CBC on another NCT bashing session....

[grumpgrump]

her latest blog entry - authorsplace.co.uk/clare-byam-cook/blog/

So, does the NCT BFC course only take 3 days then? No practical experience at all? Really?

Not sure how I managed to duplicate this....sorry :-(

link

It takes three years to qualify as an NCT breastfeeding counsellor, not three days. The qualification is awarded by a university (I have friend about to start training).

No! It takes about 3 years. It is similar to training as an antenatal teacher and so far that has taken me 2.5 years and I am only half-way through!

Did you get to see any real live women and babies pmsl?!!

I would absolutely love to train as a BF councellor.

What has CBC's experience been so far? What has been her training? Has her work been properly researched?

The NCT bfc course is an externally-validated University diploma in Higher Education, which most women take three years to complete.

The course mixes practical experience, observation, written work, reading, residential course work (2 separate weekends), group skills, self-development and awareness...I could go on. Afterwards, bfcs are required to undergo regular supervision and updating.

The three day course she talks about on her blog sounds like the UNICEF lactation management course, which is something different.

No one can qualify to help breastfeeding mothers in three days.

I don't know what CBC's bf qualifications are or how she ensures her practice is supervised and updated.

Gosh that blog is a depressing read! I have heard of her before. I didn't realise her advice was so skewed. What does she have to gain by doling out such misinformation? Does she charge for her advice? Not money well spent if she does.

Interesting to read the moan she has at the bottom of how her 'advice' on Annabell Karmel's website was received. As far as I remember, it was criticised because it was mainly a load of manure wasn't it?

I'm sure she does help women, MrsSanta...but I really don't know why she has such a sour and uninformed view of NCT!

Our help and support is free - maybe she resents the competition?

" point out that my advice isn't as bad as some make out"

ROFL at the fact her advice isn't as bad as some make out rather than her being able to say my advice is factual and up-to-date.

" point out that my advice isn't as bad as some make out"
Not exactly a ringing endorsement and that is from her own blog.

The NCT lady she was talking to had been on a Peer Suporter course by the sounds of it, this does not make her any sort of expert but just helps her support BFing mothers. The course is not designed to make them experts just understand how to listen and make some useful suggestions and help with any problems and if the problem is beyond them where to go to get help ie: a counsellor.

I don't think so, MrsGok.

Peer supporters get (typically) 10-15 weekly sessions of 2-3 hours each....there's no 3-day peer supporter course I'm aware of.

I attended a NCT peer support course for 2-3 hours a session for 5 weeks.

That's ridiculous, the peer support course I'm doing in the new year is 8 weeks long.

Sorry posted before I meant to.

So I am assuming that someone put the course togther and did a 3 day thing rather than spread out over several weeks.

Also that should read 5-6 hours a session above.

The only 3 day thing I know of is the UNICEF one. Peer support courses really are not squeezed into a 3 full days thing - no time for reflection and as most trainee peer supporters are mothers of young children, full days, close together, are not very possible.

NCT peer support courses are about the same length and depth as others.

It does sound like the UNICEF course, which isn't anything like a full training.

I know for the BfN training, to qualify as a supporter, I have to log a certain number of hours of helping mothers. I'd be very surprised to hear of any of the big four BF organisations not having such a requirement.

Given CBC's history of NCT BCF-bashing, I do wonder if she's being a little mischievous here? (I could use another adjective...)

She makes it clear that her friend (let's call her Jane) is an NCT teacher (antenatal) and then in the same sentence goes on to mention this 3 day course - the implication, especially if you're skimming fast, is that it's an NCT course. Or is that just me being cynical?

I do rather wish the NCT course didn't take 3 years, but there's a huge amount of training to fit into that time (I think it'll take me longer, and I'm right at the start!) and training days and monitoring and annual returns for every year you continue to practice once qualified.

Which is a good thing, of course. To be held up to account and brought up to date with current evidence-based information.

Argh! Ok slightly off-topic, but she says:

"If your baby has dry nappies and has lost more than 10% of his birth weight, he is clearly not getting enough colostrum and can (and should) be given some extra milk from a bottle."

Uhhhh, no, how about "you should go and spend some time skin-to-skin bonding with your baby, letting them feed whenever they want and they'll get themselves sorted! And if you still have problems contact a BFing advisor."

I met a poor mum at a BFing clinic who's baby was 4 days old and she was killing herself trying to express colostrum cos a midwife at the local hospital had shown her a bottle of formula that the FF babies would be getting and told her that was what her baby needed too!

leeloo....I know what you mean, and I have taken issue with some of the things said by CBC, but in this case....hmmm. A baby who has dry nappies and loss of weight may actually need some urgent assistance to rehydrate.

This is one of the situations where waiting for the baby to sort it out may be too risky.

Bf can be resumed, of course.

But when a baby actually stops weeing in addition to losing more than an acceptable amount of weight, he could be in a bad way.

Obviously, all you say about keeping the baby skin to skin etc is important, but in these rare situations where things have really gone pear-shaped with the bf, it may not work quickly enough to get the baby out of a pickle.

I see what you mean Tiktok, but don't you think that the advice is still a bit iffy? If your baby is in a bad way, with dry nappies and possibly dehydrated, I think it's risky to think that a book/website telling you what to do is the answer. I worry that mums in this situation will follow this advice without consulting a HCP thinking 'it's covered by the book'. There could be other serious things wrong too.

I would far prefer to see it say that they may need to be given extra milk from a bottle but that you should contact a MW/HV/other source of help urgently to discuss this? I presume it doesn't because in her next post CBC says that MW's ignore dehydration...

I agree, confused - a baby in this situation needs to be seen by an HCP and assessed. I have known some HCPs miss dehydration, but not when it's got to the dry nappies stage.