NHS Ayrshire & Arran is committed to supporting you in your choice to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is the healthiest way for a woman to feed her baby.
Exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months provides babies with all the nutrients they need. Continuing to breastfeed alongside solid food for as long as mother and baby are happy provides babies and infants the best start in life. This helps protect them from infection and diseases, such as ear, gastro-intestinal and chest infections, childhood diabetes and obesity.
Breastfeeding reduces the chances of women getting diseases such as ovarian cancer, breast cancer or weak bones later in life.
It is important you have as much information as possible so that you can make informed choices about feeding your baby.
Ayrshire’s Bairns app has a section on infant feeding providing information such as:
- Important practical tips to help you breastfeed successfully
- Hand expressing your breast milk
- What to expect in your baby’s nappies
- How you can tell that breastfeeding is going well
- Avoiding giving formula milk when breastfeeding
- Breastfeeding and nipple or teat confusion
- Babies at risk of low blood sugar
- Where to get help
To get the free app, download “NHS Ayrshire & Arran app” by searching for it in your Apple or Android mobile telephone app store. Then search for “Ayrshire Bairns”.
Further Support
Breastfeeding, combination and formula feeding support is available from the Integrated Infant Feeding Team.
The Maternity Infant Feeding Team are able to provide support within Ayrshire Maternity Unit until baby is two weeks old. The team can be contacted on: 01563 825483.
The Community Infant Feeding Team provides continued complex support to families either by telephone or/and at home visits.
Contact details
Community Infant Feeding Support Nurse
Telephone – 07894799499
The Breastfeeding Network peer support team provide one-to-one support for all first-time mums who are breastfeeding on discharge from Ayrshire Maternity Unit for up to 6-8 weeks.
They will support you over the telephone or face to face as required. For parents with breastfeeding babies in the neonatal unit, one-to-one peer support is also available.
Contact the Peer Support Coordinator on 01563 825403
Breastfeeding Network
The Breastfeeding Network provide a vast array of support for families in Ayrshire. This includes online zoom sessions, walking groups and drop-in groups. Mums are welcome to attend these antenatally and after their baby is born for peer support. For the most up to date list of groups, please visit the Breastfeeding Network’s Facebook page
The National Breastfeeding Helpline line and web chat are available 365 days a year 9.30am – 9.30pm on 0300 100 0212
Breastfeeding in public
For more information on how the national Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Scheme aims to support breastfeeding mums in public and to find out which local business have signed up to the scheme, please click on the link below.
The Breastfeeding etc Act 2005 makes it an offence to stop a child being fed milk in a public space. Mums have reported one of the barriers to breastfeeding is not feeling comfortable enough to breastfeed in public.
The national Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Scheme aims to support breastfeeding mums in public. Ayrshire businesses who joined the scheme agreed to inform all of their staff about the Breastfeeding etc (Scotland) Act 2005, support families to fed their baby on their premises and display the below sticker in their premises to let
parents know they are part of the scheme.
Facebook: BreastfeedingFriendlyScotlandAyrshire
Instagram: @Breastfeeding-ayrshire