Breastfeeding in Rochdale

About

Breastfeeding is the best source of nutrition for babies. It also contains disease fighting vitamins and nutrients which can help protect children from illness throughout their lives. We want to encourage mums in the Rochdale borough to feel comfortable to take up breastfeeding and continue confidently for as long as they want to.

We are encouraging local businesses and venues to join the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme, provide a breastfeeding friendly environment and help children to enjoy a longer, healthier life and wellbeing.

Breastfeeding friendly venues

Find a list of venues that have signed up to become breastfeeding friendly.

Through these links you can open a map of the venues, get directions and see contact details.

Breastfeeding welcome scheme

The Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme aims to facilitate greater acceptance and promotion of breastfeeding in commercial and community settings, with the overall goal of increasing breastfeeding rates.

If you are out and about with your baby, and you need to stop and breastfeed. Of course, you should be welcome to feed in public anywhere (in fact your right to do so is protected by law), but wouldn’t it be nice if there was a way of knowing that a cafe, restaurant or other venue really welcomed breastfeeding mothers?

The good news is that this is exactly what the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme is all about. When a venue signs up to be breastfeeding welcome and displays the pink and white sticker it’s a clear message to you as a breastfeeding mum.

“You are welcome to breastfeed your baby here.”

That means you can relax and get on with feeding your baby without worrying about what other people think. And that’s an important confidence booster too.

Join the breastfeeding welcome scheme

Businesses such as shops, cafes, beauty salons and other public venues can sign up to the Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme and support mothers to breastfeed when out in the community, by helping them to feel comfortable on their premises.

Sign up is free and can improve your business’ customer service, attract new customers and provide free publicity. To sign up your business needs meet these basic criteria:

Provide a comfortable, public area for breastfeeding mums.
Understand some women prefer privacy when breastfeeding and do all they can to help them.
Adopt a breastfeeding policy. Train their staff on how to implement the breastfeeding policy.
Display the scheme’s charter and sticker to tell visitors they welcome breastfeeding.

Our public health team can help you to meet these requirements.

Email: breastfeeding@rochdale.gov.uk
Tel: 01706 927081

Breastfeeding groups

Breastfeeding Mums and Mums to be are welcome to attend these friendly sessions which supports you on your breastfeeding journey alongside other parents. Please ring to check latest timetables.

Monday

Kirkway Children’s Centre, Middleton M24 1FL
10.45 am - 12.15am
01706 927292

Woodland’s Children's Centre, Heywood OL10 3BX
1pm - 2pm
01706 926800

Tuesday

Belfield Children's Centre, Rochdale OL16 2XS
10.00am - 11.00am
01706 356634

Heybrook Children’s Centre, Rochdale OL12 9BJ
9.30am - 10.30am
01706 630712

Wednesday

Howard street Children’s Centre, Rochdale OL12 OPP
10.30 – 11.30am
01706 926700

Thursday

Langley Children’s Centre, Middleton M24 4LA
1pm - 3pm
0161 6539526

For telephone advice, please ring your Health Visiting team Monday – Friday 9am – 5pm.

Ings lane: 0161 206 2906 (Rochdale North)
Milnrow: 01706 671910 (Pennine)
Croft Shifa: 01706 674 920 (Rochdale South)
Heywood: 0161 206 7487
Middleton: 0161 206 7729

National Breastfeeding Helpline (Evenings and Weekends): 0300 100 0212.

Anya App - Infant feeding support

Every new parent in Greater Manchester can now get free access to an innovative app which will give them 24/7 expert support and guidance with infant feeding from the comfort of their own home.

The Anya app offers a range of interactive 3D animations to show women and birthing people how they can best position and attach their baby to breastfeed.

Parents can also access evidence-based support through Anya AI, the app’s virtual supporter, and they can speak to a healthcare specialist directly if they need more help.

The premium version of the app, which is being supported by NHS Greater Manchester, is available to parents expecting a child who live in a Greater Manchester and eastern Cheshire postcode, and up to three months after the birth. Some features on the app are free to use, but premium access will allow people to use all the support tools.

Download the app from the website https://anya.health/greater-manchester/

This has been funded thanks to the collaboration between the Greater Manchester and Eastern Cheshire Local Maternity and Neonatal System (LMNS) and Anya.

Useful links