Breastfeeding Influences

[ClareVC]

Hello, I'm hoping to get some information for a bit of unofficial research I'm doing. I'm a Breastfeeding Counselling student and I need some anecdotal evidence for an assignment.

What I need to know is any factors relating to the local are that affected your breastfeeding.

Were health professionals helpful and encouraging?

Were there any groups that offered you support? Did you know where to look for help?

Did your friends/relatives/parntner have any bearing on your feeding choices?

Are local businesses helpful? Do they offer good facilities?

I'd love to hear any thoughts and opinions, positive or negative. Everything is valid for building up a picture of what's going on locally.

Thank you

I had ds1 at The Royal Glamorgan hospital where I had fantastic support from the bf advisor. I stayed in for 2 nights after he was born and when I left I really felt like I knew what I supposed to be doing (and more importantly what I shouldn't be doing)

When he was about a month old, we went to the Barry Milk Mates group where I met a lovely group of ladies. There waa a great hv there always willing to offer support and advice, and some great trained volunteers bursting with ideas for any problems we might he having. The combination of meeting new friends and having such support and encouragement when I was feeling pretty exhausted and vulnerable was brilliant.

Thank you for that, it's great to hear about some positive experiences!

hello

Sorry I don't know if you're a regular here or not, but are you particularly interested in Cardiff, or South Wales or more widely? If more widely, have you posted on one of the other boards (maybe in "Other Stuff"?) simply because you might get more response. The local board can be really quiet.

Now, bearing in mind it was a long time ago for me...! (8 yrs...)

No, HPs weren't encouraging. I had real problems to start, and DS was tube fed at first (slightly prem) and I was told I'd get out of hospital more quickly if I went for bottle.

I had a Breastfeeding counsellor through the NCT, although she talked a bit much! But she was nice and reassuring.

"Did your friends/relatives/parntner have any bearing on your feeding choices?"

Good lord no. They were a bit baffled as to why I was so determined, but weren't actually discouraging. it was all a bit strange, given the circumstances of the slightly prem birth (35 weeks, long story...)

"Are local businesses helpful? Do they offer good facilities?"
I breastfed whilst sat on a lot of loo seats! Mothercare was just about the only alternative.

Thank you for that, it is Cardiff I'm especially interested in but thanks for the tip!

I hope things have got slightly better and loo seats are not soooo much in use now, but I have done it once myself, before I decided I didn't care who saw my chest as long as my daughter got her lunch!