I always knew Bristol was lush ! As you know we are based in lovely Bristol, a truly lovely part of the south west and it was on our regional news yesterday that Bristol has been deemed the most friendly baby city in the UK.

UNICEF has awarded this and it take quite a few factors into consideration, from the ante-natal care through to birth and after baby is born, through to breastfeeding help and advice.

NHS Bristol is the first PCT to gain the UNICEF UK Baby Friendly Initiative 

community accreditation. This is a city-wide staged approach to achieving 

best practice in supporting breastfeeding mothers.  

NHS Bristol joins both city maternity units in gaining the coveted Baby 

Friendly Award – presented to health care facilities which have implemented 

globally recognised standards for infant feeding – making Bristol the first Baby 

Friendly city in the country. 

The award means that mothers in the city are now being cared for by NHS 

staff trained to deliver best practice standards from the beginning of 

pregnancy, through birth and into the postnatal period. 

With less than 2% of babies being exclusively breastfed at six months, 

breastfeeding rates in the UK are amongst the lowest in the developed world.  

Evidence shows that breastfeeding is by far the best way to feed a baby, 

giving protection against many illnesses for both mother and baby. 

Implementing the Baby Friendly standards has been proven to increase 

breastfeeding rates. Since the start of the project, breastfeeding rates in 

Bristol have risen and more mothers are breastfeeding for longer.  

Dr Hugh Annett, Bristol’s director of public health said: “This is fantastic news 

for Bristol. It demonstrates the hard work going on in the NHS and with other 

agencies in the city to promote breast feeding. 

“We decided to join forces with UNICEF UK’s Baby Friendly Initiative to 

increase breastfeeding rates and to improve care for all mothers. 

“Breastfeeding protects babies against a wide range of serious illnesses 

including gastroenteritis and respiratory infections in infancy, as well as 

allergies, diabetes and obesity in childhood. We also know that breastfeeding 

reduces the mother’s risk of some cancers, as well as being cheaper and 

often easier than bottle-feeding.”  

To achieve this award, NHS Bristol has worked closely with the health visiting 

service through the North Bristol Trust Child Health Partnership, Bristol City 

Council, the maternity services, Barnardos and voluntary breastfeeding 

organisations. 

Other support for Bristol’s breastfeeding mothers includes: 

• A network of volunteer peer supporters who can support mums  

• Breastfeeding support groups where mothers can meet  each other  

and gain help and support 

• A ‘breastfeeding welcome’ scheme where cafes/restaurants and 

other premises sign up to say they welcome breastfeeding mothers. 

• A paid peer support scheme for mothers in 12 wards of the city with 

the lowest breastfeeding rates (beginning in the summer)  

• A scheme to promote breast feeding to teenage mothers (beginning 

in the summer) 

Sue Ashmore, UNICEF UK Baby Friendly director, added: “This is a 

momentous development for mothers and their babies – and for breastfeeding. 

Consistently good care around infant feeding from the beginning of pregnancy 

onwards should be something every woman can expect. Unfortunately this is 

often not the case. 

“But at last Bristol has shown it can be done. NHS Bristol has become the first 

PCT in the country to gain Baby Friendly accreditation and joins both city 

hospital maternity units, at St Michael’s Hospital and Southmead Hospital, in 

implementing evidence based best practice around infant feeding.  

“Bristol has worked incredibly hard to achieve this award ensuring that 

mothers and babies will be getting the care they deserve throughout the city, 

antenatally and postnatally.  We hope this news inspires the many other PCTs 

and hospitals currently working towards Baby Friendly status – it really can be 

done.”