This week I was privileged to spend time with our team in Ayrshire- what an incredible group of dedicated women they are! Our Scottish Programme Manager, Sarah Edwards, is a renowned figure in breastfeeding support and played a pivotal role in developing services across Ayrshire, which in 2024 contributed to 30.5% of babies being exclusively breastfed at their 10-14 day review, rising from 27.4% 2023. NHS Ayrshire and Arran achieved UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative Gold Award reaccreditation in March 2024, supported by a strong collaboration between BfN, NHS teams and local communities. This prestigious award is a recognition of unwavering commitment to systemic change in Ayrshire and Arran, and to each and every mother, family and baby. It is in no small part due to the commitment from my colleagues- Sarah and all of the Ayrshire team- in BfN.
What struck me most during my visit relates to a reference Sarah made: support groups for women and families still take place in the very same community halls as when Sarah nursed her son 19 years ago! Sarah, like the team that she was a big part of building and training, is fully invested in shifting a local culture around breastfeeding, and together, integrating this into everything they do and every opportunity they encounter. BfN peer supporters are fully embedded in communities across Ayrshire. Many having volunteered locally with BfN for more than a decade. Parents know that BfN staff and volunteers can be relied upon as a consistent source of support, including at some of the most challenging moments they face as parents. BfN peer supporters themselves value being connected to their community and the enormous privilege of being able to support so many Ayrshire women, babies and families in those early days, seeing their confidence grow as they take their first steps into parenthood.
Many volunteers and staff have chosen to give back after receiving life-changing support from BfN when their own baby was born. Fiona was one of the first mums supported by the BfN peer support service in 2011 when her first baby arrived. Today, she is a valued member of our integrated peer support service supporting all new breastfeeding mums across Ayrshire. She is also a tutor and supervisor with BfN, training new volunteers who will continue to support new mums across all services in Ayrshire. Her experience of support, and of the network that BfN helped her build as a young, single mum, made her want to train as a volunteer. Her love of supporting other women across Ayrshire has meant Fiona stayed as part of the team sharing her lived experience, knowledge and empathy to empower thousands of Ayrshire parents to feel confident in the choices they make about feeding their new baby.
Let’s be clear. This has not always been an easy gig. In North Ayrshire, 29% of children live in poverty, higher than the Scottish national average of 24%. Some of the most deprived areas of Scotland are in Ayrshire, with a concentration in urban centres, like Ayr, Irvine and Kilmarnock. In many of these communities women and families may face multiple challenges and may not consider breastfeeding is an option for them. BfN has painstakingly built trust, trained volunteers and staff from Ayrshire communities, partnered with local authorities and healthcare professionals, run groups for parents to make informed choices, educated young people in schools and worked with local businesses and organisations to become ‘Breastfeeding Friendly’. There have been many twists and turns in the road and there will continue to be. It is this long term approach to building trust, learning and working across a system, which has contributed to real and measurable change.
In 2019, this painstaking work paid off. Co-designed with colleagues from the NHS, an Integrated Infant feeding Team was established for mothers in Ayrshire and Arran to receive support from the moment they left hospital. Peer supporters- local women with lived experience, receiving accredited training from BfN- were in contact with all new mums within 48 hours, providing trusted information and support that has really made a difference.
This week, I found myself reflecting on why that purple t-shirt inspires trust and why so many women make the commitment to train with BfN. The t-shirt signals quality, trust and most of all, a determined and long-term commitment to the local communities that all our peer supporters are a part of. It is short hand for many women and families that whoever they are, whatever their circumstances and resources, and whatever their infant feeding journey, they know BfN will move mountains to provide the best support that money can’t buy.
A huge thank you to my colleagues for hosting me and for all that you do for families in Ayrshire.