Derry women shortlisted for 'Friends of Breastfeeding' awards

Dedicated community volunteers who support Derry’s breastfeeding mothers and their babies have been shortlisted for four prestigious ‘Friends of Breastfeeding’ awards.

‘Friends of Breastfeeding’ is a network organisation which connects women in Ireland who want to breastfeed with their local support system. It works to build communities of supportive friends, family and health professionals.

The glittering Awards Gala is taking place on Saturday in Offaly’s Tullamore Court Hotel.

Dr Maria Herron from North West BAPS (Breastfeeding and Perinatal Support) and Helen Hancock from The Mothers’ Village have been shortlisted for the Advocate of the Year award which “celebrates an individual doing outstanding public work to protect, promote, and support breastfeeding in Ireland”.

The Mothers’ Village group has also been shortlisted in the Breastfeeding Support Group category.

On top of that, North West Baps has been shortlisted for the Breastfeeding Initiative of the Year award which “honours a new and exceptional programme, service, ‘product’ or policy to support, develop and/or promote breastfeeding in Ireland”. 

And last but by no means least, the spectacular ‘Nurtured’ mural featuring a breastfeeding mother and her child on Great James’ Street has been shortlisted for a Breastfeeding Friendly Media Feature of the Year Award. The mural was created by the talented artist collective, Peaball. 

Launch of New Breastfeeding Mural in Derry by North West BAPS and Peaball

The event will take place on Friday, 29 November 2024 at 12:30pm, at the mural site on the gable wall of the Pram Centre, 14 Great James Street, Derry

IN PICTURES: Northwest BAPS World Breastfeeding Week event in Derry

St Columb's Park House & Gardens was the venue as North West BAPS celebrated World Breastfeeding Week

Dr Herron described her ‘Friends of Breastfeeding’ award nomination as “a great honour”.

Speaking to The Derry News as she prepared to travel to Tullamore, she said: “It was a great honour to be personally nominated and shortlisted for the Advocate of the Year award. 

“What makes it even more special is that North West BAPS has also been shortlisted for two awards. Our good friend Helen Hancock has also been shortlisted for two awards, so we are all looking forward to all being in Tullamore this weekend, having a bit of craic and meeting up with breastfeeding mothers, supporters and advocates from all over Ireland.”

Explaining her passion for breastfeeding advocacy, Dr Herron added: “I became involved in this issue when I became a new mum in Derry over 30 years ago. I really struggled with breastfeeding. None of my wider family had breastfed and I was the only mum breastfeeding in the postnatal ward in Altnagelvin. 

“Luckily I found great support at the Derry Well Woman Centre, in a breastfeeding group set up by Bernie Webster. I met other new mums there who were in the same boat. We all encouraged each other, and some of us went on to become the first breastfeeding peer support group set up in the city. 

“There was something very special about the women and tutors involved in this Breastfeeding Support Group - many of us went on to try to improve maternity services for other women, including setting up 'Mothers Voice' which campaigned for better breastfeeding support, midwife led care, birthing pools and more accessible maternal mental health support,” said Dr Herron. 

Dr Herron said she became a breastfeeding advocate because she wanted to ensure other women who wanted to breastfeed could find the support they needed.  

“During the lockdown years, I took time to look at the breastfeeding statistics in Northern Ireland and was shocked to see how little had changed in 30 years. I decided to do something about this, and in my efforts to raise awareness locally with the support of Zero Waste North West who recognised that breastmilk is the ultimate zero waste food for babies, I was encouraged, by a group of parents, to contact the Council,” she added.

“Then Mayor Sandra Duffy encouraged me to hold a public meeting, and from that the  local campaign group North West BAPS has evolved. 

“This is a fantastic core group of six mothers, with a wider Network of 35 individual advocates and organisations spanning the statutory, community and voluntary sector that have an interest in supporting breastfeeding in the Derry City and Strabane District Council area. It is great to see this group going from strength to strength! The expression 'Think Global, Act Local' is my philosophy these days!” smiled Dr Herron.

The breastfeeding advocate said she felt optimistic about the future of breastfeeding in Derry and the wider North West.

“In a city and region that has a history of health inequalities, breastfeeding - which has been described as a medicine as well as a food - instantly boosts a baby's immune system and provides lifelong benefits to their overall health as well as immediate benefits in reducing risks of common infant sickness such as respiratory and gastric illnesses,” she said.

“There is also a constant stream of new research which highlights the benefits of breastfeeding to mothers themselves of reducing their risks of conditions such as diabetes, obesity, breast cancer, ovarian cancer and postnatal depression.

“There is also a wider range of support in the community and online. At North West BAPS, we have been promoting lots of different services that women can reach out to including the health services (some women may not be aware that they can contact the labour ward up to 28 days after giving birth,) as well as their midwife or health visitor, plus local breastfeeding support groups that are now open to all across the Council area, there are also organisations such as La Leche League, Cuidiú and a wide range of telephone and online support. North West BAPS provides a weekly update of available support on social media,” said Dr Herron. 

Her sister ‘Friends of Breastfeeding’ nominee, Derry glassware artist, Helen Hancock is an advanced breastfeeding counsellor with Cuidiú, formerly known as the Irish Childbirth Trust.

Ms Hancock, who qualified as a breastfeeding counsellor in 2015, recalled: “Back then I was living in Donegal and running my support group from the Donegal Women’s Centre. 

“We started The Mothers’ Village WhatsApp group in 2016 with about nine people. Later that year I actually ended up moving back into Northern Ireland, becoming a single parent, and going back to making glass after a 12 year hiatus.

“The Mothers’ Village group is now a global group of more than 300 women. We have mammys from Derry and Donegal and we have groups of mammys from the United States, Canada and Australia,” said Ms Hancock.

Rediscovering her love for blowing glass, Ms Hancock began infusing breast milk into glass in 2017. 

“To this day, I am still the only glass artist in the world who does large scale glass sculptural ware with breast milk infused glass. I exhibit all over the world. I have an exhibition coming up in Texas in May and I have one in Slovenia in a couple of weeks time as well. And I have also exhibited the glass in Naples, Brussels and London and Dublin,” she said.

Ms Hancock was nominated for the ‘Friends of Breastfeeding’ award by Gierdre Mcllreavy, a member of the Mothers’ Village group.

Her testimonial read: “Helen, the coordinator of the group is just an angel walking on earth whose heart is as big as most of our breastfeeding mum’s.

“Helen runs a worldwide group and there is no limit in her support or who is within the breastfeeding group, because well we are all in it together. 

“I’ve been part of many groups and nowhere, even when people are paid, has  the coordinator responded 24/7 and provided constant, free, one-to-one advice. 

I can honestly say Helen has saved so many mummies breastfeeding journeys resulting in benefiting tons of babies which we know in turn will benefit our future generations, what a legacy in itself that in my view deserves your recognition.”