Lets Breastfeed (private practice)

[sungirltan]

here

i'd love the mn verdict on this. especially the having no agenda but being pro circumcision.

would you pay £90 an hour to talk to her?

Mmmm, most of it seems OK although she does seem to advocate expressing from 3 weeks using Medela Calma bottles.

Also, in response to the question 'How Long should I feed my baby for'. One of the things listed that should be taken in to consideration is the size of the breast.

She's not a lactation consultant as she says, but does seem to have a fair amount of experience and training.

In answer to your question though, no I wouldn't pay £90.00 to speak to her. I would probably ring one of the helplines or track down an NHS infant feeding specialist.

Are you thinking about it sungirltan?

christ no! i'm a peer supporter - i give advice/support with bf for free! saw the link on another forum.

What do you think of it as a service then sungirltan?

There are many ways of supporting women who breastfeed and certainly being a midwife and/or having bf your own babies should not be barriers to finding a way to offer good, accurate, non-judgemental support.

But I cringe when I hear of an individual being independent as if that is somehow better than belonging to an organisation, receiving supervision, getting support from colleagues, and above all, being in a position to be challenged. I am proud to be trained and qualified to be a (volunteer) breastfeeding counsellor (in my case, with NCT). I value the fact that I am obliged to get regular supervision and development and updating and in fact not to be allowed to practice without keeping all of this up to date. I think mothers risk being unprotected from scammers and charlatans otherwise! I am not saying this person is either (!!!!) and there is no evidence she is, but without the backup of a qualification that is kept up to date, how can she know she is practising safely and effectively?

She may be a lovely person; she may be very effective with many mothers and babies; she may be sincere and take it upon herself to stay up to date. But that's not enough.

At £90 an hour, she can afford to get herself qualified, for goodness sake, and to become a member of an organisation that can even kick her out if needs be.

Correction - I meant 'not being a midwife and/or having bf' should not be barriers.

Yes, is that really so odd? Plenty of fussy children might have got most of their calories from bm at 11m. My DS probably did and I don't think it is that amazing.
(and you're right Reality, he wasn't a toddler - he was a baby )

The comments under the breastfeeding a 'toddler' make me want to vom.

Well at least she's not touting this dribble at the Baby Show like some other 'breastfeeding expert' does

You really, really don't have to have bf to be able to support bf women.

Vol orgs like NCT (and all the others, and peer supporters) demand personal experience of bf because of the specific way they train - they value the embodied experience of having breastfed and use it in training as part of self-awareness and growth, and as a starting point for some technical understanding.

It is perfectly possible to have a different training - in midwifery, for example, or as an IBCLC - which doesn't actually need this aspect, and some fine women are around who have never bf, but who are still safe, effective practitioners.

So no reason to criticise her for this, IMO, but plenty of reasons to wonder why she feels able to practise independently without the backing and supervision of a qualifying organisation. I can't think of any other area of health or maternity or personal care and support where this would be acceptable - still less permit someone to charge professional rates.

"Now, I don?t for a minute think that you are all going to suddenly breastfeed your baby for the next 3 years in light of this information, but hopefully it will allow those of you who would like to breastfeed your little one for longer than the recommended 6 months, to do so in the knowledge that breast milk continues to be specifically designed to meet your baby?s needs."

Perpetuating the myth that the guidelines are to breastfeed for 6mo.

Very poor. It seems that she is not a qualified BFC, and not an IBCLC either.

Would I spend £90. No.

She reminds me of a certain someone else ByamCook who is similarly under qualified and overpaid.

mawbroon, I'm very at that bit too. How many misleading statements can she get in?? That a not-quite 1 year old is no longer a baby? That bf a nearly-one yr old is exceptional? That 'the early milk is what gets raved about'??? WTF?

That ?With so many mums told that breastfeeding is only beneficial for the first 6 weeks, how can this little thing be so super happy, healthy and content when feasting only on the occasional solid morsel and breast milk??. I mean, what?? Even if 'so many mums' are told this (by whom? HCPs?), how does that misinformation have anything to do with the health of this child?

I don't think she means to undermine breastfeeding an 11 month old, but whoever phrased this, really can't write coherently! Very badly phrased.

So um, no, wouldn't pay her £90 an hour!

Mind, I'd love a car with 'Let's Breastfeed' emblazoned across the side!

Grr. This makes my teeth grind and I'm totally with Reality

Who the fuck would pay £90 p/h to an unqualified person when there are qualified counsellors and peer supporters at the end of a phoneline, at a breastfeeding cafe, sure start or will come round to your house for the grand sum of nought pence? Or HV / Midwives available FOC...(yes I know the quality may vary but I don't have huge confidence in this lady's expertise if she thinks an 11m is a toddler)

If she cares that much about breastfeeding then why doesn't she train properly or become a feeding midwife. Lord knows the NHS needs BF advocates.

Seriously who would pay £90 per hour? I want to meet those people because I have some great investment opportunities for them...

I have to say, the more I read here, the less happy I am that someone with this approach is doling out advice. And why on earth would she need to check the 'shape' of the baby's mouth and the mum's breast/nipple even before beginning the consultation session? Problems aren't always purely mechanical, and mouths and nipples come in an infinite range of shapes and sizes, and generally shouldn't have a significant impact on feeding successfully.

Lol at her 'training' being from the time she was 'apprenticed' to an IBCLC member. I didn't know they did that! There was me, thinking that there were years of study and exams involved.

"Helping mums worldwide comes at a cost."

Mind you, now the NCT have decided to charge new students for their training for what is a voluntary, unpaid (largely) position, we may see a lot more of this sort of thing, and fewer well-trained voluntary counsellors.

That picture on the "breastfeeding a toddler" bit is incongruous too - the story is about a baby who is nearly one, and the picture looks like a two year old to me.

No, I don't think I would want a breastfeeding consultant who gasped when I told her I'm still feeding my one year old.

"Breastfeeding is a science. Since I come from a medical family ? I guess science is something in my blood."

I'll take qualifications over blood please.

lol RJandA! indeed.