"Breast Feeding Support at Stapleford Care Centre"

Daily living support

Three months ago, I had my first child and I want to thank all the people linked to the Stapleford Care Centre, who supported me to breast feed.  

I breast fed my daughter straight after birth and thought I had it sussed, but after five days, I gave her a bottle because my nipples had become so sore. I’d not been using techniques to help my baby latch-on properly, I thought I’d just put her to the nipple and that would be it. Also I doubted that I was producing enough milk for my daughter, as she seemed to be constantly on-and-off the breast. Friends and family tried to be supportive, by telling me that there was ‘nothing wrong with giving a bottle feed’ and encouraged me to give a formula feed before bed, so I could sleep through a good part of the night. The Midwife Team saw my daughter feeding and gave some advice on how to maintain a good feed, but my nipples became so sore and I felt I had to continue to to use a bottle, for fear of my nipples becoming unusable!  

The Midwife Team recommended that I go to BABES Breast Feeding Support Group, Stapleford Care Centre, so when my daughter was two weeks old, I went. I was warmly greeted by the volunteer worker who ran that session and by all the other mums. I soon felt comfortable being around women who had come through what I was going through, to successfully breast feed. The volunteer worker sat with me for most of that BABES session and gave me advice on breast feeding. Learning the techniques to a good latch-on enabled me to continue to breast feed. The techniques are simple, but I needed to be shown and told a few times, before I started to use them all!  

I went to BABES the following week and a BABES staff worker went over the latch-on techniques, but more importantly to me, reassured me that I was producing enough milk for my baby and told me how important the night feeds are, for milk production. With that encouraging talk in my mind, I felt supported enough to stop giving the one or two formula bottles a day, which I had started to give, and from three weeks, my child has been fed exclusively by my breast milk. This wouldn’t have happened without BABES support, as BABES gave me breast feeding knowledge that my friends and family didn’t have.  

BABES are responsible for my breast feeding success and I plan to breast feed my baby for as long as she needs it and wants it. I’m very grateful to BABES and continue to go to the weekly session and Stapleford Care Centre, as it’s nice to be around other breast feeding women and the BABES breast feeding experts.

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