Study Day: Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers

This study day is designed to equip midwives, doulas, and other people working with new parents with skills and knowledge to support mothers in the early stages of breastfeeding. We will look at the basic principles of establishing a milk supply that meets the baby’s needs, how to help her to get comfortable, and reflect on our own experience and boundaries. It’s a useful refresher for more experienced practitioners, with lots of evidence-based information sharing and perhaps some new ideas.

I am an NCT Breastfeeding Counsellor, Counselling Supervisor, and Peer Support Trainer. I run NCT Study Days and many, many antenatal breastfeeding sessions for parents. I am passionate about supporting mothers to breastfeed, and I know that doulas are supremely well-placed to give confident and knowledgeable help right from the start.

AIMS
I would like this workshop to…

  • Encourage an interest in current evidence about how breastfeeding works.
  • Inspire practitioners to bring calm and confidence to their groups when talking about breastfeeding.
  • Motivate practitioners to reflect on their own experiences of breastfeeding.
  • Help practitioners to identify other sources of support for themselves and their clients.

LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this workshop, people should be able to..

  • Identify at least three commonly-held myths about breastfeeding.
  • Describe the supply and demand principle of establishing a milk supply to meet a baby’s needs.
  • Understand the complex reasons why women stop breastfeeding, and consider how antenatal and postnatal support can encourage self-efficacy in new parents.
  • List one national and one local source of specialist breastfeeding support.

CONTENTS
During this workshop, we will…

  • Define and discuss our own philosophy on supporting all new families with regard to feeding.
  • Discuss the reasons women give for stopping breastfeeding and relate this to establishing and having confidence in milk supply.
  • Consider how the language we use affects people’s confidence in breastfeeding.
  • Examine some common myths about breastfeeding, while learning lots of interesting new facts.

To arrange a Supporting Breastfeeding Mothers study day, please contact me using the form on the right.