About Breastival
What is Breastival?
Breastival is a unique, award-winning festival which aims to support, normalise, and celebrate breastfeeding as part of everyday life.
Since 2017 families, parents to be, friends & supporters have gathered together at the annual event and are encouraged to learn, laugh, and maybe even dance to celebrate World Breastfeeding Week.
Our Vison is to live in a society that values breastfeeding again.
Our mission is to normalise and celebrate breastfeeding through working with governments, organisations, communities and families.
How did Breastival come about?
Breastival was founded and run by local mothers who became new mothers in 2016 for local breast-feeding families.
The very early foundations of Breastival started on the lawns of Belfast City Hall in 2016 when Jennifer Hanratty gathered breastfeeding mums together from across the region to participate in the Global Latch On. In the coming months co-founders Jennifer Hanratty and Jennie Wallace developed Breastival as a fun celebration for breastfeeding families with the aim of bringing people together in a positive space in response to low breastfeeding rates and to normalise breastfeeding.
Breastival attracts over 1,500 people and showcases the very best of breastfeeding innovation whilst building a network of families on a scale that was previously unheard of within the Northern Ireland context.
Since its inception, mums, dads, babies, children, parents to be, grandparents, friends and supporters have gathered together for a day of workshops for both adults and children, talks with local and international experts, meeting new friends and celebrating World Breastfeeding week.
Participating families have reported that Breastival is the first place in which they have felt fully acknowledged, welcomed and able to interact with other breastfeeding families in a wholly positive space. It should be noted that many mothers particularly those from rural areas note that Breastival is the first time in which they have been in an environment in which breastfeeding mothers are so strongly represented. This has been described as a significant factor in extending the breastfeeding journey.
Why do we need a Breastival?
Those who choose to breastfeed can sometimes feel isolated and unsupported in a society where breastfeeding is uncommon. Breastival was established to combat the isolation of breastfeeding mothers and families.
NI has some of the lowest breast-feeding rates in Western Europe. 30% of mothers from deprived areas are breastfeeding at hospital discharge declining to 8% at 6 months. A series of high-profile negative incidents regarding breastfeeding in public and the absence of spaces where breastfeeding families can build social networks has contributed to isolation and low rates.
Research commissioned by UNICEF UK reveals that low breastfeeding rates in the UK are costing the NHS millions of pounds. Calculations from a mere handful of illnesses, where the evidence is strongest, show that moderate increases in breastfeeding could see potential annual savings to the NHS of approximately £40m per year. Also, if half those mothers who currently do not breastfeed were to do so for up to 18 months over their life, there would be 865 fewer cases of breast cancer, with cost savings to the NHS of over £21million. There would be improved quality of life equating to more than £10million.
The benefits of breastfeeding are widely reported which include infant and maternal health, economic impacts, and sustainability. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first six months of an infant’s life, and for at least the first two years to offer the optimum health advantages that breastfeeding offers for both mother and baby.
Breastfeeding can make a significant contribution to population health by improving health outcomes for both mother and child. In January 2016 the Lancet editorial concluded that “Breastmilk makes the world healthier, smarter, and more equal…” and asks why, despite consolidation of the evidence of the health and economic benefits of breastfeeding, so little progress has been made.
Award winning
Breastival has won a number of awards, recognising the contribution it makes to mothers, families and communities.
In in the last few years some of these awards have included:
2021 - The Top 100 Most Influential People in the Event Industry
Eventex officially announced The Top 100 Most Influential People in the Event Industry for 2021 and Breastival's Co-Founder Jennifer Hanratty had the honour of being featured on the list. The index recognises event professionals who have left a mark on the industry with their creativity, vision and capacity for innovation.
2019 - MAMA - Maternity and Midwifery Awards, Breastfeeding Champion Award
In recognition of our work in transforming the breastfeeding community.
2019 - Family First Award
In recognition for our work Supporting Women In The Community.
2018 - Belfast Business Awards Finalist
Breastival was also a finalist in the Belfast Business Awards 2018 for ‘Involvement in the Community’.