HAMPSHIRE has been ranked third most welcoming county for breastfeeding, according to recent research,
Magenta Flowers, a breastmilk jewellery company, analysed more than 1,000 venues in the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme to conclude which locations are the most welcoming to breastfeeding parents.
North Yorkshire took the top spot with 300 accommodating locations, with Wiltshire following with 22 locations and Hampshire placing third with 172 locations.
Meanwhile, the least breastfeeding friendly places included Scotland, Berkshire and Bristol.
Southampton was listed as the second most breastfeeding friendly city in the UK.
Emma Lackett, lactation consultant and breastfeeding counsellor at the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, said it was important to make mothers feel comfortable breastfeeding outside the home.
She said: "Not all babies can take bottles or want to take bottles, and not all mums can pump milk. For some babies, if they don't breastfeed, they’re not going to be able to leave the house. If we say to parents that they’re not welcome to feed outside the home, what we’re really doing is restricting them to their homes. If parents feel they can leave home, whether that’s going to the shops, having a coffee, or meeting friends, we’re helping to reduce the sense of social isolation.”
Under the 2010 Equality Act it is considered discrimination to treat a parent unfairly if breastfeeding in public. Nevertheless, according to the breastfeeding welcome scheme, only 39 per cent of parents with babies aged four to six months feel comfortable enough to breastfeed in public areas.
Winchester City Council supports the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme with Winchester’s branch of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT) offering breastfeeding counsellors, a maternity service and a breastfeeding support group.
Support group BABIES is free to join every Wednesday and runs from 9.30am until midday at Lanterns Nursery School, in Bereweeke Road.
Winchester Breastfeeding counsellor, Jane Moffatt, said: “BABIES benefits from funding from grants, local fundraising activities and the support of local MP Steve Brine."
Sara Piggott, service delivery manager of NCT’s Southampton branch, said: “Lots of mums who use our services and drop-ins come back and train as peer-supporters and help new mothers, creating a cycle of support.
"Mothers who are apprehensive about leaving the house should have a think about what they’re worried about and make a plan of a good place to go where they’d feel comfortable breastfeeding or perhaps go with a group of friends.”
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