Life After The Soldiering On Awards!

We caught up with Natasha Day, winner of the Defence Inclusivity category of the 2022 Soldiering On Awards...

Natasha Day joined the Army in 2014 and deployed on various overseas exercises and an operational tour. After returning from maternity leave, she set up the award-winning Defence Breastfeeding Network to support servicewomen who continue to breastfeed when they returned to work.

The network supports over 900 families and has opened

22 breastfeeding rooms in military establishments to support women in the workplace Natasha has organised and trained 60 breastfeeding peer supporters, is part of the Commander Field Army's gender council, and instigated the policy change in dress regulations so that women can claim up to £200 back on mess dress alterations after maternity leave. This eases the financial pressure of returning to work and ensures that women are not disadvantaged because they have had a baby.

To raise awareness, Natasha organised for breastfeeding to be added to MATT 6, and a policy change she worked on with the maternity and pregnancy passport has helped women across the entire armed forces. She has achieved all of this whilst undertaking her paramedic course, carrying out shifts for the NHS during the pandemic, and completing extensive charity work. In addition to all of this, Natasha is raising a toddler!