Let's Breastfeed

My journey as a breastfeeding counsellor started 11 years ago and was driven by a longing to fill a desperate need many of my employers voiced. They wanted to breastfeed without pain and tears. This is my story.

How did you get into breastfeeding?
Have you done any other studying?
What about practical training?
Do you have a specific area of interest?
What makes your approach unique?
Do you have any children yourself?
How can you give advice if you have not breastfed yourself?
Are you a Lactation Consultant?
What is your process?
Which areas can you help with?
What are your feelings on expressing and bottle feeding?
What about nipple shields and pacifiers?
What’s next?

How did you get into breastfeeding? I became a nanny to a family shortly after arriving in London and when my employer had a baby, I witnessed the pain she would feed through, just so that she could give her baby the best start in life. This was in 1994, when breastfeeding didn’t seem very popular. After witnessing 3 more employers and many of their friends go through the same pain, I felt I needed to learn more about how I could help and support breastfeeding mums. I met a Lactation consultant who was looking for an intern. I was chosen and accompanied her to consultations for 18months, learning how to assess mums individually. I was inspired by how easily she restored calm and order and I knew instantly that I would do whatever it took to be able to do the same in future.

Have you done any other studying? After meeting Maude (Lactation Consultant) I enrolled in any and every course I could find. Starting with the Maternity Practitioner Award at Reading University and the Unicef Breastfeeding Management course. I attended all the study days held by Lactation consultants that I could find and turned to on-line courses in anatomy, physiology, toxicology and so on. Feeling the need to learn more, I completed the Australasian Lactation Course and continued attending conferences held by the traditional breastfeeding support groups. My practice quickly grew through word of mouth referrals which left little time to study. I am a qualified breastfeeding counsellor through Childbirth International.

What about practical training? When I realized that I wanted to help mums and their babies, I became a maternity nurse and specialized in helping mums with babies who suffered reflux and colic. The babies I worked suffered severely with acid reflux and would cry non stop for hours. Naturally breast or mother’s milk was the best option, but we had to manage feeds carefully in order to reduce pain. It was a challenging but invaluable experience and taught me a great deal about breastfeeding but also the depths of ‘mother love’. I was even more inspired to support mums after my experience as a maternity nurse.

Do you have a specific area of interest? Yes, I am intrigued by the effect labour and delivery methods have on the baby’s head and how this compression then translates into different breastfeeding problems. It may be reassuring to know that breastfeeding challenges are not only due to the way a mum holds, positions or attaches her baby. In some cases, the challenge lies solely with the baby.

Whilst we would certainly prefer no challenges, by recognising that two people are involved in the breastfeeding experience, we are better able to identify how best to proceed when creating a care plan that will afford mum and baby a quick and effective resolution.

What makes your approach unique? I guess I have come into this sector of care through a loop hole – not having had children and not coming from a medical field. It is something that developed through a desire to help and support mums. This desire and passion is as alive today as it was 11 years ago – maybe even more so. A mum’s success means a lot to me, not because she is a statistic but because she has asked for my help and this means a great deal to me.

Do you have any children yourself? Not yet, no.

How can you give advice if you have not breastfed yourself? Yes, this is something I am asked a lot. I have learnt a great deal from the studying I have done over the years but I believe, most of my knowledge comes from working with thousands of mums. Every mum is so individual, you can never know what to expect and so even when I see two mums in a row suffering sore nipples, the cause and the care plan are vastly different.

I don’t have personal experience to draw from, which is probably better as I would probably want to encourage everyone to do it the way that worked for me! Instead, I can draw from many mums experience from all over the world and this ensures that I have an open mind when listening to mums.

Are you a Lactation Consultant? No but I believe the service and support I offer is invaluable. Ultimately, I am offering mums a choice.

What is your process? Identify breastfeeding goals, challenges and then construct a care plan which reflects my clients goals and her commitments. Not all mums want to breastfeed exclusively for two years, so we start with where we want to end up and go from there.

Which areas can you help with? 99% of breastfeeding problems are the result of poor positioning and attachment (or poor instruction on how to position correctly.) By learning proper techniques relevant to a mum and her baby, I can help with everything from sore nipples, sore breasts, shooting pains, low milk supply, slow weight gain, infant gut irritation, over supply, mastitis, abscess, inducing lactation, sleep patterns related to breastfeeding babies.

As with all things, supporting my clients to achieve their breastfeeding goals are important and I will always refer if I feel a mum would be better supported with a different counsellor. It is about choice.

What are your feelings about expressing and bottle feeding? Many of my clients would like a degree of flexibility, especially if they have a baby and a toddler. Before introducing foreign teats and expressing, I ensure my clients establish breastfeeding properly and without pain. There is a fine balance though and many mums have been warned off bottle feeding, only to find that baby won’t take a bottle and they are a little stuck.

What about nipple shields and pacifiers? Likewise, there is a time and a place. When used correctly, they simply become stepping stones to a much better place. How could I deny anybody this?

What’s next? I find myself in an ever changing role which is exciting as I continue to learn and grow. This constant change I have recognized in myself has led me to look at how I could improve my service and help mums breastfeed successfully long term. I am currently assembling an offering which I hope will deliver this. Fingers crossed.