Doing it the Breast way RENFREWSHIRE’S BREAST NEWS 1

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DOING IT THE BREAST WAY!

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IT IS A POPULAR MISCONCEPTION THAT WHEN BABIES AREBEING BREASTFED THE DADS HAVE LESS OPPORTUNITY TOBOND WITH THE BABY.

You have to remember that there are lots of ways in which tobond. Bath time is a great time for dads. Making time just tocuddle your baby and talk to him/her so that they can hear yourvoice. Taking the baby out for a walk in their pram has theadded benefit of giving you some fresh air and exercise. Thisis also a great way for you to de-stress.

Don’TSTanDon TheSiDelineS!!!

SEE PAGE 3

LOCALSUPER UMIS BREASTFEEDING CHAMPION

LOCALSUPER UMIS BREASTFEEDING CHAMPION

BREASTFEEDING ANDORAL HEALTHAdvantages of breastfeeding on oral healthinclude receiving antibodies to protectagainst infection and aids the developmentof mouth and tongue muscles.To keep your baby’s mouth healthy and smilelooking good:

P Register with a dentist and visit them atleast once a year

P Brush teeth and gums twice a day withfluoride toothpaste containing at least1000ppm fluoride

P Don’t rinse after brushing as this gives thetoothpaste time to work to protect teeth

P Keep food and drinks containing sugar tomealtimes only.

2 RENFREWSHIRE’S BREAST NEWS Doing it the Breast way

DID YOU KNOW? BABIES WHO RECEIVE BREASTMILKHAVE A REDUCED RISK OF:

BREASTMILKSCORES AHAT TRICK

The benefits of breastfeedingbabies, particularly for thefirst 6 months, are welldocumented; howeverbreastfeeding rates inRenfrewshire are lower thanboth the Greater Glasgowand Clyde and Scottishaverages.

There is a lot of work going onin Renfrewshire to increase ourbreastfeeding rates and one ofthese initiatives is theBreastfeeding Welcome Award.Renfrewshire CommunityHealth Partnership has recently

introduced this award to helppeople working in publicplaces to understand andsupport the needs ofbreastfeeding mothers and theirbabies, and to recognise publicplaces that welcome them.Whenever you see the logodisplayed you will know thatbreastfeeding mothers will bewelcomed.

As part of this commitment astaff training programme hasbeen introduced to enable staffto develop an understanding ofsome of the issues faced by

women when they are out andabout with their babies.

In 2011 Renfrewshire Leisureachieved a BreastfeedingWelcome Award for providingan excellent environment fortheir customers and staff.Renfrewshire Council are nowalso working towards this goal.

RENFREWSHIRE WELCOMES BREASTFEEDING FAMILIES

Best for Mum

Best for Baby

Best for Renfrewshire

• Gastrointestinal Infections (vomitingand diarrhoea)

• Chest, urine and ear infections• A wheeze when breathing/ asthma• Eczema, where it runs in the family• Developing diabetes, obesity, highblood pressure and high cholesterol

MUMS WHO BREASTFEED HAVE AREDUCED RISK OF:• Ovarian cancer• Breast cancer• Hip fractures in later life caused by bone disease osteoporosis

Derek Mackay

(MSP) talkS about

hiS attituDe to

breaStfeeDing. Derek is a Constituency MSP forRenfrewshire North and West and liveswith his family within the local area. Heis married with two children. He spokeexclusively to Renfrewshire’s BreastNews about his experience when hischildren were born and how he and hiswife, as new parents, felt aboutbreastfeeding.

Derek admitted to knowing about thehealth benefits of breastfeeding andsaid that his wife was also aware andthat led them to the decision tobreastfeed.

It is vitally important that partnersprovide support and encouragementespecially in the early days. Derek wasabsolutely supportive of his wife’sdecision to breastfeed. The one thinghe became aware of in the early dayswas that there is no such thing asman’s work and women’s work, it isjust a matter of working together asbest you can.

Many men feel that having theirpartner breastfeed in public placescould be embarrassing and are not surehow they feel about this. Derekacknowledges why men might thinklike this but goes on to say that in hisexperience his wife managed to feedthe baby very discretely. In the earlydays doing this in public can bedifficult for the mother as she needs tocheck that the baby is attached onto thebreast correctly. However once mother

and baby have had a little practicefeeding discretely in public is mucheasier. The important thing toremember is it should really be aboutthe mother’s personal choice and whatshe feels comfortable with.

