MK Hospital News: Midwifery Breastfeeding Expert Joins Milton Keynes Hospital

10th September 2008

Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust has appointed its first ever full-time dedicated Breastfeeding Lead Midwife, Suzanne Barber, who is responsible for raising awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding best practice in maternity services, staff education and training and leading the Trust towards achieving UNICEF Baby Friendly Accreditation.

Suzanne Barber has over 18 years experience as a midwife, and before undertaking a career in midwifery worked as a nurse in several areas. Before joining Milton Keynes Hospital, Suzanne worked at another local Trust as part of the breastfeeding team to raise awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding and to support mothers in giving their baby the best start in life.

Suzanne will be working with staff across the Trust, as well as supporting the local Primary Care Trust and volunteers in the community, to provide training and support to ensure that as many mothers as possible are encouraged to start and to continue breastfeeding for as long as possible, as it has so many benefits both to the mother and baby.

Breastfeeding Lead Midwife Suzanne Barber said:

My role is to improve practice throughout the Trust to promote, protect and support breastfeeding, Breastfeeding has been shown to help reduce inequalities by improving health outcomes for mothers and babies. Babies who are breastfed are less likely to develop many illnesses in infancy, childhood and adulthood.

Breastfeeding is an important way to address obesity, which has become an urgent public health issue. It helps mothers to lose weight stored during pregnancy and breastfed babies are less likely to become overweight children. However, breastfeeding rates in the UK remain amongst the lowest in Europe.

Breastfeeding is also associated with lower blood cholesterol concentrations in later life, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Suzanne Barber said:

Breastfeeding, especially in public, is often seen as quite outdated. Our aim is to make breast feeding part of everyday life at Milton Keynes Hospital. The Baby Friendly Initiative for maternity covers the whole maternity service, including community midwives and the neonatal unit.

The UNICEF UK Baby Friendly initiative works to ensure a high standard of care for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers and babies. The proportion of babies breastfed at birth increases by more than 10% on average over four years when hospitals implement the Baby Friendly standards – so we know it works.

Research shows that the mothers, who would like to breastfeed, but have initial problems, are more likely to give up in the first few weeks than those who receive support and encouragement.

Milton Keynes Hospital aims to provide the highest standard of care. The Trust is in the process of becoming Baby Friendly and is working to further improve the care given to mothers and babies.

Benefits of breastfeeding

• Reduces risk of breast cancer;
• Reduces risk of ovarian cancer;
• Reduces risk of osteoporosis;
• Faster return to pre-pregnancy figure (as it burns 500 calories a day);
• Can help with bonding.

• Reduces the risk of asthma and respiratory infections, eczema, ear infections, childhood and adult diabetes, gastrointestinal infections;
• Better development (especially in preterm babies) of the brain, central nervous system and sight;
• Lower blood pressure in later childhood;
• Improved response to immunisation;
• Mother’s immunity is passed to baby via breast milk.

There is more information available on the nhs breastfeeding website

Milton Keynes Hospitals Information