Joined: 17 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 3631 Gender: Female
Posted: 22 November 2006 at 10:55pm | IP Logged
Tonight I went to my local maternity in my newly appointed capacity as a "community mum". Rhona and I have just gone through 8 weeks of training to become one, and what we do is help support women who want to breastfeed.
It was lovely to see all those wee tiny babies (it fair makes you cluck like an auld hen!) I remember after the birth of my first wee one how lonely it could be in the maternity and how unsure of feeding I was when I was faced with my baby! Hopefully I'll be able to really help mums through the first difficult days. I still have LOADS to learn, but I really want to give back some of the help I received through my bf group and amazing hv. If it wasn't for them I'd have given up bf in those first few days or weeks.
We met a mum tonight from Germany, over here as she's married a guy from Scotland and she was saying she has been astounded with the attitudes she has heard towards breastfeeding here. In the continent most mums bf as it is seen as the normal way to feed their babies. No one blinks an eye if a mum feeds her child in public. What has gone so wrong in the UK that our bf rates are so low? Most continental countries embrace family life, extended families are more common and children are made welcome in most places. Our culture is far from child, and especially baby, friendly. Breastfeeding mums are made uncomfortable in some places to feed in public, or avoid it as they are embarrassed and so they need to feed in some box of a "feeding" room: which is really a chair in a stinking nappy change facility (if you're lucky you might find one with a curtain!)
Joined: 11 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 3776 Gender: Female
Posted: 23 November 2006 at 8:44am | IP Logged
Nice one Lynie, I wish someone like you was availible when I was BF my ds. I went through hell and sever PND due to feeding and got no help or support from anywhere. Due to this I chose to FF my next two and I'll be doing the same again this tme. I had trouble with latching and received no help and I was made to fell like you said that I had to feed in a smelly box where other mothers were changing their childs nappy. The hygeine behind that was disgusting but things havn't changed now 6 years on. I saw a woman trying to feed her child in town just a few weeks ago and she was confronted by 3 people in the time I was there telling her it was wrong and to go somewhere more discreet, she was covered, wasn't showing a thing, I really felt for her. It's a shame society today i so anti BF, I would love to do it again but without propper support and with the attitude of people today I'm going to be taking a wide birth from it and am going to stick to the bottle.
Joined: 13 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 8225 Gender: Female
Posted: 23 November 2006 at 9:01am | IP Logged
Lynie what you are doing is amazing. I am hoping once my hips improve and I can drive I can do something similar round here.
I was very lucky as Edward taught me to feed and I had no problems. However I have helped friends who have had so many problems and watching them made me realise how lucky I was. I think breastfeeding is an amazing thing. I only used one of those stickly change/feed rooms once and after that fed in cafes, pubs, bars, resturants, you name it - I fed there. I was once informed of a 'feeding room' in the building and I told them I was fine where I was thankyou! What could they say! Other than that I was congratulated by many for feeding so openly and giving my baby such a fab start in life.
Good luck Lynie and Rhona - keep up the good work!
Joined: 07 June 2006 United Kingdom Posts: 4057 Gender: Female
Posted: 23 November 2006 at 11:22am | IP Logged
Congratulations, well done you. I was always very discreet..have boobs will travel mentallity lol. Only got a few comments..but just gave them a choice..a quiet happy baby..or a screaming one..choose cos i know which one i prefer. Strangely though it was women I got the disapproving looks from, blokes tended to be very nice about it, not in a pervy way.
Joined: 02 August 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 1069 Gender: Female
Posted: 23 November 2006 at 5:27pm | IP Logged
That's great Lynie.
I still haven't had my 1st mentoring session, hopefully in the next week
or so and then i can get round some new mummys.
i agree, i felt very lonley and was left to get on with hit after thomas
was born. i was made to feel as though i was a pest because i wanted
someone to help me feed thomas, i was given no advice or guidance
and i'd like to help the new mumys get of to the best start.
Joined: 12 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 5851 Gender: Female
Posted: 23 November 2006 at 7:44pm | IP Logged
Well done Lynie, sounds fab!
Do you know if there are any such schemes elsewhere in the UK? Particularly Leicester/Leicestershire. I have a friend who is pg and is very much wanting to breastfeed and I'm making her a list of useful info! LOL (Obviously the madmums address is top of the list).
Joined: 17 June 2005 United Kingdom Posts: 3631 Gender: Female
Posted: 23 November 2006 at 8:22pm | IP Logged
I think we are pretty unique with this scheme in out part of Scotland.
As you might know it was only recently a law was passed here to give
rights to breastfeeding women- it is illegal to ask a woman to move
from a place where they choose to feed. England need to catch up!
The Scottish Executive are very pro feeding. Many big formula milk
companies are influencing the decisions of the London parliament it
seems!!!
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Topic: Completed my first maternity round!
Well done Lynie. Its good to know there is support out there for mums who want to bf! Im sure other mums, will really appreciate what you are doing!