DEREK MACKAY KICKS OFF!!!

THE BREASTFEEDING NETWORK (BfN)Breastfeeding Supportand Information – NotJust for Girls

For all you amazing fellas outthere – you don’t have to beDavid Beckham, Brad Pitt orJohnny Depp to be supportive ofbreastfeeding, just as they allare. It’s such a normal way for ababy to feed and it will be goingon around you all the time – youmight just never have noticed!Fathers want their babies tohave good health every bit asmuch as Mums do and Dads areentitled to get good informationand support about breastfeedingtoo.

One important way that breastmilk helps to stop babies beingill is that when they only getbreast milk, it protects theirtummy from viruses andbacteria which can get into theirbodies. Another protectioncomes from their amazingmums who make antibodies intheir milk to fight whatever bugsthey come into contact with –protecting your precious littlepeople even more. They can’tget this from anywhere else. It’sonly breast milk that can do this.

You might find that you alreadyknow more than your familiesabout how breastfeedingreduces health risks for bothmum and baby.

For further information pleasecontact:

National BreastfeedingHelpline on 0300 100 0212

BfN Supporterline on 0300100 0210

www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk

Doing it the Breast way RENFREWSHIRE’S BREAST NEWS 3

What isa Boob’sJob

You might find it easier tosupport your partner if youhad a bit of knowledge abouthow breastfeeding works.

As soon as a woman becomespregnant her breasts begin todevelop milk tissue. This can oftenmake the breasts feel more sensitiveand possibly increase in size.

After birth

Every woman begins to producemilk immediately following thebirth whether she intends tobreastfeed or not.

The baby suckling starts a hormonalresponse which stimulates milkproduction.

For the first few days the breastsproduce colostrum. This is rich inantibodies and is also ideally suitedto the baby’s nutritional needs.

Between day 2 and day 5 followingbirth the breasts begin to produce amore mature milk. This can causethe breasts to feel fuller and heavierwhich can be relived when the babyfeeds.

Continuing to feed

Breasts continue to produce milk foras long as needed. They produceenough for the baby based on whatthe baby feeds.

If women decide not to breastfeedthe milk production in the breastsgradually stops.

HOW IT ALL WORKS LOCALSUPER UMIS BREASTFEEDING CHAMPIONOur very own local supermum is a true breastfeeding champion. Jillianis from Johnstone and breastfed both her girls (Lucy 3, and Abbie 6months). She never misses an opportunity to encourage others tobreastfeed.

Jillian decided that she was going to breastfeed when she was pregnantwith Lucy. She admits that although she had heard that breastmilk wasgood for babies she did not realise that just by breastfeeding she wasreducing her risk of developing breast cancer, ovarian cancer and fromsuffering from osteoporosis in later life.

Jillian’s partner was very supportive of her decision to breastfeed andwhilst ultimately the feeding was down to her, he was able to help outwith the many other aspects of their care.

Breastfeeding can give women an incredible sense of pride as theywatch their babies grow and develop receiving only breastmilk. Jillianadmits to feeling a great sense of achievement with her happy healthygirls. She remembers looking at them and saying to herself, I did that!!!

BREASTFEEDINGIN RENFREWSHIRETHE LOCAL PICTURE

In Renfrewshire research shows us thatwhilst approximately 49% of womenchose to breastfeed their babies atbirth only 20% of babies are beingexclusively breastfed by the time thebaby is 6 weeks old.

Don’t feel like a spare part, thereare lots of things that can be done.

Settle baby after feeds

Hold and cuddle baby

Play, read and talk to yourbaby

Take your baby out for walks

Bathing baby

The more you get involved withyour baby, the quicker you willdevelop a strong bond. Babiesreact to the sound of their dad’svoice.

RELEGATED

MANY WOMEN FIND THAT ATTENDING A SUPPORT GROUP HELPS THEM TO CONTINUEBREASTFEEDING THEIR BABY. THERE ARE LOTS OF GROUPS THROUGHOUTRENFREWSHIRE. GO ALONG TO YOUR NEAREST GROUP FOR FRIENDLY HELP, ADVICE ANDSUPPORT.

JOIN THESUPPORTER’S

CLUBSupporters Club

FEELSUPPORTED BY YOUR LOCAL CLUB

Designed and Printed by

Mackay & Inglis Printers and Print Finishers

19 Polmadie Street,Glasgow G42 0PQ

T. 0141 423 8866F. 0141 433 4505E. info@mackayinglis.co.ukW. www.mackayinglis.co.uk

The Breastfeeding Network (BfN) also run groups throughout Renfrewshire.

