On Saturday 24th June, 2017, I was invited to speak on Chinese cultural awareness around pregnancy, labour and breastfeeding, at the Salford Royal Hospital annual breastfeeding Festival. The audience comprised a mixture of healthcare professionals – doctors, midwives, nurses, and healthcare visitors – as well as parents from the public.
During the Question & Answer session, a specialist paediatric doctor asked for my advice on how to overcome barriers such as Chinese women not accessing peer support in the first month after childbirth, particularly if they do not leave the house. It is important to raise awareness of cultural and health beliefs, and training health visitors, midwives and other health professionals in reaching these Chinese women – through antenatal workshops, and home visits after they have given birth. And patient education and intervention on breastfeeding should also include partners and families.
For the baby: “Breast milk is the best milk!”
One thought on “Breastfeeding Festival: Understanding Communities and Cultures”
Shel Banks
16th July 2017 at 9:10 am
Thanks so much for coming, it was a really interesting talk and generated much discussion!
– Shel (chair of committee)