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I was excited to read about the “Working in partnership to support infant feeding” article back in June 2023. Whole heartedly agree with the Government of Jersey who start with saying

“Every parent wants to give their baby the best start in life. For those who choose to breastfeed, and are able to, breastfeeding provides health benefits for infants that can last a lifetime as well as protecting the health of the breastfeeding mother. “

It is great to see that the Government of Jersey are committed to improving the health of islands through public health policy and that they support the implementation of the UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI)across both Health Visiting and Maternity Services.

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What is the The Baby Friendly Initiative (BFI) I hear you ask?? It is a programme set up by UNICEF to set a standard and monitor progress in health professionals for the benefits of parents. The majority of maternity units (95%) and health visiting services (91%) across the UK are now working towards Baby Friendly accreditation. It enables public services to better support families with feeding and developing close and loving relationships so that all babies get the best possible start in life.

One of the main complaints from mums I have seen throughout the last 20 + years who are learning to breastfeed, has been that they receive different advice and messages from different staff. This new initiative should mean that parents and mums in Jersey receive a cohesive message throughout both maternity and health visiting.

I met with both Debbie McCoy, Specialist infant FeedingMidwife and Debra Hennessy, BFI Breastfeeding Specialist Health Visitor early on in my breastfeeding consultancy and always look to work collaboratively with them, when needed for the benefit of parents.

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