Healthcare Professionals: click here for distribution and ordering details.

Official Launch: Monday 3rd November 2008 (England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland). Click here for media release.

See what the media's been saying so far...

The health benefits of breastfeeding to mother and child are huge. A breastfed baby is 5 times less likely to end up in hospital with gastroenteritis than a formula fed baby. The main reason that women stop breastfeeding early is because they lack information and support. That's also why younger mothers from poorer backgrounds are less than half as likely to start breastfeeding than older mothers. Production is now complete on our groundbreaking breastfeeding DVD titled "From Bump to Breastfeeding: following real mothers' stories to find out how", which is already going out free to pregnant women in the UK. The films are being made in collaboration with the Department of Health (DoH) and many key professional and charitable organisations including UNICEF.

‘Get Britain Breastfeeding’ is a prestigious art exhibition, produced by the charity Best Beginnings in partnership with NHS London, D&AD and Dr William Wynn-Jones. It showcases the finished artwork of two exciting competitions with iconic designs to inspire, celebrate and change perceptions surrounding breastfeeding thus engaging parents of tomorrow.

Last October, Best Beginnings launched a poster competition for students at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art and Design. The overall winners have been offered a two week work placement at leading advertising agency Abbott Mead Vickers BBDO. The judging panel was unanimous in choosing Kayleigh Brooks and Sophie Barker as the winners of the competition. Their brilliant and challenging poster campaign will be distributed free in hospitals, community centres and GP practices throughout the UK, and will get people talking. The posters also promote a DVD made by Best Beginnings and sponsored by the Department of Health, NHS Health Scotland, the Welsh Assembly Government, the Northern Ireland Health Promotion Agency and the Tedworth Charitable Trust. The breastfeeding DVD will be distributed free to every pregnant woman in the UK from September 2008.

Best Beginnings launched a second art competition in partnership with D&AD, the educational charity whose mission is to promote and encourage creative excellence. Fledgling creatives often cite winning a coveted ‘Yellow Pencil’ as the tipping point in launching their successful careers. D&AD worked with Best Beginnings to write a brief for students taking part in their internationally respected competition. Over 400 students from all over the world have produced postcard sized designs promoting breastfeeding. The winner will be announced on June 26th at the D&AD Student Awards ceremony. The ‘Get Britain Breastfeeding’ exhibition is a unique opportunity to see a selection of the entries from colleges around the world.

This exhibition was sponsored by NHS London with support from Tower Hamlets Healthy Schools and Primary Care Trust. In preparation for National Breastfeeding Awareness week (11th-17th May 2008), children approaching adolescence and young adulthood had the opportunity to enjoy and learn from the exhibition by completing this interactive workbook. The workbook takes you on a journey of discovery, using the many different and brilliant posters designed by the Central Saint Martin’s students to guide the way. Midwives, health visitors, breastfeeding counsellors and peer support workers are available to raise awareness and point people to local breastfeeding support services. There are also exclusive preview extracts from the new DVD guide to breastfeeding. The exhibition has since been hosted by the Royal College of Midwives at their conference in London, and at the International Confederation of Midwives 28th Triennial Congress, Glasgow 1-5 June 2008.

Its next destination is the Health Showcase at the University of Hertfordshire, 21-24 October 2008 [find out more]

As founding organisation and Secretariat to the Breastfeeding Manifesto Coalition, we’ve seen great progress as support for the Manifesto continues to gather, and the Coalition goes from strength to strength. Over 300 MPs have now signed up and almost 8000 individuals.
If you haven’t already signed up, or you know someone who could, it is still not too late. It is quick and easy to add your support online here.
In late November we had a key meeting with the Minister for Public Health, and a key Coalition meeting hosted by David Kidney MP in Westminster. We are making good progress towards implementation of the Manifesto’s seven objectives, but we cannot continue to do so unless we secure the necessary funds.

Breastfeeding can give children from disadvantaged backgrounds a head-start in life and vital health protection. Not only does it lower the risk of childhood obesity and diabetes, it also lowers the risk of life threatening gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. It can also help relieve pain for premature babies who may undergo many intensive care procedures. And it keeps on giving protection - by lowering risk of cardiovascular disease in later life and helping to prevent babies losing their mothers to breast cancer.
Breastfed babies from younger and poorer families have health outcomes better than or similar to formula fed children in the wealthiest group. Only 14% of babies born to school-leavers still benefit from any breast milk after six weeks. Best Beginnings will develop resources that resonate with younger mothers and fathers. No other charity in the UK is proactively working at a national level to increase breastfeeding rates by creating free resources for parents and prospective parents least likely to breastfeed and those most likely to need higher levels of support in order to start or continue. So your support for Best Beginnings is vital.
Parents are being failed by a lack of support and advice. With your help this can change. In partnership with health professionals we will put accurate and practical breastfeeding information straight into the hands of parents who otherwise might never become or continue as breastfeeding families.

serious fashion, serious about fair trade and child health

An innovative, funky and ethical fundraiser to raise funds and profile for the Breastfeeding Manifesto is the new B*glam Winter Range: a clothing collection exquisitely designed pro bono by Lucy Tammam and Joanna Bradshaw and now available for sale here.
Modelled by none other than England footballer and BFM supporter Theo Walcott, the deep chocolate Fair Trade women’s, men’s and children’s tops are proving popular, and the stylised motif allows you to make a subtle statement of support. Oh, and the snuggly warm women’s top with thumb holes for extra warmth is a must have in the depths of the english endless winter!