If you had a broken leg would you expect to be referred to a volunteer-led support group; where you could talk with people who had broken a bone at some time in the last decade?
Or a paid professional Physiotherapist?
- Talking of ways of encouraging & supporting Breastfeeding Mums, why not take a peek at the support posters from a recent Scottish Health Campaign. Excellent! More up-to date link to the FeedGoodFactor pages here. Also the Scottish NHS has a good online training module about the support of Breastfeeding Mothers - aimed at pharmacists & other Health Professionals. It often recommends that they refer the mother to a volunteer BF supporter/ group.
- Article from a GP Journal which describes the use of Peer Supporters.
- Research article described the use of telephone Peer Support for teenage Mums - found no change to the rate of breastfeeding, but in contrast, exclusive breastfeeding duration appeared to be extended by peer support.
- Pregnant teenagers living in a northern English inner city told researchers that they thought breastfeeding was a morally inappropriate behaviour.
- BF Support helps younger mothers.
- Why some Support groups work whilst others don't.
- What makes a good BF Support Group?
- Article from the Breastfeeding Review; "Who Supports Breastfeeding?"
- The Real Baby Milk site discusses "What is a Peer Supporter?".
- I Want my Mum also discusses the role and limitations of a Peer Supporter in the article "Who's helping you?", with particular reference to a job advertised for a breastfeeding support worker.
- Dispelling Breastfeeding Myths discusses the role of BF Peer Supporters
- What Peer Support is NOT - a King's fund report about Hospital postnatal care is slightly twisted about by The Guardian (March 2011), in which they equate paperwork and BF Support as "chores" which could be passed off onto volunteers.
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Having two ears and one tongue, we should listen twice as much as we speak Turkish proverb |
Articles which discuss how we talk to women about breastfeeding :-
- Advice on the way to use positive language when talking to breastfeeding mothers.
- Very positive advice on ways to talk breasts with Teenage Moms - from KellyMOM.
- Marie Biancuzzo talks about the feelings of guilt we are told we bring on women who chose not to BF.
- and about the term "Breastfeeding" itself
- Harry Enfield clip - how to give advice in a lovely way?
- As Sharon Breward (NW Wales Lactation Consultant) says, "Women need foundations, not support".
- Why Breastfeeding help should be hands off
- What does good BF Support look like ?
- Why Peer Support works - "They've walked in my shoes"
Funding
What funding do support groups need?
Clearly support groups need a space in which to meet, and that is not free (though if we meet in clinics/ Surestart buildings, it can work out very cheaply).
A greater financial burden is the need (of all the volunteer Peer Supporters) to be trained, and kept up-to-date, as well as supported in their roles. All of this takes time and money. And a great set of Mentors & trainers! Perhaps even a creche?!!
Info about Peer Support in other UK areas.
We can learn from other areas.
- Neighbouring Cheshire has the Bosom Buddies, run from the Countess of Chester Hospital
- Fantastic Breastfeeding Support service levels by Little Angels of Blackburn.
- Lancashire generally has very good BF support - see this lovely swish page for the Salford area.
- Nice clear site from Milkmates of Barry, South Wales (I'm jealous!)
- Peer Support in Portishead, a rural area.
- Manx women are supported: click here. (though the Tynwald has shocked many by dragging it's heels on laws about BF in public.)
- My home area was quite well served, but this list is very old - Durham & Darlington
- Newcastle has a good LLL group
- Derbyshire has a target (2009).
- Lincolnshire too, in 2010 - see their BreastStart website. See this article from the local press.
- Suffolk, in 2009/2010.
- Essex girls!
- Great Barr area
Here the training gets a mention in a Health Challenge Wales document for 2007-09.
Flintshire midwives promote breastfeeding at the shops in 2009.
Stories about Peer Support
- A blog written by a lass who was taking the Peer Support training course. I began by reading this lovely encouraging piece.
Another vital resource to support breastfeeding: Paracetamol
No, no, I meant - partners. Your child's father is a vital helper & support in the whole of your time feeding your children.
Some pages here, here, or here which are aimed at Dads. What do they need to know to help you?
What can they do? (Read this if you need a laugh!)
Should they buy you a tub of formula "just in case"?? How important is it to have a rock when you are feeling vulnerable? What do babies learn from having a father-figure; a person who is so different from milky Mam?
The Fatherhood Institute may be of interest.
Fathers were asked for their advice - read more: here.
Other Sources of Support - family
Who else? Mothers should be the obvious choice for mothers, but sadly many of them have a gap in their knowledge & instincts due to the prevalence of f**mula when we were young (I'm not this old, though!).
Read more on this here. It's helpful to try & get your Mum on board before you give birth. Bring her along to an antenatal class, support group, or even just lend her a book. Here's a nice positive quote, "Mum was very hesitant about my breastfeeding my son, but once she saw and understood the bonding that has taken place, she sees no other way to feed him. I'm in such awe at the turn around in her opinions on birth and child rearing".
If you do find that support is slow coming from your family and friends, you will probably find it doubly helpful to sound off at the Support Groups. Particularly watch out for a heap of negative comments which can make you doubt yourself just when you are already too busy... Holidays!
Other Sources of Support - GP
A GP should be a reliable port of call for sensible breastfeeding advice - it would be great if all GP's and paediatricians had access to courses like this one (it's free) from the American Academy of Paediatrics. Sadly, we know that many have only a very short training concerning Breastfeeding Management.
Review (Aug 2010) of GPs' decisions about treatments for BF mothers.
And, from 2006 - A training needs survey of doctors’ breastfeeding support skills in England - reports that many were unaware of the minimum requirement interms of length of exclusive BF (cut to table on page 10).
Advice on which prescription is appropriate or safe for a BF mother is usually available from a guide: Hale, "Medications and Mother's Milk". Another resource is the marvellous Drugs in Breastmilk Information service provided by a Research Pharmacist (via the BfN website - a helpline, and also regularly updated info sheets) - again note she does this as a volunteer.
Basic info on medicines available here for mothers.
Other courses available to GP's:
- UNICEF Baby-Friendly
- BfN short course package
- Health e-Learning
- Also the Scottish NHS has a good online training module about the support of Breastfeeding Mothers - aimed at pharmacists & other Health Professionals.
SO - do you think YOU could be a Breastfeeding Peer Supporter?
We hold regular training sessions, and we are always looking for people who are committed to supporting other mothers in their area. Ideally, you should have had the experience of breastfeeding a child past the age of six months so that you understand all the ups as well as the downs. It is not necessary to be still feeding a child - we welcome mothers of any age and the main requirement is that you should be PRO-Breastfeeding!
Breastfeeding Peer Supporters in Flintshire are trained volunteers. Some expenses are covered, we regularly update our training, and we are all here to support each other.
In return, the programme needs to receive a level of commitment to our work.... we expect to see Peer Supporters attend a support group/classes/home visits once a week and be available to attend most of our meetings/further training.
We are currently in the planning stages for some breastfeeding antenatal classes, provided by Peer Supporters... and in time you could be part of this new stage in our Breastfeeding Support.
If you'd like to be considered for the next round of courses, please call the office in Buckley for more information. In office hours - 01244 545021
Coach Smith's Rules
for helping breastfeeding mothers (Linda Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC http://www.bflrc.com):-
Rule #1 Feed the baby.
Rule #2 The mother is right.
Rule #3 It’s her baby.
Rule #4 Nobody knows everything.
Rule #5 There is another way.
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