Bliss launches breastfeeding study days

Bliss the special care baby charity is launching its new study days for nurses and doctors of sick and premature babies as part of World Breastfeeding Week. They will focus on nutrition for premature babies, in particular breastfeeding.

A mother’s breast milk is the best possible source of food for all new babies, but for premature and sick infants, it is particularly valuable for providing protection against infections, promoting development and encouraging the bond between mother and baby. Mothers of premature babies often assume they will not be able to breastfeed but by expressing their milk from soon after birth, they can provide an extremely valuable source of nutrients for their baby.

The study days in partnership with Medela on Breastfeeding the preterm baby and Optimising preterm nutrition will be held on four dates around the country later this year and early in 2009. These days are a great opportunity to enhance the knowledge and skills of neonatal health professionals, so that they feel more confident about addressing neonatal feeding and milk expression issues and better able to support parents, in particular lactating mothers.

Jane Abbott, Head of Innovations at Bliss says,

“Bliss supports changes in clinical practice that improve outcomes for premature and sick babies and we recognise the need for training and development of neonatal nurses and doctors. Our specialist study days are an opportunity for healthcare professionals to develop their skills and gain knowledge. We hope that more neonatal staff will promote breastfeeding and be committed to supporting mothers to achieve early and frequent expression for pre term mothers.”

For further information or to book your place, visit Bliss.org.uk.