Northwest Baps
Northwest Baps at Breastfeeding and Perinatal Support.
Transcript
00:00My name is Caitlin Deney and I am the Chair of the Health and Communities Committee for
00:26Can you tell me what's happening here today?
00:28So today we have a great event. It's run by North West BAPS. The ladies have been absolutely
00:35amazing. They have some brilliant stalls to support pregnant mothers and families with
00:43breastfeeding and perinatal support. And it's been fantastic. The sun's finally coming out!
00:49Thank goodness! So we've had a lovely morning so far.
00:52And what's your role in the event today?
00:56So Maria and the ladies have asked myself and Councillor Duffy to come along and just
01:03say a few words about themselves, just to sort of promote breastfeeding, just to see
01:08what's been going on. And it has been amazing. It's great to see so many parents here and
01:14so many babies. It has been a lovely morning and we're very lucky that we've been asked
01:19to come and attend.
01:20It seems like you've had a really good time. Can you talk about your feelings seeing all
01:23these people come together and celebrating such an important time, especially with children?
01:27I think that that is so key and that is what's so amazing and what the women are so amazing
01:32at doing, is pulling everybody together and really that sense of inclusion within the
01:38organisation, which is absolutely amazing. And you can really see that today. You know,
01:42parents pointing off each other. It's been amazing and so important for the issue that
01:47we're talking about today.
01:48Can you just introduce yourself please?
01:50I'm Noelle Gormley.
01:51Can you tell me a wee bit about BASH please?
01:53Okay, so we signpost the breastfeeding and perinatal support, which is what the acronym
01:58stands for. And we are highlighting all the support that's available for breastfeeding
02:04mums and also just anybody on their perinatal journey that's available in the North West
02:09area.
02:10And can you tell me about the event today?
02:12Today we are celebrating World Breastfeeding Week. It's a global event and we just want
02:19to do our part to raise the visibility and awareness of breastfeeding in our council
02:23area. So that's why we have the event today and we work with all different groups in the
02:28community, from voluntary, statutory and other organisations that want to support women to
02:35feed their babies, however they choose to do that.
02:38Can you talk about the community response you've gotten today? You've gotten a big
02:42crowd, you must be happy seeing this?
02:44Absolutely, it's great and it's lovely for parents to know that there's a community out
02:48there as well that will support them, no matter how they choose to feed their baby, but also
02:53if they're breastfeeding that they can come here and do it freely and without any glances
02:59or glares.
03:08Can you just introduce yourself please?
03:35I'm Councillor Sandra Duffy.
03:38Well this has been really exciting for me to be back here today. Two years ago as Mayor
03:43I was able to host a group of absolutely fantastic women and daddies in the Guildhall and we
03:51led the charge across the Peace Bridge here to St. Collins Park House to launch the first
03:57of the Breastivals here in the North West. It's a fantastic opportunity to showcase everything
04:03that is good about breastfeeding and the health benefits that it has for baby, for
04:08mommy, for the wider family. And since then I have been involved with the group, supporting
04:14the women who have been absolutely so passionate about bringing this information into communities
04:19in terms of supporting mommies to breastfeed, supporting them through education, supporting
04:24them through just their journey in breastfeeding and in terms of the group, the work that they
04:30have been doing to increase the numbers of breastfeeding mommies here within the Derry
04:36City and St. Valens District Council area has been second to none. Two years ago we
04:40had the unenviable position as being the worst in the world in terms of breastfeeding numbers
04:47and we still hold that title but through the work of North West Babs, through the works
04:52of the statutory bodies who have been involved, we're slowly starting to change that and we
04:57have seen an increase in numbers over the last two years, so very, very positive.
05:02How important is this information and as you said it's way forward in numbers, do you
05:06think it's an unrepresented education here, especially in Derry and the North?
05:11Well I think that there was a generational thing where bottle feeding was being put forward
05:17as being the best option for mommies who were out working but in terms of breastfeeding
05:24it's free, it's so handy as an ex-breastfeeding mommy myself in terms of working, you get
05:33so much more done when you're breastfeeding, your babies are, you're getting the immune
05:37systems boosted, mommies are getting healthier, families are brought together and the benefits
05:42just so much outweigh anything else and I think that educational piece where we support
05:47women because I think we miss that in terms of mommies being able to educate their daughters
05:52and stuff through it, so it's brilliant to bring together a group of women who are so
05:57passionate and want to share their knowledge and share their experiences and share their
06:01journeys.
06:02You kind of talked about it a wee bit there but can you talk about your feelings seeing
06:06other people come together and especially getting involved in the education, getting
06:10involved in change?
06:11Do you see in terms of, breastfeeding can be very difficult at the start and you do
06:16need a lot of support and you need a good support network around you and that's where
06:20this group really comes into its own in terms of having its support networks, it has its
06:25walking groups and meeting on Monday, it has its social media groups, it has its WhatsApp
06:30groups, so mommies always are feeling educated and supported through their journeys and when
06:36days are difficult or where times are difficult, they get that support to continue on in that
06:41journey for mommy and for baby.
06:51Hello.
07:03Could you just introduce yourselves please?
07:05Yes, my name's Germaine.
07:07I'm Jay.
07:08And this is baby Theon and Aileen and they're fucking we got twins.
07:14And how important is an event like this to you as a family?
07:18Very important I would say.
07:20As a breastfeeding mum, it's that phrase, it takes a village and I think events like
07:25this, you feel like you belong to a village, don't you?
07:28You get all the support you need.
07:30I think it's very important as well to get out there and sometimes it could feel like
07:34a lonely journey whenever you're on it because we're brand new parents ourselves.
07:39They actually come to an event like this and they're actually our parents.
07:43It just makes you feel a lot more, what would you probably say?
07:48Like a lot more relaxed.
07:51That you're not alone and everything you're feeling is pretty valid and there's nothing
07:56that we're going to go through that nobody else has no answers to or support for.
08:01I actually think as well getting maybe the insight or experience from others as well
08:06and the environment has basically given us a couple pointers as well and helped us along
08:12on our journey so I would recommend that anybody that's out there that probably feels
08:19that they want to get a wee bit of support, they come along.
08:22And just have a bit of crack as well.
08:24There's loads of support and there's loads of learning and it's all about engaging really.
08:32Have you learned a lot from being here today?
08:34Is there a lot of things being offered to you?
08:37Do people have benefits that you realise?
08:40Definitely.
08:41Like everybody on there is pretty much an expert in their own field aren't they?
08:45So you're not going to go wrong if you have any questions.
08:47You're in the right place to get all the answers.
08:49And even just the introduction speech there was lovely and actually a wee bit of goosebumps.
08:55Felt really empowered when I heard.
08:57Broke the record of the most women and it was just lovely.