Free support in the community
At That baby place, we work alongside and in addition to other services. We are proud of our hard working colleagues and want to help you use all the services available, to get the best care for you and your baby.
Midwifery teams: All midwifery team members receive training to help you feed your baby. Some are really confident supporting breastfeeding (there are more and more training as IBCLCs), some less so and may specialise in other areas, it’s fine to ask. Authentic conversations lead to the best care. Many midwifery services have specialist infant feeding teams. Our excellent local midwifery specialist infant feeding teams, offer tongue function assessments as well as feeding support. To access them, the easiest way is to contact your Midwife or Health Visitor. Asking for more help early is really important to establish your milk supply. Your Midwifery team will be offering you bespoke support postnatally, but will always offer to visit you day 5 after your baby is born. You’ll know a bit more about your feeding journey then, so day 5 is a great time to ask for more help if you need it.
Health visitors: The health visiting team are all trained to help you feed your baby, and offer holistic support. Some are really confident supporting breastfeeding (more and more have done additional training/are IBCLCs) some less so and may specialise in other areas, it’s fine to ask. Authentic conversations lead to the best care.
Health visiting services usually have free drop in baby hubs and a mon-Fri telephone line you can call. You can find them by searching “the name of your council and health visitors”. Our local ones are provided by Sirona care and health, more info here:
https://sirona-cic.org.uk/children-services/services/health-visiting-service/
They will always offer to visit you before your baby is 14 days old, this is also a great time to ask for more help if you need it.
In North Somerset, the Health visitors are a UNICEF baby friendly GOLD standard service alongside North Somerset Council. They have a fantastic specialist infant feeding team that you can access via the Health visitor/GP/midwife/peer support. They also have a breast pump loan scheme, where people in need can borrow a breast pump for free (subject to availability)
Peer supporters: The unsung heroes of many a breastfeeding journey. Look out for your local peer support services. Ours in North Somerset are brilliant. Mums (who have often had their own tough time feeding) do a course so that they can help you with both practical experience and knowledge. They are often run by your council, search for “the name of your council and breastfeeding” and you will find them.
North Somerset’s are linked here: https://www.betterhealthns.co.uk/support/breastfeeding-support-groups/
Bristol/South Gloucestershire links are here: https://www.bristol.gov.uk/residents/social-care-and-health/health-and-wellbeing/breastfeeding-in-bristol
You can train to be the next mum’s hero, here’s the North Somerset link: https://www.betterhealthns.co.uk/breastfeeding-peer-supporter-training/
The National breastfeeding helpline. This fantastic service runs 24/7 every day of the year, offering phone support to breastfeeding mums.
Lucy Webber
And of course…. Lucy’s social media and youtube channels!
Lucy has spent years putting together the type of resources that parents need. Kind mums have contributed their stories, videos and pictures to create a library of real world resources to help you, for free.
Lucy Webber Instagram @lucywebberfeedingsupport_ibclc
Lucy Webber Feeding Support – IBCLC | Facebook
Lucy Webber IBCLC – YouTube https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc9XrECKkJZh1DWfoa6nfAg
Your GP
If you ever have any worries that your baby isn’t well, don’t delay, trust your instincts and get a medical review. You can call 111 for an assessment and GPs will usually see a new baby swiftly.