Newcastle baby-bag scheme gives helping hand to struggling new mums

Vulnerable new mums in Byker are being given a "Baby-bag" to help look after their child.

The Newcastle Dream Centre at Elim Church, Heaton Road, which started operating its food bank in 2012 – along with other initiatives - has recently launched a scheme to support new mothers in crisis.

The project, 1st Babeeze, which has only been running since the beginning of April, is already helping mothers across the city.

Through working with local midwives at the Molineux Centre, Byker, new and expectant first time mothers who are in need of help are referred by the midwives to the 1st Babeeze scheme.

The women are provided with a baby-changing bag, which includes essentials such as brand new bottles, bibs and nappy cream, as well as knitted cardigans and blankets made by the centre’s knitting group.

New mums will also receive a self-care bag for themselves, which includes toiletries and chocolates.

Julia Lawton, community projects manager at the Dream Centre tells us more;

“We gave our first bag away three weeks ago to a first time mum who was 38 weeks pregnant and had only been in the country six weeks,

“Just seeing how grateful she was, is what makes all of our hard work worth it.”

The centre is also hoping to follow on from this with a weaning bag at six months.

Julia continued:

“As 1st Babeeze is a new project, we are seeing how it goes within the Byker and Heaton area initially, with plans to expand it across the city in the coming months.

“The project is mainly aimed at first time mums but if a mum who already has children is in need, we will of course help her too.

It follows a similar scheme in several European countries, where new mothers are provided with a box, filled with new-born essentials, which then doubles as a crib, in order to reduce infant mortality rates.