With this grant, FAB will run 84 sessions of our 2-hour antenatal classes in one year. The classes will be offered to residents in Bolton (Greater Manchester), and in Darwen (Lancashire), and will help our local communities in the face of the considerable financial implications involved in having a newborn baby. Eight mothers/families can attend each session, so this project could support 672 families overall.

In the current cost-of-living crisis, it is a worrying time as families consider how best to feed their newborn. Breastfeeding is free, environmentally-friendly, and is highly beneficial, including for improved infant and maternal health, and vital relationship-building for better mental health. But while breastfeeding is natural, it doesn’t always come naturally, and it can be an emotive subject for many families.

An analysis by First Steps Nutrition and Unicef in August 2023 shows a concerning rise in infant formula prices in the UK. The cost of feeding a 10-week-old baby can range from £44 to £89 per month – the Healthy Start Allowance, an NHS scheme that helps women who are pregnant or have young children and are receiving benefits to buy foods such as milk or fruit, is just £34 per month. Vulnerable families with babies are under growing pressure, unable to afford the rising cost of infant formula and other essentials to support their babies’ early years.

FAB already offers life-changing, evidence-based breastfeeding and infant feeding support to new families and mothers living in disadvantaged communities. But we know we can do more before the birth of a new baby to help families, and we recently launched an antenatal course so that mothers and families feel empowered and enabled to breastfeed as soon as their new baby arrives.

To date, an amazing 83% of women accessing our antenatal course are still breastfeeding at six weeks – the England average is just 49% (Office for Health Improvement and Disparities, March 2022).