Breastfeeding Support
Breastfeeding your baby
Breastfeeding gives babies the best start in life
Breastfeeding is natural and normal and gives your baby the best start. The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. Breastffeding alongside the weaning process can continue to benefit your baby for many months after. Every day you breast feed makes a difference to your baby’s health, now and in the future.
For babies:
- Breast milk provides perfect nutrition for babies first 6 months.
- Breastfeeding protects against stomach bugs and chest infections.
- Breastfeeding may reduce the risk of children developing allergies.
For mothers:
If you have any questions on feeding your baby, such as:
- Worry about sore nipples,
- Not sure how to express milk,
- Going back to work and want to carry on feeding,
there is help at hand.
BREAST START
Breast Start aims to provide information and support to mums who are breastfeeding or who want to breastfeed. We are happy to work with the whole family to help make your breastfeeding experience successful and positive.
We are able to do this through:
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Telephone, text, and email advice and support.
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Drop-in support and social groups.
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Antenatal education at parent-craft sessions (ask your local Children’s Centre for more details)
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One-to-one home visits before or after your baby is born.
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Breastfeeding workshops focusing on the practical side of breast feeding, which we can offer towards the end of your pregnancy.
We have nine Breastfeeding Support Workers and numerous volunteers working throughout Sefton, including Bootle, Seaforth, Netherton, Maghull and Southport. These Support Workers have undergone La Leche League training, and also have a wealth of personal breastfeeding experience between them. If you would like more information on Breast Start volunteering contact Clare Armor on 0151 291 8024 or 07961253042.
Antenatal Services
We firmly believe that education during the antenatal period will help to prepare you and build your confidence for when baby arrives. We can offer antenatal breastfeeding support during your pregnancy in the following ways:
Parent Craft
Each Children's Centre runs parent education sessions on a regular basis. One of our Breastfeeding Support Workers will deliver a session on the benefits of breastfeeding during the parent craft course.
Breastfeeding Workshops
Breastfeeding Workshops provide practical information about positioning and attachment, what to expect in the early days of feeding your baby, how the breasts work to make milk, and other issues that we feel will help you to be more confident about nursing your baby in the early days. We welcome women in the late stages of pregnancy, and encourage a supportive partner to come along to!
Workshops
Netherton Children’s Centre
Magdalen Square
Netherton
2nd Monday of every month
10am-12pm
May Logan Centre
Knowsley Road
Bootle
Last Tuesday of every month
1pm-3pm
Hudson Children’s Centre
Moorhey Road
Magull
1st Thursday of every month
12pm-1pm
Linaker Street Children,s Centre
Linaker Street
Southport
1st Wednesday of every month
10am -12
Home Visits
If you are unable to attend a workshop but would like more information, we will be happy to visit you at home before your baby is born.
Postnatal Services
One-to-one Support
After your baby is born, we can offer one-to-one support via home visits, text, telephone and email.
If you have any questions at all regarding breastfeeding, no matter how minor they seem, we encourage you to contact us. We have experience in offering information on a huge range of issues, for example positioning and attaching baby at the breast, sore nipples, slow weight gain, thrush, fussiness, expressing, returning to work etc.
Even if you feel that everything is going fine, we are happy just to provide you with encouragement and reassurance that you are doing well!
Support Groups and Baby Clinics
You are welcome to come along to any of the Breastfeeding Groups; you do not need to book in advance. Each group has a Breastfeeding Support Worker available for advice; some of the groups are run at a similar time to the Postnatal Baby Clinics held by Health Visitors.
You don’t need to have a breastfeeding problem to attend the groups— they are a great way to socialise and meet other new parents!
Breastfeeding Support Groups
Linaker Street Children’s Centre
Tuesday 11-12.30pm
Tel: 01704 523343
May Logan
Monday 1pm—3pm
Knowsley Road, Bootle
Tel: 0151 922 8588
Ainsdale Centre for Health and Wellbeing
Wednesday 1.30-2.30 pm
Sandbrooke Road
Tell: 01704 387130
Hudson Children’s Centre
Thursday 11am—1pm
Moorhey Road, Maghull
Tel: 0151 531 0117
Butterflies Children's Centre
Friday 10-11am
Devonshire Road
Southport
Tel: 01704 227987
Parenting 2000 Children's Centre
Friday 12-1 pm
Mornington Road
Southport
Tel: 01704 380047
Freshfield Children’s Centre
Tuesday 10.30am -12
Watchyward Lane
Formby
Tel: 01704 876567
Local & National Helplines
Netherton Feelgood Factory
Tel: 0151 291 8010
Healthy Sefton
Tel: 0300 100 1000
NHS Breastfeeding Support
Tel: 0300 100 0212
www.breastfeeding.nhs.uk/
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers
Tel: 0207 813 1481
www.abm.me.uk/
Breastfeeding Network
Tel: 0870 900 8787
www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/
La Leche League
Tel: 0845 120 2918
www.laleche.org.uk/
National Childbirth Trust
Tel: 0870 444 8708
www.nctpregnancyandbabycare.com/home
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