today's Guardian parents' section - MWs don't get bf training before qualifying!

[CarolinaMoon]

anyone else find this rather :

'Sally Inch Infant feeding specialist at the Oxford Radcliffe Hospital Trust

Astonishingly, there's no requirement for midwives to be taught about breastfeeding as part of their pre-registration training. It seems such a basic thing to do, and of course many people assume midwives are experts in breastfeeding. But breastfeeding is a learned skill - I trained as a midwife, but it wasn't during my training that I learned about it, it was by watching women and learning from them, as well as from other skilled experts and feeding specialists.

What figures show is that the biggest fall-off in breastfeeding rates is between birth and two weeks, and that's precisely the time when they're in the care of midwives. So what I say is, give them a clear and uniform training so they all know what they need to know. We wouldn't let a midwife qualify if she hadn't been taught how to deliver a baby, and she shouldn't be allowed to qualify if she hasn't been taught how to help a woman breastfeed.'

I would raise this issue with your RCM steward (or Unison). There must be a study leave budget. If not, questions need to be asked higher up the tree. Mandatory training must be done. Certainly some things are of more interest that mandatory. I am paying to go to a study day on Breech because I am interested. However, Immediate Life Support, Manual Handling, Child Protection, Infusion Device Training, Waterbirth, PPH, Shoulder Dystocia etc, etc. should all be facilitated to no cost to midwife and in work tome, or time back basis.

we have mandatory training on emergency skills drills/ CTG update, neonatal resus,health and safety/manual handling.No budget for other study days, these are all in-house.

I'm on maty leave until November, so it doesn't really affect me at the moment. i just needed to respond to this thread as midwives so often get a bad press.I feel so frustrated at times because people don't realise how much we do from goodwill,m or the constant battle we have with medical staff etc to ensure they have the birth experience they want. It just seems you can't do enough sometimes, that's all.

Got to go now. It's a beautiful day outside and I've been on the computer too long already!

I agree with you kerfuffle. However, most professions have issues similare. We just need to keep battling on. Enjoy the sunny day. Have you just recently joined mumsnet? Haven't seen you post before (I don't think anyway)

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My friend trained as a Lactation Consultant and was horrified to learn that MW get max 4 hours devoted to breast-feeding during their training!

kerfuffle,it's a bloody disgrace that your updating requires you to pay yourself and to do it in your own time.Words fail me.....

My NCT branch took on a trainee breastfeeding counsellor last year. Her day job is working as a community midwife and also for the local breastfeeding support group.

She told me she learnt more about breastfeeeding in her first few months of NCT training than in all her years as a midwife.

Personally Kerfuffle I would welcome a midwife who knew her limitations asnd when to refer on to someone else so don't feel that isn;t good enough. MY HV was fantastic when I had problems, but part of the reason she was so good was that she knew when she needed to bring in more specialist help. If you think about it logically, its only like a GP having to refer a patient to a specialist.

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Mears - sorry to disagree with you but I think that the baby friendly hospital awards can be just about trophy collecting and not much else.Last year i gave birth at a Bf hospital about 20 miles from you & the Bf "support" from the MWs on the ward was a joke. The community MWs who came to the house afterwards were even worse. Like so many people here, i only got the help i needed from a Bf counsellor and from MN.

I'm due another baby in Nov and I'm going to a different hospital. I have my booking visit on Friday and don't know how I will hold my tongue when they start the Bf propaganda talk. There are campaign posters everywhere in the OP clinic but they have no feeding, changing or play facilities for babies/children. What are you supposed to do with them during your 2 hour booking visit????

"you are welcome to feed your baby here" ( but just don't change his nappy)

Ok sorry rant over

Pruni, my HV sent me to a local b/f peer support group and after I had been I said that I found it helpful but obviously she was more trained than the peer supporters. She told me that she had attended the 1 day UNICEF training along with all the peer supporters therefore they were as well trained as she was!!!

We are now lucky enough to have an NCT bfc working as infant feeding co-ordinator alongside the HV's and peer supporters )of which I am now one)

Our local hospital is babyfrinedly but apart from 2 midwives who run the b/f clinic the rest of the support borders on appalling from the things people tell me. I had a homebirth mysels so escaped it.

Baby Friendly hospitals do at least have to demonstrate to asessors they have practices that support bf, and they have to maintain this or else they lose their accreditation. It is no guarentee of getting things right every time though - not by a long chalk.

Kristina, the description of the lack of facilities is awful. Your MSLC should know about this, and deal with it as a priority. YOu can also write to them about the poor bf support and send a copy of the letter to the director/head of midwifery.