The Melton Breast Friends group will once again have a tent at the town’s famous food festival this weekend, providing a welcoming space where parents (whether breast or bottle feeding) can come and feed their little ones in comfort.
The Melton Mowbray Food Festival showcases the best food and drink from all over the East Midlands, and takes place in the Cattlemarket in Melton town centre on Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 October. While browsing the 200+ stalls, families are welcome to pop along to the Melton Breast Friends area to feed their little ones.
High chairs, toys and changing facilities will be available, as well as comfortable chairs for breast or bottle feeding. Parents can also take the opportunity to find out more about the work of the group, which runs a popular weekly drop-in breastfeeding café every Thursday from 12 – 1.30pm at The Cove Children’s Centre on Sysonby Street in Melton.
Melton Breast Friends is run by volunteer breastfeeding peer supporters, who have undergone an intensive 12-week training programme with Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT)’s public health nurses (health visitors). Two peer supporters are on hand at every breastfeeding café session to talk to mums about any difficulties they are experiencing with feeding their babies, and to provide them with a hot drink and biscuits which they can actually take time to enjoy!
When it comes to great nutrition, breastmilk certainly takes some beating, and all the volunteer peer supporters are mums who themselves have breastfed their babies for extended periods. The breastfeeding café is held at the Children’s Centre, which provides a relaxed space with toys to keep older siblings busy. Melton Breast Friends also has a welcoming community on Facebook and a dedicated phone number: 07825 114014
Further support and advice with all aspects of infant feeding can be found on LPT’s website, Health for Under 5s (www.healthforunder5s.co.uk).