National Breastfeeding Awareness Week 2011: how I'm celebrating

The deparment of Health has stopped funding National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (read Guardian's article here).... so it's again down to breastfeeding charities or the goodwill of health professionals to support this initiative that could save the NHS a lot of money. Breastfeeding comes with proven health benefits for mum and baby, and financial benefits for the whole family as it's free. It has also a low carbon footprint (you don't need products to breastfeed and you can hand express if you want to feed your baby from a cup).

With no stalls or other local initiatives, I'm celebrating by doing what I usually do most weeks, provide help and information at breastfeeding dropins. I find volunteering there very satisfying, especially when tearful mums smile at the end of the session.

If I have one tip to share with breastfeeding mums is this... learn to breastfeed lying down, it helps with latching (you don't have to worry about how to hold the baby), is kind to a C-section scar and gives you and your baby a well-deserved rest (you might well fall asleep and have a snooze).

Here are my favourite bf sites, with lots of information on breastfeeding and breastfeeding problems:
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk
www.llli.org (La Leche League International)

Happy NBAW!