Cumbria’s university gains award from Baby Friendly Initiative

Kerry Cooper (pictured right), Senior Lecturer and BFI lead for Midwifery, said:

“The university has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to high standards of training in breastfeeding for all student midwives graduating from its courses. This dedication has been recognized with the prestigious Baby Friendly Award from the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative.

“The importance of skilled support in breastfeeding cannot be overstated. Many women discontinue breastfeeding earlier than they wish due to preventable difficulties. By ensuring that students are thoroughly trained in assisting mothers with breastfeeding, we aim to enable more women to breastfeed their babies for longer periods. This training is crucial in helping mothers overcome common challenges and continue breastfeeding successfully.

“As Cumbria’s university, we are proud to bring this award to our county and beyond to ensure mothers and babies can benefit from the training and education our graduates achieve.”

Breastfeeding offers extensive health benefits for both babies and mothers. It protects infants from a range of serious illnesses, including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections during infancy, and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, asthma, diabetes, and obesity later in life. For mothers, breastfeeding lowers the risk of certain cancers and supports mental health for both mother and baby.

The Baby Friendly Initiative is a global programme which aims to transform healthcare for babies, their mothers and families as part of a wider global partnership between UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). In the UK, the Baby Friendly Initiative works with public services and universities to better support families with feeding and developing close, loving relationships in order to ensure that all babies get the best possible start in life.

The Baby Friendly University Award was launched in the UK in 2008 – the first such award anywhere in the world – in order to ensure high levels of training in breastfeeding are incorporated in midwifery and health visitor training courses. The University Award recognises that a university has implemented best practice in breastfeeding training and has passed a thorough external assessment by UNICEF UK staff.

UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative Deputy Programme Director, Anne Woods, said:

"We are delighted that University of Cumbria has received this award.

“Our work to support breastfeeding is based on extensive and resounding evidence that breastfeeding saves lives, improves health and cuts costs in every country worldwide, rich and poor alike.

“Working towards full Baby Friendly accreditation means that newly qualified midwives and health visitors from (university) will have the strong foundation of knowledge needed to care for families and to help mothers and babies receive the breastfeeding support they require.”

ENDS