“Toast and Talk” – new breastfeeding group starts

A new breastfeeding group has started at Knowle West Children’s Centre to support local mums and allow them to meet others in the area.

“Toast and Talk” takes place at The House at Knowle West Health Park and any mother is welcome to come along and bring their children – with toast for all mothers and babies over six months.

The group is being run by Breast Feeding Peer Supporters Shareena Marshall and Emily Sheridan.

Shareena explains: “It’s a warm nursery space for mums to feel safe to breastfeed – but we welcome all mums. It is somewhere breastfeeding mums can get support – and we are trying to widen the acceptance of breastfeeding in the Knowle area…”

Emily feels it is good to have something established in the local area so mums don’t have to travel too far to get support.

She says: “When I had my child Roxana who is now five, there was nowhere I knew of that was really available – you had to hunt for a group and go out of the area…”

Joanne Jeffery who attended with her six month old son Parker said: “”It’s really good to share experiences with other mums…”

Figures for the city show in Knowle West the number of mums who start to breastfeed is 51% compared to 81% in the rest of Bristol and only 26% of new mums in the area are still breastfeeding eight weeks later – compared to 59% in the rest of Bristol (2014 figures).

Toast and Talk runs every Monday at The House, Knowle West Children’s Centre, Downton Road from 9.30 -11am. Further details can be found on their Facebook Page www.facebook.com/Toastandtalk/

More information:

National Breastfeeding Helpline Tel: 0300 100 0212 .Lines are open seven days a week from 9.30am to 9.30pm,

The Breastfeeding Network allows you to talk online to a breastfeeding counsellor Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm. Tel: 0117 902 7115 or 07900 264 435.