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The Breastfeeding-Friendly Campaign

What is it?

The Breastfeeding Friendly Campaign was set up in 2003 by the Lanarkshire Breastfeeding Initiative in partnership with NHS Lanarkshire, in response to a request from mothers in the Bellshill Breastfeeding Support Group.

The women asked the LBI to find them places to feed when they were out and about with their babies - they wanted to be confident that they would not be asked to stop feeding or "to do it elsewhere" e.g. a toilet or a nearby cupboard.

Health Centres and GP surgeries were at the top of the group's list!

Since 2005 the Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act 2005 protects a woman's right to feed milk to a child under 2 years old in a public place where children are already allowed.

The Campaign rewards organisations that welcome breastfeeding on their premises. Initially some premises may be visited by a mystery breastfeeder to assess how welcoming they are to mums and their babies at feeding time. All premises are then formally assessed by an LBI member.

Successful premises will receive:

• A Breastfeeding-Friendly Certificate
• Breastfeeding-Friendly window stickers
• LBI Website recognition
• An opportunity for breastfeeding awareness sessions for staff 

Aim of the Campaign  

The aim is to support a woman’s right to breastfeed whenever and wherever she chooses. It is important that women should not feel that they have to rush home when their baby needs fed or, worse still, that they don’t dare to leave the house at all.

Over 70 organisations have signed up to the campaign including : supermarkets, local banks, restaurants and community premises managed by North and South Lanarkshire Councils. You can see the list of organisations, sorted by town on the Breastfeeding-Friendly Premises page.

If you would like to find out how your organisation can "sign-up" to the campaign, please contact the LBI using the postal address or the email address on the right.

Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act 2005 and the LBI

In 2000 the Lanarkshire Breastfeeding Initiative held its annual conference for breastfeeding mothers during Breastfeeding Awareness Week and invited guest speaker Elaine Smith MSP for Coatbridge & Chryston.

Elaine has a young son whom she had breastfed and was only too aware of the lack of public education and acceptability for breastfeeding and the consequent lack of support in the community for breastfeeding mothers.

As a result, Elaine introduced the Breastfeeding Bill to the Scottish Parliament to ensure breastfeeding mothers are able to breastfeed their children in public places where children are already allowed.

 

 

This dedicated effort was rewarded with the Breastfeeding etc. (Scotland) Act 2005. Over twenty LBI members, including mums and babies, were delighted to attend the Scottish Parliament as Elaine Smith's guests when the Bill was being presented.

The LBI would like to express their gratititude to Elaine Smith for her commitment to raising public awareness of breastfeeding and ensuring the right of a mother to breastfeed in public without harassment and abuse from the public and proprietors of public premises which unfortunately had been the experience of many women before then.