why don't the NHS provide breast feeding counsellors ?

[gokwancarr]

I mean really experienced ones like the NCT or LLL have? why don't they come out for a standard visit, to mothers who have expresed the desire to bf, within the first week after birth (when it is most common for mothers to stop bfing through pain/thinking baby not getting enough/etc)?
i was just reading another thread on why people thought they didn't succeed with bfing. i can honestly say that i would not have continued to bf dd without the information i recieved from other mums on mumsnet....and one MW who came on the wrong day (but thank god she did i was sobbing on the sofa wondering why i could only express 40mls of milk on day 3 poor naive me)i really struggled to bf dd and every health professional i saw had a different opinion, looking back now i can even tell which ones must never have bf in their lives. i just think that during my pregnancy i was bombarded with so much written info on WHY i should bf but very little practical help on HOW. also it was never mentioned in any of the info that some babies suckle for hours and hours in the first days, as dd did, and this is why i nearly gave up cos i thought she wasn't getting any milk.

i think greatauntgriselda has a good point, breast feeding is a lost skill, in years gone by there would have been more women able to support each other, but with the advocacy of formula and timed feeding in the seventies that knowledge has been lost. Even in the supposed 'up to date' books i have read they constantly bang on about 4hrly feeding, leading to both my mum and MIL telling me dd needed formula as she wasn't going 4hrs between feeds, right from birth. she STILL doesn't - 6mnths old on thurs, above 98th centile for weight amd 90th centile for height

Actually, I don't go four hours between having something to eat or drink (am not overweight!) and nor do most adults....how they expect a small baby to manage, I don't know!

there was a person called a breastfeeding counsellor in the hospital i had ds in. she was nothing of the sort, had one badly photocopied leaflet and gave me utterly dreaful advice.

it took her two days to manage to see me despite being a full time employee of the hospital. she left me completely bewildered, still unable to latch ds on and if i'd continued to follow her advice it could have been really dangerous.

luckily when i got home i had some proper help from a lovely trained bfc vol she was a midwife in her day job too, lucky mothers to have her for their births.