LJMU recognised for its breastfeeding friendly campus

Liverpool John Moores University is proud to have been awarded the Liverpool Bambis Breastfeeding Friendly Mayoral Award and this week received the accolade from the Deputy Mayor of Liverpool.

The award recognises LJMU’s commitment to supporting staff, students and visitors who are breastfeeding their children to feel welcome to do so across campus buildings.

Dr Clare Maxwell, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, who led the application for the award alongside Amanda Mannion from LJMU’s HR team, said: “Breastfeeding provides lifelong benefits to mothers, babies, their families and society as whole. By welcoming breastfeeding on campus, LJMU is making a positive contribution and ensuring that women can feel confident and comfortable to use our facilities to breastfeed their children.”

The Bambis Commitment

Liverpool Bambis (babies and mums breastfeeding information and support) provides vital breastfeeding support and information across the city. They also award the breastfeeding friendly quality mark to businesses and organisations in Liverpool who have made a pledge to support breastfeeding.

In order to receive the quality mark LJMU has committed to:

• Welcoming breastfeeding in all public areas
• Offering breastfeeding mums a free drink of water, tea or coffee from campus cafes
• Identifying and providing private rooms and areas of privacy for mothers to breastfeed or express milk
• Promoting support services for breastfeeding, including through its own network of Parent Carer Advocates

Private rooms made available across LJMU buildings

Colleagues and students came together from across the Faculty of Health with professional services staff to celebrate receiving the award, before officially opening the first private breastfeeding and expressing room at our Tithebarn Street site.

Deputy Mayor of Liverpool Jane Corbett and Professor Valerie Fleming (LJMU) officially unveiled the new room which has been designed to include a comfortable chair and lockable fridge plus pens and labels for storage of milk.

Many staff and students have already used the facilities and further rooms are being fitted out in the Henry Cotton Building, Student Life Building and at Exchange Station offices. Other rooms are being sourced in the Redmonds Building, Byrom Street and within the John Lennon Art & Design Building.

Signage is being put up across campus buildings showing the Bambis logo, indicating that the area is breastfeeding friendly.

Café, reception and other key staff members have been briefed to ensure that locations of private rooms and other support for those breastfeeding is shared far and wide. 

LJMU’s Parent Carer Advocates can be contacted for further information and support by email.

Pictured: Dr Clare Maxwell, Professor Valerie Fleming, Deputy Mayor Jane Corbett and Michelle Beacock (lecturer, School of Nursing and Allied Health)