Baby Cafes in Newcastle are going to drop their fancy names - same great support, no more corporate branding

The cost of subscribing to the Baby Cafe scheme is pretty pricey and Sure Start have decided to keep the costs down by renaming them "breastfeeding support". Although it means no more cool blue logo, this change also means more money to spend on breastfeeding support directly - where it matters most.

For more information on breastfeeding support in Newcastle contact Sure Start on 0778 639 1369.

The calendar is now available!

The 2011 breastfeeding calendar many of you know about, and have contributed to, is now on sale from Sure Start!

It's being sold at a very affordable £3, all of which will go to local breastfeeding support, as Sure Start have kindly paid for the printing.

I haven't got all the details on availability yet, but if you would like to buy a copy the best thing to do would be to talk to your local peer support co-ordinator, or failing that Mandy Surtees (my peer support co-ordinator) who will be able to advise. You can reach Mandy at Sure Start Bridgewater on 0191 274 7308.

A big thanks to everyone who has supported the project!

I'll update when I have more information.

Help us with our 2011 breastfeeding calendar!

Newcastle Breastfeeding Resource and Sure Start have teamed up to produce local breastfeeding calendars for the last three years. Help us make the 2011 calendar our best one yet! All proceeds from the calendar will go to BAPS local breastfeeding support.

If you would like to be in this year’s calendar, send your images of breastfeeding in interesting or unusual places or ways to:

newcastleBF@gmail.com

Dredge your hard-drives, trawl your cell phones – old images are just as welcome as new ones. Images representing different times of year are especially welcome, as breastfeeding is not a seasonal activity.

Landscape-orientation photos work better than portrait ones, and please make sure you send only images you have permissions over, so that we don’t upset anybody with copyright problems.

The deadline for submissions is the end of August. We’ll vote on the submitted photos at the beginning of September at one of the Baby Cafés (to be confirmed which one).

More calendar information is available from newcastleBF@gmail.com.

More information on Sure Start breastfeeding support is available from Sure Start peer support co-ordinators on 0778 639 1369, or from Newcastle Families Information Service on 0191 277 4133.

This information is available to download here.

Breastfeeding photo exhibition at the City Library!

We’re celebrating National Breastfeeding Week with a photo exhibition, June 24th-30th at Newcastle City Library.

Mums from Newcastle have donated images to Newcastle Breastfeeding Resource over the last three years, for use in our annual breastfeeding calendar. We’ve teamed up with Sure Start to share the photos with you all and celebrate all the mums and babies who have contributed.

We all know breastfeeding is the healthiest start for babies—but this exhibition shows that it’s also about getting on with life, building a bond, and how breastmilk is the ultimate portable babyfood. At the park, reading a book, on holiday or even at the swimming pool, we’ve shown that life does not stop just because we’re breastfeeding.

Newcastle mums have chosen their twelve favourite images from those sent in each year in order to make each calendar—now see the full gallery of photos at the City Library.

The photo exhibition will be on display June 24th-30th, including textiles and other media produced by local families for Breastfeeding Week. Come and check out our breastfeeding chillout area and pick up some information on breastfeeding support available in Newcastle.

For more information email me at newcastleBF@gmail.com or contact Sure Start on 0191 273 9549. Download this information as a leaflet here.

The breastfeeding calendar is here!

The calendar is ready! At this point it’s available from the Sure Start Info Point on Adelaide Terrace (0191 2739549), but we’re looking to roll it out to other Sure Start locations across the city. Sure Start haven’t told me the price yet, but it’ll be less than a fiver. When I have more information, and some calendars in my possession, I will make them available online with payments through PayPal.

I will update you all when I have more information, but as everyone is so keen I thought I’d share the info I have just now.

Good things come to those who wait (this is my mantra)...

A big thank you to everyone who helped with the calendar, and apologies that the printer has messed around for 7 weeks with our files.

Keep you posted...

It's in the hands of the printers now....

Everyone is asking where the calendar is!

Sure Start have sent the files to the printers a couple of weeks ago, and expect to get the finished calendars back sometime around the end of the month.

When it's available to buy I will email everyone on my mailing list to let them know, and post the event on this blog - so rest assured, you won't miss it.

Good things come to those who wait, so this calendar is going to be fabulous!