Celebrating Excellence in Infant Feeding Support at Newham Hospital

According to UNICEF, breastfeeding is one of the most powerful ways to support an infant’s health – providing complete nutrition, boosting immunity, and fostering emotional bonding between parent and baby. It’s a vital part of giving every child the best start in life.

That’s why we’re proud to share a fantastic milestone in the journey towards improving infant feeding support in Newham. Recent feedback for Maternity Services at Newham University Hospital has shown that 100% of respondents rated the infant feeding support they received as either “Good” or “Very good” (based on responses from 357 parents, July-October 2025 inclusive). This is a remarkable achievement and an endorsement of the quality, compassion, and expertise provided by the hospital’s Infant Feeding Team and healthcare professionals. The team includes two roles commissioned as part of the Infant Feeding Strand of Newham’s Best Start in Life Family Hubs network, as well as the hospital’s Infant Feeding Lead.

This feedback reflects the trust families place in our services and the real difference our staff are making every day. Parents consistently praised the clarity of information, the kindness of staff, and the availability of personalised 1:1 support.

Here are a few quotes of feedback shared:

• “Hawa gave support to my wife for breast feeding… Hawa explained all about breast feeding benefit and positions and attachments and about colustrern [colostrum]. My wife feels more confident now to feed the baby with breast feeding.”
• “I needed help with breastfeeding and Vicky came and demonstrated it and helped so much when it came to feeding baby.”
• “Hawa helped me with hand expression of my colostrum for my baby in the neonatal ward and [gave] very good advice.”

These stories highlight the importance of accessible, skilled support for infant feeding, as well as the progress of ongoing improvements in maternal and infant health and wellbeing outcomes as part of the 50 Steps Strategy.

We’re incredibly grateful to our hospital-based Infant Feeding Team for their dedication, and to the families who took the time to share their experiences. If you’d like to learn more or get involved in supporting infant feeding in Newham, visit our website: newham.gov.uk/BabyFeeding

We are here to support parents with feeding their baby, offering skilled, parent centred support from pregnancy through to starting school. The LBN Infant Feeding Team are part of the Health Visiting Service and offer support for all families, however babies are fed. You can call, text, WhatsApp or email for support, or come along to one of our Baby Feeding Cafes at Newham Family Hubs.

If you or anyone you know would be interested in volunteering as an infant feeding peer supporter to help parents on their infant feeding journeys, visit: newhaminfantfeeding.nct.org.uk/volunteer