breastfeeding protects babies against a range of serious illnesses, including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections in infancy, as well as cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, and obesity in later life.
It can also reduce the mother’s risk of some cancers and supports the mental health of both mother and baby.
The Baby Friendly Initiative is a global programme which aims to transform healthcare for babies, their mothers, and families as part of a wider global partnership between UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). In the UK, the Baby Friendly Initiative works with public services and universities to better support families with feeding and developing close, loving relationships to ensure that all babies get the best possible start in life.