If you would like any additional information then please contact BfN numberbelow.

For more information of Breastfeeding support in your area

• Contact your Health Visitor or Midwife

• Breastfeeding Network:- 0300 100 0210

• National Breastfeeding Helpline:- 0300 100 0212

Renfrewshire’s Breast News this publication can be made available in other formats if required.

it has been produced by the health improvement team in renfrewshire.

for further information or if you would like to comment on this resource, contact us:

telephone number: 01505 821 800e-mail at healthimprovement.renfrewshire@ggc.scot.nhs.uk

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It may be that you are worried about yourpartner breastfeeding in public. This tends tobe more common in men before their baby isborn. Once they have had a chance to seetheir partner feed they can see that in realitybreastfeeding with a bit of practice can bedone very discretely. In Scotland it is illegalfor anyone to ask your partner to stop

breastfeeding in a public place as part of the

Breastfeeding (Scotland) Act 2005 and in

accordance with this, public places such as

shops and restaurants are usually very

accommodating to breastfeeding families.

Some will be able to offer private facilities

for your partner to feed baby if she prefers.

geT The reSulTS home & awayOut and About With Your Baby

A clear favourite with the St Mirren fans David Van Zanten recognises the importanceof health and fitness both on and off the field. Not only does his career depend on himbeing at the peak of fitness, he also recognises that maintaining a general healthylifestyle is important to him and his family.

David lives in Renfrewshire with his wife Lyndsay and his two daughters Megan aged 7and Grace aged 4. Prior to the birth of both of their daughters, the couple discussed feedingoptions. They wanted to give their girls the very best start in life and were both aware of thehealth benefits of breastfeeding and decided that breastfeeding would be best for baby andsuit their lifestyle.

As a professional footballer David’s working hours often mean that he is able to be aroundsome afternoons. This was especially beneficial for Lyndsay after Grace was born. Being abusy mum of two, Lyndsay was very grateful to have David at home. His support andencouragement made it easier for her to continue to breastfeed. On the other hand on matchdays it is really important that he gets a good night’s sleep, which is sometimes difficult fornew parents to achieve. Breastfeeding mothers are encouraged to feed during the night astheir hormone levels peak at this time and night feeding helps promote and maintain milksupply.

The couple are fully aware of the benefits of breastfeeding to both mum and baby and woulddefinitely encourage other parents to consider breastfeeding. Anything that benefits yourchildren is worth trying.

VAN ZANTEN ONBREASTFEEDING

4 RENFREWSHIRE’S BREAST NEWS Doing it the Breast way

BE A DEDICATED SUPPORTERDads Support

Breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for yourbaby. However, many women find the processchallenging and require a lot of help and support atfirst. In Renfrewshire whilst 53% of women begin tobreastfeed at birth only 23% are still exclusivelybreastfeeding by the time their baby is 6 weeks old.

Breastfeeding requires effort and determination fromboth mum and dad. It is important to realise that dad’srole is vital to support their partners and encourageher to keep going. Remember that you are giving yourbaby the best start in life.

Helping out around the house with the cooking andcleaning and taking care of your partner when she isfeeding baby is great practical help.

This is bigger than just a job for mum and dad, it isup to everyone around the breastfeeding mum to besupportive. So whether you are an uncle, brother,grandfather, neighbour or friend it can make the worldof difference to mums to hear positive encouragementabout the incredible work she is doing.

Sometimes negative comments, often from well-meaning people, can have an effect on your partner’sconfidence in breastfeeding. Being aware of yourpartner’s emotional needs may give her strength tokeep going.

A little bit of encouragement can go a long way.

Women are more likely to continuebreastfeeding if theirpartner is supportive.Come on boys supportthese women!!!!

Monday Renfrew Health and Social Work Centre, 10 Ferry Road,Renfrew, PA4 8RU10:30am to 12:00noon. Tel: 0141 207 7460

Northcroft Medical Centre, Northcroft Street, Paisley, PA3 4AD11:30am to 1:00pm. Tel: 0141 843 4388/4354

Tuesday Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) Maternity Unit, CorsebarRoad, Paisley, PA2 9PN2:30pm to 4:00pm. Tel: 0141 314 7371

Friday Linden Medical Centre, 25 Floors Street, Johnstone, PA5 8PD12:00noon to 1:00pm. Tel: 01505 821307