I love talking and sharing knowledge about breastfeeding, pregnancy, nutrition and weaning, so when I was asked to come on board as the nutrition expert for the Philips Mother and Child Care Advisory Panel I instantly said Yes.
The panel met at the High Tech Campus, Eindhoven, The Netherlands and it was an action packed few days of tours, discussions and presentations.
It was very refreshing to be in a room of experts plus the Philips team who were all open to new ideas, constructive criticism and focused on the evidence base. I was struck by the desire Philips Avent have for driving new initiatives forward and trying to find the balance being creative yet basing ideas on current research.
Highlights for me included meeting some very knowledgeable experts and getting top tips from them and having some key discussions on the what the current needs are for mums and babies in terms of nutrition.
A visit to the Maxima Institute was eye opening, showing family centered care taking place. A place where mums and babies are cared for together post-birth, families have space to be family together, there are no visiting hours, there is even a “guest house” and toddler play ground and the medical team are seen as visiting the family. However safety and care are still at the heart of this place. Personally as a pregnant women I was walking round thinking how much I’d love to give birth in a place like that!