Soap star supports breastfeeding mums

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The peer support volunteers and their babies with Emmerdale star Zoe Henry, centre, at the celebration event

Emmerdale star, Zoe Henry, showed her support to Rochdale mums today (Thursday 17 March 2011) when she presented them with certificates for completing a breastfeeding peer support programme.

Ms Henry, who plays Rhona Goskirk in the soap, met the mums at a special celebration event held at Heywood’s Derby Street Sure Start Centre.

The volunteers have been taking part in the peer support programme for 12 months as part of a bid to encourage more Rochdale mums to breastfeed and continue breastfeeding once they start.

Although on the increase, breastfeeding rates within the Rochdale borough are lower than the national average.

Ms Henry presented each of the mums with a certificate and a knitted breast which had been created by a local knitting group to help the volunteers demonstrate how babies breastfeed.

Breastfeeding advocate, Ms Henry, praised the volunteers for their work, and said they should be “proud” of themselves.

The programme started after NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale became aware that in certain areas of the borough some mums don’t breastfeed and those that do don’t stick at it for very long.

Rachel Beckett, Breastfeeding Peer Co-ordinator for Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Community Healthcare, said the findings highlighted that there wasn’t enough support available.

Rather than focusing on the hands on side, the aim of the group is to promote breast feeding and provide mum-to-mum support for people who need it. Dads also took part in the programme.

The 25 parents, who have experience of breastfeeding, have been trained so that they can share their knowledge and skills.

Ms Becket said the training programme had been “incredible” adding: “There has been a visible change in the parents, they have become more confident.”