AS part of National Breastfeeding Celebration Week, Linda Wolfson, the National Maternal and Infant Nutrition Co-ordinator, and Councillor Joe Cullinane, Leader of North Ayrshire Council visited the breastfeeding support group at Fullarton Connections in Irvine.

Mums, babies, NHS Ayrshire & Arran staff, Breastfeeding Network (BfN) staff and volunteers, were all there to meet Linda and Joe who were delighted to see how we provide parents with advice and support feeding their infants.

Ruth Campbell, Consultant Dietitian in Public Health Nutrition said: “We had a lovely morning meeting Linda and showing her around one of our breastfeeding support groups.

“The groups are a welcoming environment where families can come along for advice about infant feeding, and breastfeeding support from BfN volunteers and other mothers.

“We were pleased to show Linda one of the many ways we are providing local families with guidance and support that helps them to make the best decisions for their babies, and how we are removing any barriers that stop women who want to breastfeed from doing so.”

Councillor Joe Cullinane, Leader of North Ayrshire Council said: “As a parent myself, I believe that breastfeeding is one of the most natural and healthy ways to give children the best start in life.

“However, unfortunately there are still some stigmas attached to this which can put some parents off.

“That’s why groups like these are so important, as they give parents the support and guidance they need to make informed choices about how they feed and care for their babies.”

Support groups are delivered across North Ayrshire where parents can drop in to get support and information from trained volunteers or just to chat to other mums.

Details of the times and venues can be found at here.

You can also find breastfeeding advice and support here, or you can call the National Breastfeeding Helpline on 0300 100 0212.