New parents in Derbyshire are being offered specialist NHS support to nurture their newborns.
The I choose campaign helps parents feel confident with the decisions they make about how they feed their babies, by offering practical tips, reliable information and friendly, non-judgmental support, whether their choice is breastfeeding, bottle feeding, or a mix of both.
Derbyshire Family Health Service (which is part of Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust) is running the I choose campaign to help parents and caregivers feel confident with their feeding decisions.
It offers expert online information on the Derbyshire Family Health Service website, drawn up by infant feeding specialists, to help parents make choices that are right for them and their baby. A ChatHealth text service and telephone helpline are also available for parents and caregivers for friendly help and advice on feeding, Monday to Friday 9am - 4.30pm.
Gill McCavana, specialist infant feeding lead at Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Foundation Trust, said: “We know that becoming a parent can be daunting, especially when faced with lots of different opinions and expectations from friends and family. We know everyone’s journey of how they feed their baby is different. Sometimes it doesn't go to plan and is really tough. Sometimes a new parent just wants to feel good enough. We’re here to support them every step of the way.”
The I choose campaign also recognises the importance of the wider network of family and friends and offers handy tips to enable the wider network involved in a baby’s life to be there for parents and caregivers when they need help, even if they have different ideas of how to feed the baby.
By supporting parents with their feeding journeys, the I Choose campaign aims to support parents to have a warm and loving relationship with their new baby.
Parents and carers can also call the Derbyshire Family Health Service on 01246 515100. This information and support line for parents, carers and young people is available Monday to Friday, 9am - 4.30pm, except bank holidays.
Parents and carers can also text the ChatHealth number on 07507 327769. This is a confidential text messaging service for parents/ carers of 0 – 5-year-olds, providing advice and support from a healthcare professional from Monday to Friday, 9am – 4.30pm, except bank holidays.