They meet on Mondays at Low Hill Family Hub, Fourth Avenue, and on Fridays from 10am to 12 noon at Whitmore Reans Strengthening Families Hub, Lansdowne Road, which is due to become a Family Hub next month. A third group meets at The Children’s Village in Graiseley Lane, Wednesfield, a venue that is also set to become a Family Hub, on Wednesdays from 10.30am to 12.30pm.
The sessions are run by The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust's Health Visiting Service and provide help and support to new mothers, mums to be and their partners.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: "Breastfeeding has long term benefits for mother and baby, lasting right into adulthood, and so we're keen to encourage it.
"Research shows that babies who are breastfed are less likely to develop a range of illnesses such as ear infections and upset tummies. It also sets the child on a healthy growth path. And the longer you breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits.
"These sessions will give parents the information they need to make a fully informed choice on feeding their baby, and to support and develop their relationship with their new arrival. They can also get advice about a range of other issues which will benefit themselves and their child, and have the chance to meet other new parents.”
The Health Visiting Service also offer specialised support visits within the family home where required and works closely with the Infant Feeding Team at New Cross Hospital to promote the value of breastfeeding across the city.
The network of Family Hubs, which will see eight open by the end of July, are ‘one stop shops’, offering guidance and advice on a range of circumstances to support families through pregnancy and beyond, including infant feeding, mental health and wellbeing, health visiting support and parenting classes.
They provide a wide range of other services, including stay and play sessions and birth registrations, and bring together wider wraparound services that can make a huge difference to people who need extra support – such as advice on benefits and welfare rights, getting into work, relationship building and stopping smoking.
For more information, please visit Family Hubs.
