Back in 2017 you and over 20,000 others signed Better Breastfeeding's petition to end cuts to breastfeeding support in the UK. A lot has happened since then!

We met with the government minister at the time and delivered our petition, explaining why breastfeeding is so important. Gradually the tide started to turn. We continued to work behind the scenes to shift the thinking and in 2022 the government announced that it would be investing £50 million in breastfeeding support over the next 3 years! It was the first time - to our knowledge - that any UK government had a budget line for breastfeeding support.

The Start for Life programme included investment in support based in Family Hubs in 75 local authorities in England as well as expansion of the National Breastfeeding Helpline. When the new government came in 2024 they extended this funding for an additional year. 

Now, as part of the 10 Year Health Plan and the government's new Best Start in Life Strategy, the programme is set to expand to all 150 local authorities and aims to open 1000 Family Hubs. We await details of the funding allocation for breastfeeding support but we can safely say that this campaign has been a resounding success. 

Better Breastfeeding will continue to campaign to improve support for mothers to breastfeed. Please stay in touch by signing up to our mailing list and following us on Facebook and X.