All aboard as Morebus join Dorset HealthCare’s breastfeeding campaign

Poole-based firm Morebus has joined the growing number of local businesses signing up to support the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme run by Dorset HealthCare.

The initiative aims to get more women breastfeeding in public and encourage cafes, restaurants, leisure centre and other public venues to sign a certificate of good practice and display a sticker welcoming mums through their doors.

More than 190 local businesses have pledged their support so far, ranging from the likes of McDonalds and Tesco to smaller outlets like the Flirt Café and Naked Coffee, and the initiative is now being welcomed on public transport.

Andrew Wickham, Managing Director at Morebus said: “We support a mother’s right to breastfeed her baby in public, and this includes doing so on any of our buses.

“Many of our customers are mothers and children, and we understand that babies need to be fed when they are hungry. With the numbers of those choosing to breastfeed being so low, we want to make sure people are aware of our stance, and we’re backing Dorset Healthcare’s campaign.”

The UK has a high drop-off rate for breastfeeding at around six weeks, with an associated rise in adverse long-term health conditions. One reason for this is that mothers don’t feel confident about feeding in public.

Liz Stacey, Breastfeeding Lead Adviser at Dorset Healthcare, said: “The principle behind the scheme is to have a recognisable logo that women can identify with and feel confident that they will be welcome to breastfeed at a particular venue.

“The Breastfeeding Welcome scheme aims to facilitate greater acceptance and promotion of breastfeeding in commercial and community settings with the overall goal of supporting our local breastfeeding mothers and increasing local breastfeeding rates.

“As many mothers use public transport, we are delighted that Morebus is helping us with this important campaign."

Her comments were echoed by Beth Allaway from Poole, who recently became a mother. She said: “For a new mother breastfeeding is extremely daunting, so a scheme like this is great. Seeing a sticker displayed in a public place would certainly give me peace of mind, and it is great that the scheme is proving popular.”

If you are a local business and would like to sign up to the initiative or find out more, simply send an email to dhc.breastfeeding.admin@nhs.net.