Giving the gift of Best Beginnings to all the UK’s children
Alison Baum CEO and Founder explains why support for their work is vital.
Every parent wishes for a happy healthy baby. But even in the UK, babies born to younger, poorer parents and to those from certain ethnic minorities are disproportionately prone to being born premature, suffering serious illness, development disorders, to still-births and death in early infancy. There’s a large health gap between the top and bottom of the social scale - a gap that leads to preventable illnesses, impaired development, avoidable suffering and devastating bereavements.
That’s why in 2006 Alison Baum set up Best Beginnings, a non-profit business pioneering new ways of reaching those facing the greatest child health inequalities in the UK. Best Beginnings became a registered charity in July 2007.
A science graduate of Oxford and London Universities, Alison made leading medical and science programmes for the BBC for nearly 10 years. Her skills as a social innovator were recognised in April this year when she won the prestigious Sheila McKechnie Foundation Award for Health and Social Campaigner of the Year.
As she explains; “Many poor health outcomes stem from the care, nutrition and environmental factors that impact us from the time of conception to the age of three. One of the best ways to improve the health of those facing greatest disadvantage is to ensure we reach parents within this critical time frame. There are a number of health gaps we focus on, however, as a small charity, with a UK wide mission, we chose to focus upon the importance of breastfeeding in our first three years. There’s no doubt that breastfeeding has a significant role to play in closing the health gap.”
Breastfeeding lends immunity from the mother - while the baby’s own immune system starts to adapt and develop. As baby grows, the constituents of the breast milk alter to mirror the baby’s needs. Nature doesn’t have a fixed formula - it responds to the changing needs of the infant and works in harmony with the baby’s development. Thus, “Infants who are not breastfed, for whatever reason” advises the World Health Organisation “should receive special attention from the health and social welfare system since they constitute a risk group.” Yet the risks are not reflected by the numbers of mums breastfeeding in the UK – we have one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe.
The evidence is compelling. Breastfed babies from younger and poorer families have health outcomes better than or similar to formula fed children in the wealthiest group. Not only does breastfeeding lower the risk of childhood obesity and diabetes, it also lowers the risk of life threatening gastrointestinal and respiratory illnesses. And it keeps on giving protection - by lowering risk of cardiovascular disease in later life and helping to prevent babies losing their mothers to breast cancer.
But the reality is that most parents don’t get vital information and support to start breastfeeding or to continue as long as they wish. Without the necessary advice and support, many mums suffer significant pain, both physical and emotional, before they stop. So Best Beginnings is now producing the UK’s first DVD on breastfeeding to be distributed free to 600,000 expectant parents each year. These films will put accurate and practical breastfeeding information straight into the hands of parents who otherwise might never become or continue as breastfeeding families.
The Government can and does have a key role to play particularly in honouring their international commitments, that’s why campaigning is part of our multi-pronged approach” says Alison. In its first few months Best Beginnings formed a coalition of more than 35 organisations, including five Royal Colleges and UNICEF, to lobby for the implementation of the Breastfeeding Manifesto so far. The campaign has secured support of over 250 MPs from all parties and led to a promise from the Government to safeguard a woman’s right to breastfeed in public throughout England and Wales.
To raise money and awareness of the breastfeeding manifesto, Best Beginnings worked with leading eco-friendly designer Lucy Tamamm to develop a range of elegant and contemporary long sleeve t-shirts for mums and children, and a short-sleeve t-shirt for dads. The winter tops as featured in Saturday’s Times article about Theo Walcott, Arsenal and England Footballer and his support for our campaign, are now available via the www.breastfeedingmanifesto.org.uk website. “Wearing these t-shirts is a great way for people to help – and do it with style” adds Alison.
Alison concludes “for a small charity we are delivering an ambitious programme of work. None of this work would be possible without a growing team of social investors and philanthropists and those willing to make significant pro bono contributions to Best Beginnings like Westbury are doing. We are committed to giving a real social return on the investment made in our work, and delivering our mission UK wide, so these contributions are vital.”
For further information contact Alison on 020 8830 5576 or at Alison@bestbeginnings.info
For more information about Westbury's services to and work in the charity sector go to our charity section , or contact Keith Graham by e-mail at keithg@westbury.co.uk or telephone on 0207 553 7122.
