We're Breastfeeding Friendly Longford' initiative launched at event in Edgeworthstown

The launch of the ‘We’re Breastfeeding Friendly Longford’ took place on Monday, October 7 in Edgeworthstown Library, hosted by the Longford County Council.

The initiative aims to normalise breastfeeding and support breastfeeding mothers through community support and collaborate with Longford businesses and organisations to deliver these supports for women across the county.

The initiative is led by the Healthy Longford Coordinator, Laura McHugh. Laura is no stranger when it comes to projects that champion supporting women, she also set up the Period Dignity Initiative which provides free menstrual products in organisations throughout the county.

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Laura was kind enough to speak with the Longford Leader at the event regarding the inception of this initiative.
“I am the Healthy Ireland coordinator for Longford, a lot of Healthy Ireland counties have done a Breastfeeding initiative for their counties.” she explained.

“I’m also a new mother so I had the interest based on that to look into this initiative but it was also through feedback.”
This feedback came from Cuidiú, a parent support charity that also supplies and trains breastfeeding counsellors.

Ciara Reilly, a breastfeeding support counsellor in the charity spoke at the event and spoke with the Longford Leader.
“Limerick has done it, Waterford has done it and now Longford has done it and Laura McHugh who is in the council is really spearheading this.

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“There's a lot of different organisations involved and Laura has brought them all together and formed this collaborative group.”
Ms McHugh is organising a revamp of the feeding room in Longford Shopping centre as well as collaborating with Longford Libraries to make feeding friendly spaces.

Ms Reilly highlighted the importance of having spaces like these, explaining, “Mothers who have agency over how to feed their babies are going to have better mental health and a more content existence.

“Mothers who can’t feed their baby the way they want to, lose that agency,”

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Councillor Uruemu Adejinmi was one of many spoke at the event.

“This is a project that is very dear to my heart, I set a motion to the council a number of years ago after being contacted by a breastfeeding mother regarding the unavailability of breastfeeding spaces,” she recalled.

Mothers and their babies were present at the event, many of them were members of these support groups like Cuidiú.