UNICEF praise for Sherwood Forest Hospitals Trust's support for mums during Covid-19 pandemic

Non-essential home visits were suspended by the trust on March 17.

However, the infant feeding team did everything they could to ensure that breastfeeding infants who needed clinical assessments or treatment for tongue tie could be seen face to face either in the community or hospital setting.

The team – which comprises of two specialist midwives and six healthcare support workers – ensured that the tongue-tie clinic continued with adaptations including communicating with women before the appointment, hygiene measures and use of PPE.

They also managed to run the clinic by undertaking assessments prior to the appointment in the clinic.

Natalie Boxall, specialist midwife for infant feeding, said: “We know how important it is for new parents to get the right support with breastfeeding, so we worked really hard to run the service in a safe way for everyone.

“It worked really well and we were so pleased that we could continue to provide this essential service during such uncertain times.

One new mum who benefitted from the service continuing was Megan Bajaj with her baby Ameila.

Megan said: “The process of coming in was really easy, the first time I came to the clinic we had a chat on the phone beforehand so I knew what to expect and that I could only come alone, everyone was in PPE and socially distancing, so I felt safe.

"It was decided that we didn’t need the tongue-tie procedure doing at first and I was just given some advice and help with feeding.

“However, the following week I had a really bad feeding week with Ameila, so I rang the clinic again and they said to come in the next day.

"They were all so helpful and put me at ease, the procedure was explained really well to me and I was given some great advice and told about support groups and online Facebook groups which I could join to talk to others in a similar situation.

"It really helped, especially during lockdown and I’m really grateful that they were able to keep this service running throughout the pandemic.”