To coincide with World Breastfeeding Week, the 24/7 Breastfeeding Friend from Public Health England’s programme Start4Life will be available on Google Assistant to provide helpful advice for parents in the South West during the first few weeks of breastfeeding. Many mothers can find breastfeeding challenging and often this may cause them to give up. Currently breastfeeding rates in England rank amongst the lowest in the world.
The 24/7 Breastfeeding Friend complements the support provided by health professionals and offers friendly advice to mums who have questions and need support with breastfeeding at any point, day or night. The tool is voice activated on Google Assistant meaning mums in the South West can get NHS-approved advice in the moment and when they may have their hands full. The 24/7 Breastfeeding Friend is also available on Amazon Alexa and Facebook Messenger, allowing mums to access the service across multiple digital platforms.
Evidence shows the right support helps mothers to breastfeed for longer. A recent survey from Start4Life found that 49% of breastfeeding mothers wish they had known that breastfeeding may not come easy at first but getting support and advice can really help. When mums reflected on breastfeeding, the survey also illustrated that 28% wish they had known that asking for help breastfeeding can make a real difference and 21% wish they had known that there is lots of help and support from breastfeeding groups, other parents and online.