New breastfeeding room for working mums

Tuesday 08 August 2017

A new ‘Wellbeing Room’ is being created in Cyril Le Marquand House where working mums can either breastfeed or express milk in an effort to encourage breastfeeding in Jersey.

The room will allow mothers who work for the States a space to breastfeed or express milk during working hours.

This news follows the publication of the Food and Nutrition Strategy which identified the reportedly “low-levels” of breastfeeding by the time babies are six to eight weeks old.

Pictured: A graph included in the Food Strategy which indicates the "low levels" of breastfeeding by six to eight weeks in the island. According to the strategy, "breastfeeding for six months has the most significant health benefits."

According to the Food Strategy, babies who have been breastfed are at “a reduced risk of childhood obesity” and, in turn, are less likely to be obese as adults.

The 'Future Jersey' report, compiled the results of the 'My Jersey' public survey, identified a long-term ambition to improve the rate of breastfeeding in the island.

Picture: The results of the 'My Jersey' survey indicated that islanders want to improve the rates of breastfeeding in Jersey.

The Minister for Home Affairs and newly appointed ‘Breastfeeding Champion’, Deputy Kristina Moore, told Express that through this public consultation, the States have identified breastfeeding as an area they need to improve on. 

Deputy Moore said: “We need to improve it obviously for the health and nutrition benefits for the child and the mother, but also there are environmental and economic benefits to continuing to breastfeed for longer periods of time.

“We recognise that there’s a lot of pressure on many Jersey women to return to work when they would still be breastfeeding.”

Pictured: Deputy Moore has recently accepted the role of 'Breastfeeding Champion' to improve rates of breastfeeding in the island.

Deputy Moore hopes that this new ‘Wellbeing Room’ will provide “peaceful surroundings” for working mums to breastfeed, as well as serving as a space for employees who suffer with medical conditions.

“We’re calling it a ‘Wellbeing Room’ because it would also be there for people who perhaps are on medication, who need to inject insulin for example, or have some other conditions. It’s all about helping people to get the best out of their working day.”