Breastfeeding Peer Mentoring

Breastfeeding Support Groups - Come & join us!

What is peer support?

Many places are putting formal arrangements in place for women in the community to support other women (their ‘peers’) to breast feed. This is a concept that has been around for years, and it has recently been approved by UNICEF and by NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) as an evidence-based way of increasing numbers of women to breast feed their babies. Other areas that have successfully established peer support programmes are Nottingham, Sheffield, Derby, Sefton, St Helens.

As Warrington is not traditionally a breastfeeding town, we don’t have generations of families who have breastfed to give the advice needed to new mums. Therefore there may be a lot of women in Warrington who have unrealistic expectations about breastfeeding and some have never actually seen anyone breastfeeding.

Peer supporters are local women who have personal practical experience and knowledge in breastfeeding and they volunteer to offer their support to other local mums. Peer supporters have breastfed their babies successfully and may have undergone problems but they have worked through and overcame them, and want to pass on their advice and support to others. All volunteers are thoroughly trained by our experts in breastfeeding before supporting women on the labour ward, and they are closely supported and monitored in case they need any help or information.

Overall impact of peer supporters

Benefits of peer support programmes include:

An increase rates of women starting to breast feed
The supporters complement the care and advice given by professionals
An increase in the length of the time women breast feed for

In England 78% of women breast feed their babies after delivery, but this falls to 45% of women breast feeding exclusively at one week and 21% at 6 weeks! Peer mentoring has even shown that women are twice as likely to breastfeed and continue for longer!

Bosom Buddies In Warrington

Warrington health and council services are proud of the first group of women who have been trained up to become peer supporters on the Bosom Buddy Peer Support Programme. Infant Feeding Coordinator Avril Smith worked with the volunteers for a number of weeks to train them in a UNICEF-based Breastfeeding Management course and the feedback from women on the labour ward, and from the peer supporters themselves, has been very positive.

Peer support also takes place within the community across Warrington through the bosom buddies groups, where a large number of mums attend the groups on a weekly basis.

To find out more about Warrington’s breastfeeding support groups, click here.

Do you have what it takes to become a peer supporter?

We are currently recruiting peer supporters to start training with us in November! If you are interested in supporting local women and have a passion for breast feeding, please contact us by using our breastfeeding feedback form or by emailing Sarah Tandy or Jayne Bamber on sarah.tandy@whh.nhs.uk / jayne.bamber@whh.nhs.uk.

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