Guest post : 'What being a breastfeeding peer supporter means to me!' by Becky

Our very first guest post is from the lovely Becky at This Is Me, young mum to Tyler and blogger who mixes posts on fashion and gentle parenting! Thank you, Becky for visiting our blog :)

Hi, I'm Becky, 25, mum to a nearly 2 year old named Tyler and this year I went through my breastfeeding peer supporter training!

Training to be a peer supporter was something I was really excited about taking on! I left my job when my maternity leave was over as childcare costs were too high.

I believe in empowering mothers to trust their bodies and its abilities! Sometimes this can be one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering. A mother recently came to see me worrying about her supply, firstly because her baby was going through a growth spurt (which she didn't realise!) secondly because she was pumping less milk than baby would drink from the bottle in one sitting and lastly she had a fear of baby 'emptying' the breast and running out. We spent some time together, going through how the breast works, how it never runs dry, how pumping isn't an indicator of supply and how growth spurts work. She went away with a huge smile on her face, and told me how confident and happy she now was with her ability and felt ready to carry on with her new confidence. Nothing beats that feeling!

Being a peer supporter means sharing those 'light bulb' moments with a mum, supporting through previous bad advice or 'booby traps', becoming a support network for a mother who doesn't have it elsewhere, empowering daddies (and mummies!) to help support the breastfeeding mother and to encourage and praise.

I believe more money should be spent on training peer supporters to see mums in the flesh, I know in my early days I relied on strangers on the internet to support and help me but in those lonely first 6 weeks it would've been nice to see someone. Training is my way of being that person reaching out I wish I'd had!

Peer supporting also gives me a sense of pride that I'm giving something back. I think in life people spend a lot of time taking what they can, but not often spend that time to give something back. I don't get paid for my role of peer supporter, I give my time because I have a passion for wanting women to have accessible support!




If, like Becky, you wish to be a guest blogger on our page, please email andoverbfmums@gmail.com