Incredible is a big word but I saw this in action recently and the results were nothing short of incredible.
A friend messaged me whilst she was away from home on a family holiday, she was experiencing a breastfeeding problem and wondered if I could offer any advice.
I did what I do whenever anyone asks me for support, I tried to help, sent her some links and some reasurance, we messaged about some steps she could take I said I would get back to her with more info.
What happened next was incredible – I looked at my network of friends, peers, and other wonderful people I have acquired as contacts over the yearsand found someone who was local to the area my friend was holidaying in and reached out. Within hours we had put together information about local support groups, access to peer supporters, contact details for people who could help face to face, and someone local who could guide my friend through local services, meet her at a group and talk to her.
Most of this happened without any involvement from me, women I had never met took it upon themselves to rally round and support my friend, and that really is incredible.
In the early days of motherhood I expereinced issues getting breastfeeding established, I got lots of conflicting “advice” and not very much information. A few weeks later I found my local breastfeeding support group, and the support and information I received there helped me reach my breastfeeding goals and then keep going until we reached a point where we stopped when we were ready to. My early days would have been less complicated had I known that the group was there.
Eight out of ten mothers will stop
breastfeeding before they want to.The reasons for this include: a lack of access to support services in the community and at work, cultural barriers and misinformation
Unicef – Removing the barriers to breastfeeding
When I meet women antenatally one of things I always suggest to them is that they visit their local breastfeeding support group before their baby comes along. This gives them an opportunity to meet the peer supporters and health care proffessionals who run the groups, see what breastfeeding looks like and meet some other breastfeeding mums. I think it makes it much easier to reach out for support if you know who you are talking to. In those early days, when you may feel vulnerable or low, a friendly face offering you an opportunity to unload and a moment to breathe is worth more than you might realise.
My early experiences lead me to train as a brestfeeding peer supporter, which I have been doing for over 8 years now. I think it set me on my path to becoming a doula, I learnt how to support, listen, not to give advice but information, when to signpost onto someone with more knowldge and experience.
For breastfeeding to work, you need someone to turn to who believes it’s important and believes you can do it.
Sue Ashmore, Programme Director, BFI
Over the years I have supported many women to reach their breastfeeding goals, supported women who wanted to stop breastfeeding, and supported women who chose not to breastfeed, I have supported women to feed their babies however they want to.
But I don’t do it all by myself, it is in conjunction with a network of dedicated and passionate volunteers and professionals. Since I began my training with the NCT, and as a doula my network has extended beyond those I know in my community to people in places I have never been, people I have never met.
Breastfeeding support services are under pressure, funding is being lost or withdrawn or reallocated.
Better Breastfeeding campaign says it has discovered that at least 44% of local authority areas in England have been affected by cuts or closures to breastfeeding services in recent years
Guardian,Breastfeeding support services ‘failing mothers’ due to cuts
Despite this reduction in service there are still people out there doing their best to support the women who access services or ask for support, working with limited resources, time and budgets they are doing incredible things.
I am really proud to be a part of that network, one that mobilises to support women without prejudice or judgement, when women support each other incedible things happen every day.
Further reading
- Barriers to Breastfeeding Briefing, Unicef The Baby Friendly Initiative
- Breastfeeding support services ‘failing mothers’ due to cuts, The Guardian
- Should I just give up? What to do when breastfeeding is really hard, the Milk Meg
- Supporting Breastfeeding, Unicef The Baby Friendly Iniative
- The Milky Way: Doulas and Breastfeeding Support, Maddie McMahon
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