Breastfeeding support in Ealing - your views and experiences

[LocalEditorEaling]

Breastfeeding is in the headlines today again after a long-term study has pointed to a link between longer breastfeeding and intelligence.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31925449

While this news will certainly help raise awareness and promote the benefits of breastfeeding, the ultimate question is whether our new mothers who would like to breastfeed get an adequate support with breastfeeding in our borough?

My own experience back in 2008, as a first time mother, after a traumatic emergency C section due to preeclampsia at Northwick Park hospital, was grim.

We would love to hear your stories and suggestions.

I had a health visitor tell me that my milk wasn't good enough for my older son and I should just give him formula. It turns out that as well as being early he had cows milk protein allergy that wasn't diagnosed until his week-late brother had exactly the same issues 4 years later.

I have felt a lot more supported with my second child, Caroline Neale at Ealing Hospital in particular has been great and although I'm supplementing with 2 bottles of hypoallergenic formula a day to help him catch up in weight I'm still going strong with the breastfeeding after 9 weeks!

When I had my son at Ealing Hospital nearly 6 weeks ago initially I though Breastfeeding was going well although of course I didn't really know for sure. It being my first time. I'd been to an NCT Breastfeeding class and thought I was prepared. Once at home things didn't go so well and we ended up back in hospital as my son had jaundice and a suspected infection. Too weak to feed he was fed through a tube with formula and what little I could express for him. Most of the staff were amazing particularly the nurses and midwives who showed me how to express in a very caring way. I was distraught at not being able to feed my baby. Later as he still wasn't attaching well he was fed with a bottle and we had to continue to give him formula as he'd lost too much weight. So many people told me to contact Caroline Neale to help to get Breastfeeding back on track and I'm so glad I did! She gave me continuous support with a one to one consultation then via text and e-mail. She even asked me to send videos of my son feeding when I wasn't sure if he was feeding effectively.

I ran into some problems when I went back to A&E when he wasn't producing very many wet nappies. I was cutting down the formula and the paediatrician gave me totally conflicting advice telling me I didn't have enough milk for my baby and that I should be giving him lots more formula. This conflicting advice was the hardest thing for me to deal with. The paediatricians we met all seemed more concerned with him having set amounts of formula at fixed times rather than helping me to build my milk supply and increasing his chances of Breastfeeding long term.

Thank god for Caroline! I followed her advice and am now exclusively Breastfeeding.

The support is there which is great but I wish I'd been more prepared for some of the difficulties that can arise. I really thought 'almost every mum does this, it must be pretty straight forward'. If I had known that lots of women struggle before I'd had my son I don't think I would have found it so hard to ask for help.

I bf my daughter for 22 months. I had all the support from my mother otherwise I would have failed miserably as society make it such a thing to be ashamed of. Anyway with my second I am still breastfeeding at 10 months, but hardly due to the fact that I am pregnant again and my milk has decreased a lot through this. I'm a nutrition student and I must say, there is no information out there about what to do if you become pregnant again so soon. I feel pregnant while he was 5 months and I was breastfeeding, had no idea my milk would fade. So I now feed him maybe once or twice in the night but feel there is hardly anything left. I think women need to understand that breastfeeding can still be painful even if they are latched on correctly l, and it can take a few weeks for the pain to ease. I know so many women give up because of this

My local mw supported me at home in getting started. After that hv have been pro bf at every weigh in but never advised me really - gave me the number of voluntary helplines such as nct and national breastfeeding helpline.
In terms of fave to face help I used the nct who have volunteers at a local playgroup.

I was lucky as dd latched well. We had some drifting down the centiles but an experienced hv correctly assessed this as her being "born big" and finding her natural line. Just told me to add a feed a day (breast), if I was worried.

Had I experienced issues though I would have been stuck if I couldn't get hold of the volunteers.

You see I didn't even get told about Caroline!

It all came ok in the end but mostly via luck as dd is a low demand baby in terms of breastfeeds. .. latches well, feeds every 2/3 hr, toes her line etc.