Description
Birmingham City University Infant feeding room relocation and refurbishment project:As a junior Midwifery lecturer, Helen has really encouraged and supported me in managing and planning beneficial internal projects during my time at the University. Projects such as the relocation and refurbishment of a new infant feeding room at Seacole campus. Following feedback from previous users of the older located infant feeding room, the room was inaccessible and difficult to locate for individuals in need of its facilities.
Myself and Helen worked together to apply for a University Boost fund to support the project and worked closely alongside the executive dean to find a new and easily accessible location for the infant feeding room. We worked closely with our second-year student midwives who were encouraged to take part in the planning and decorating of the new infant feeding room. The students have left feedback demonstrating the impact the project had on their confidence, sense of belonging and sense of achievement in supporting a project that provided a safe and comfortable space for infant feeding practices within the university.
One of our student midwives have been supported by Helen and myself to apply for the Nursing times award to honour and celebrate their hard work, commitment and achievements in the infant feeding room project. We are eagerly waiting the results of the application. On a wider university impact the infant feeding room initiative aligns with the WHO, Sustainable Development Goals, Athena Swan equality charter and BCU’s values. Walter et al’s (2019) cost analysis of not breastfeeding included lost life, lost productivity, and increased costs to health systems at country, regional and global levels. Globally, 595 379 childhood deaths are attributed to not breastfeeding annually. Optimal breastfeeding also has the potential to prevent an additional 98 243 deaths of mothers from cancers and type II diabetes each year. The total annual global economic losses are estimated to be between US$257 billion and US$341 billion, or between 0.37% and 0.70% of global gross national income. With UK 6-8 week breastfeeding rates at 52.7% (2024) the support offered by returning mothers to the workplace is crucial.
The feedback we have received following the opening of the new infant feeding room has been positive and uplifting, further demonstrating the wider impact of the project on both staff and students across the university. To further support with infant feeding practices, we have co-created with a lot of support from Helen an infant feeding booklet. The booklet contains vital information regarding hand expression, breastfeeding support, sterilisation and reconstitution of commercial formula milk as well as links and contact details of infant feeding support services. Helen has also supported in bringing together a small group of Midwifery lecturers as a BFI team in which we have provided our contact numbers for users of the Infant feeding room to contact if they require any further information or support whilst using the facilities.
Following the launch of the new infant feeding room on the 14th of November 2024, Helen supported with the promotion of the new infant feeding room in the Tiger today and Faculty communication. Sharing the work of both the students and myself in the project as well as its facilities and location, spreading the news across all facilities of the university. Helen is currently liaising with the Karen Fox from HR to allow for consistency in the infant feeding room facilities at Curzon across all BCU university campuses. Helen has further supported me to submit a poster presentation of the infant feeding project to external organisations such as UNICEF BFI to share the benefits and impacts of the project on students, staff as well as the university as a whole.
| Period | 2024 → … |
|---|---|
| Degree of Recognition | Local |