The Canterbury Breastfeeding Advocacy Service has launched two exciting new initiatives to support breastfeeding women and their whānau/families. The CanBreastFeed (Canterbury Breastfeeding) website is smart phone compatible and provides up to date information about breastfeeding friendly cafes, breastfeeding and working, breastfeeding support in the community, information for partners and whānau, and links to other useful websites. The second project, the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Initiative (BFWI), has been developed to provide support and information to women who plan to combine breastfeeding and work, or study. Businesses benefit by supporting employees who wish to continue breastfeeding when they return to work, and the BFWI also supports employers who would like to become a breastfeeding friendly workplace. Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust is the first Canterbury organisation to receive the breastfeeding friendly workplace award. A few small changes and a policy is all it takes, and the benefits to babies, mothers, workplaces, businesses and society are huge. Breastfeeding makes a significant positive difference to the short and long-term health of women and children and the advocacy service is working across Canterbury to remove the barriers that women experience. Contact Rachel or Carol at (03) 3445062 for information.
(Photo – left to right Aroha Reriti-Crofts CBE (Taua, Board Member Te Puawaitanga ki Ōtautahi Trust) Alison Bourn, (General Manager), Rachel McLachlan (Canterbury Breastfeeding Advocacy Service
