Cafe's warm welcome to breastfeeding

Sue’s Curiositea and Coffee Shop, in Layton Road, was put forward for the Feed With Confidence Awards by customers.

The competition, run by breastfeeding products company Lansinoh, is designed to celebrate places and people across the country who are making the extra effort to support breastfeeding mums.

Cafe owner Sue Seddon (inset) said: “The cafe is open to anybody. We try to be all-inclusive. We are at the heart of the Layton community and try to be welcoming to all.

“We have got a huge mixture of people who come through our doors, from newborn babies to our oldest customers at probably 97-years-old.

“It’s definitely not unusual to see breast-feeding in the cafe.”

In 2016, just under 750,000 babies were born in the UK, with more than 80 per cent of mothers starting to breastfeed their babies.

However, according to Public Health England’s latest statistics on breastfeeding, the number of new mums still breastfeeding at six to eight weeks after birth drops to 43.7 per cent.

Michelle Lyne, education advisor at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “For women who choose to breastfeed it is so important that they feel supported not only by midwives, but by their family and friends too.

“Women should not feel guilty or embarrassed about breastfeeding in public and as a society we must continue to develop a culture of positive support for women who wish to breastfeed and educating the public is key to this.”