North Lanarkshire Council supporting World Breastfeeding Week 2025
North Lanarkshire Council is showing its support for World Breastfeeding Week 2025.
The showcase, which will run from August 1-7, is focusing on the environment and climate change and encouraging people to promote a breastfeeding culture, creating a sustainable environment.
In North Lanarkshire, the council is actively encouraging breastfeeding and leading the way by driving a shift in culture change.
Together with its partners the local authority is making it easier for parents and families and improving accessibility, creating a breastfeeding friendly environment at all levels - health, education, workplace and community.
One recent milestone shows that 50.7 per cent of babies born in North Lanarkshire are now being breastfed; the first time this benchmark has been surpassed in the area.
This positive trend reflects an increasing awareness among new mothers of the health and developmental benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child and supportive communities.
To mark World Breastfeeding Week, depute leader Louise Roarty visited one of the many breastfeeding groups that meet across the area to see and hear first-hand of the help on offer to support breastfeeding.
She said: "Everyone has a role to play in creating supportive and sustainable environments for breastfeeding, and hearing from parents and carers at their local breastfeeding group reaffirms this.
"Providing welcoming spaces across our communities and workplaces to support new parents breastfeeding, educating our young people and changing the culture of breastfeeding to it being seen at the 'norm' are key to increasing breastfeeding rates and creating healthier communities.
"Breastfeeding is a natural, renewable food that is environmentally safe, produced and delivered without pollution, packaging or waste and is the sustainable solution that is good for the planet and its people.
"It's incredible to think that while breastfeeding mums are also protecting the environment too."
Councillors Geraldine Woods and Fiona Fotheringham tabled a motion at a recent meeting of the full council backing World Breastfeeding Week.
The motion also recognised the efforts of council staff and all employees working in NHS Lanarkshire's i nfant feeding and maternity services and other partner organisations for their ongoing effort to support, encourage and promote breastfeeding.
The council achieved gold status in the first-ever Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Local Authority Award, recognising its commitment to supporting breastfeeding in the workplace and wider community.
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