Leominster Baby Cafe celebrates first birthday

A Herefordshire Council children’s centre is planning to celebrate the first anniversary of one its most successful projects.

The baby cafe at Leominster’s Coningsby Children’s Centre will be one year old on 27th April and the parents, staff and children intend to hold a huge birthday party to celebrate with coffee and cakes available to all.

The baby cafe is a drop-in breast-feeding support group which opens every Friday between 10.30am and 12noon where mums can get advice and support, together with a decent cup of coffee.

All pregnant or breast-feeding mums are welcome to drop in at any time during opening hours. No appointment is necessary and partners, supporters and health professionals are also welcome.

Since the cafe started a year ago, over 200 mums and babies have attended the sessions and eight of the mothers have undertaken a 12-week peer-counselling course so that they can help and support other mums.

Thirty-one year old mother of three, Charlie Jones, said: “It’s been great having the chance to speak to other mums who are breast-feeding, especially in the early days when things were not going smoothly.  I only wish there’d been something similar when I had my first baby.

“I find the baby cafe a really positive supportive environment and the staff are always ready to discuss any issues – it’s a good mix of informal and professional advice and information.”

Nicki Howard, health care co-ordinator, said: “We always knew that there was a need for such a group in Leominster, but the response has been much greater than I expected.

“It’s not just the support and advice that’s important, it’s the friendships that form too. Many of these mums will stay in contact with each other as their babies grow and share the new challenges of managing toddlers in the not too distant future.”

Herefordshire Council is considering working with the Primary Care Trust and the Acute Trust to set up a further baby cafe in the Kington area this summer.