Can anyone tell me what being a peer supporter means?

[GruffaloMama]

Hi all. One of our local HVs (v pro BFing) has asked me to train as a peer supporter for local BFing mums. I've been told what training I need to do (ie when and where the course is) but info otherwise v sparse. Can anyone let me know what to expect?

In terms of background - am a first time mum. DS is 5 mths and excl BF - hope this will continue and plan to keep BFing once I go back to work when he's 7.5 mths. The training would finish when DS is around 8 mths. Would be delighted to help other mums if I can - but not sure what I can offer them???

Gruffalo It can be as much or as little as you would like.

Primarily you are a listening ear and an 'expert' on how and where to refer if someone is having problems.

You can be out and about in the community, just chatting to mums at any toddler groups you attend, or it can be a more formal weekly visit to a hospital or having your phone number given to any struggling new mum.

It really is as much or as little as you want, although, clearly if you're going to be trained you'll want to apply the training for a while.

hth

You should ask who is training the course, what qualifications they have and whether the course is accredited (i.e. will you get some sort of qualification at the end).

There are all sorts of different courses out there, and what to expect varies.

Ah good point Grendle. I'm being trained by the NCT for a joint thingy between them and surestart.

I am on a peer supporter course at the moment. At the end of it me and another girl from my town will by supporters at our Breastfeeding Cafe.
The rest of the girls on the course are from a different town where they will be asked to visit new mums and give telephone support - though the amount of time they will give will depend on how much they can do.
Its likely that your HV will have some sort of plan for your area so she will be the best person to ask.
Good luck

Thanks folks - that's really helpful. It's been hard getting hold of the HVs as they're v understaffed and therefore often out and about. I just didn't want to commit to doing something without having some insight into what it would entail.

I trained as a peer supporter 4 years ago now and have given talks and even demonstrations (!) at parent craft classes, been on rota to attend babycafe and have the telephone support phone, helped out at stands during national breastfeeding week. I admit that I am not very active right now as not long ago had ds3 and have my hands a bit full, but my HV passes local cases to me so I can call for a chat and to see how they are with their permission of course. Sometimes just speaking to a mum with a baby close in age can make them feel better. I would like to become more active again once I have a car so I can drop my older boys at the grandparents, so I am only dragging one child out.

Good luck!

I am a peer supporter with the NHS scheme called BestBuddies.

The way it works here is that when a pg woman books in with the midwife, they are told about the peer support scheme and asked if they would be interested.

Once they have had the baby, the hospital is supposed to let the infant feeding team know, and then one of the peer supporters makes contact with the new mum.

We have had training, but not hugely in depth tbh. I had already learned most of the stuff we covered from MN , but our role is not that of a breastfeeding counsellor, but of another mum who can cheer on a new mum, or spot problems and know who to refer her to.

I am now on my second mum since I trained and so far, it's going ok and not taking up a lot of time. You decide how much time you want to put in.

You may think you don't have a lot to offer them, but think back to when you had your DS. HOw much did you know then compared to what you know now? Your experience is what you have to offer them, and it is very valuable.

I'm currently training to become a peer supporter. Our plan is to take turns to help out at the local breastfeeding support groups, go to the surestart groups for young mothers, and maybe give talks at the local antenatal classes.
Our course takes ten weeks and we will then be accredited breastfeeding peer supporters. The teacher is a board certified lactation consultant among other things and seems really knowledgeable and we're getting much more in depth knowledge than I thought so I'm very pleased.

Sassy Are you on the same course as me?

Peer supporting seems to cover a wide variety of roles. I did the NCT course which was PCT funded (doncha love an acronym fest before 9am!). The focus of the course is listening skills and offering information if the mother wants it. It's quite hands off. You are not supposed to barge in with advice. It's about supporting and countering a few myths along the way (not enough milk, letting breasts "fill up for longer" etc). The idea is that the mother looking for bf support sees another knackered mother and feels that you can actually empathise with her - not another health professional with boxes to tick. Totally agree with PP that you need to find out who is running the course and what accreditation they have. Someone posted on here just couple of days ago about a course run by a tutor who had never bf . I can't see how you can "peer" support (or train peer supporters) if you haven't bf. If you are expected to do telephone support work then you must have training for that. Dealing with people over the phone is quite different to face-to-face. Courses generally cover common problems, mastitis, thrush, colic etc and very importantly, recongising when you are at the limit of your knowledge and when to suggest the mother seeks the help of a bf counsellor. It can be rewarding but also challenging as some HVs (in my area) see us as "intruding on their patch" - cos they give such great bf advice . It's great that your HV is pro-bf though

Snowlight, only if you live in Northants =)

Hi all - thanks for the advice - I will definitely check whether the course is accredited. It's good to hear what types of roles people have taken as peer supporters - really gives me an idea of what to expect and what questions to ask.