Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Support
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding and live in Newcastle, we can offer you information and support!
Best Start: Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Support in Newcastle
Best Start brings together our Pregnancy Support and Breastfeeding Support services to offer joined-up, compassionate care for families in Newcastle.
We are a team of trained practitioners and volunteers who work closely alongside midwives and health visitors to provide additional, accessible support throughout pregnancy and early parenthood.
You can call the team on 07826531575 or get in touch via our contact form.
Best Start: Pregnancy Support
Healthworks Best Start services are free, confidential, and non-judgmental.
The Best Start team is trained to provide practical and emotional support to women from conception to birth, and we offer information to enable you to make informed choices about how to feed your baby.
They can support you with:
- building strong parent-baby relationships,
- Preparing for labour and birth
- Preparing for a baby.
We currently offer the following pregnancy support:
1) Pregnancy Social Groups
Pregnancy Social Groups run throughout the week in various parts of Newcastle.
Our timetables may change, so we’d always recommend checking our What’s On page for the latest information.
2) Online Groups and Resources
Join our Bump Buds facebook page for ongoing information and support from our team on an ongoing basis. It’s a supportive page for pregnant women living in Newcastle.
Join us on Facebook and Instagram
The Pregancy Resources Hub brings together a range of useful inforamtion and trusted guidance about all things breastfeeding. Pop over and check out the hub by clicking the button below.
Best Start: Breastfeeding Support
We offer both group and one-to-one sessions to support you in reaching your breastfeeding goals, helping you build a happy baby, and providing guidance on returning to work.
Here’s Leanne from the Best Start team to tell you more about the services we offer:
We offer the following ongoing breastfeeding support for families in Newcastle:
Join us at a Breastfeeding Social Group
1) Breastfeeding Social Groups
Our Breastfeeding Social Groups are relaxed, informal, and friendly, and offer a great way to meet others and get information and support from a member of staff or a volunteer.
Our timetables may change, so we’d always recommend checking our What’s On page for the latest information.
“We really could not have gotten to where we are now without the help and reassurance the Best Start team gave us, particularly on days where we felt so lost and alone. We have built up a wonderful support around us thanks to attending these groups where the workers have become familiar faces to our little girl.”
2) Online Breastfeeding Groups and Resources
For ongoing guidance, support, top tips, and more, join our Breastfeeding Mams Facebook Group.
Join us on Facebook and Instagram
The Breastfeeding Resources Hub brings together a range of useful inforamtion and trusted guidance about all things breastfeeding. Pop over and check out the hub by clicking the button below.
Join our Breastfeeding Peer Support group on Facebook
3) Online Breastfeeding Peer Support Group (Newcastle)
A private online breastfeeding support group for Newcastle mothers that offers a safe, welcoming space to ask questions, share experiences, and connect with other breastfeeding parents.
The group is run by trained Best Start peer support volunteers, who provide evidence-based, research-led breastfeeding information and friendly reassurance.
To join, you must live in Newcastle and have a Facebook account. Click the link to request access – you’ll be asked a few short questions before joining.
4) A to Z of Breastfeeding – Free Download
Our A to Z of Breastfeeding is a clear, supportive guide for anyone who is breastfeeding, planning to breastfeed, or still deciding what’s right for them.
Created by the Best Start team, this easy-to-read guide brings together up-to-date, evidence-based breastfeeding information to support you at every stage of your feeding journey.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking for reassurance along the way, this guide is designed to help you feel informed and supported.
Download it and share it with anyone who might find it helpful.
Best Start Volunteers
Thank you to all of our wonderful volunteers
Our Best Start volunteers play a vital role in supporting pregnant women and breastfeeding families across our community.
Many of our volunteers have used Best Start pregnancy and breastfeeding services themselves and know first-hand how valuable the support can be. This lived experience inspires them to give back and support other women and families on their own journeys.
All volunteers receive training to provide antenatal and breastfeeding support, working alongside our wider Healthworks team.
You can hear directly from our volunteers in our “Meet Some of Our Volunteers” YouTube playlist, where they share their experiences of volunteering with Healthworks and explain why they chose to get involved.
You can find out more about volunteering at Healthworks here.
Support for Local Businesses and Organisations
Learn more about our Breastfeeding Friendly Business Scheme, including the benefits for families and organisations, staff training, and how to become Breastfeeding Friendly.
Contact the Best Start team if you’d like to discuss becoming a Breastfeeding Friendly Business.
You may also be interested in:
Visit our What’s On page for details and information about our other family and health, and wellbeing activities.
Our Stop Smoking services, if you are a smoker and need support to quit, we can help and support you.
Finding out more about our Pre-school. We offer places for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds.