A MUM-OF-TWO who struggled to breastfeed her firstborn now helps to lead a support group in Barrow after the service helped her to feed her second baby successfully.

To mark World Breastfeeding Week, which runs in the first week of August, mums who have benefited from Action for Children's weekly support groups in Barrow and Dalton have opened up about their experiences.

Latest figures show that less than half of new mums in Barrow breastfeed - far behind the national average of 74 per cent.

One of the key barriers can be a lack of support from friends or family, so through the breastfeeding peer support scheme, volunteers in Barrow and Dalton are giving new mums a helping hand.

Melissa Greaves is Greengate Children's Centre's breastfeeding champion, having been inspired to become a volunteer after benefiting from the service.

"I breastfed my son 15 years ago but I wasn’t successful for very long only for around three months," she said.

"I was a teen mum and although I had some support it wasn’t enough. This made me more determined to access all available support when I was pregnant a second time.

"I attended the Greengate group while I was pregnant; it gave me the opportunity to ask
questions and gain confidence, it was also really nice to be around other breastfeeding mums, something I had never been around. It made it feel more normal as all too often there are negative stories in the press.

"When my baby arrived I felt I had been empowered with knowledge and understanding of the process which made me more confident when I doubted myself.

My baby and I, Luna, also attended the group together, it was a comfortable place to meet other breastfeeding mums who had the same worries and concerns.

"It helped me gain confidence with public feeding and talk though other worries such as weigh gain and returning to work and of course baby poo! It was really nice to have the reassurance from others that most things are normal."

First-time mums are also taking advantage of the free support on offer, like Laura Huitson who said: "The breastfeeding group has been a valuable service to me and my little girl. It's laid back and welcoming, but provides important information needed for mothers."

Despite Barrow languishing at the bottom of the league table, there are signs that the image and take-up of breastfeeding is, albeit slowly, improving locally.

The first ever national Breastfeeding Festival, now in its seventh year and held across two days at a conference centre in Manchester, was set up by three mums from Ulverston.

Breastfeeding support groups are held weekly in Barrow and Dalton - every Wednesday from 9.30am until 11am at Greengate Children's Centre in Greengate Street, and every Thursday from 11.15am until 12.15pm at Dalton Children's Centre in the grounds of Dowdales.

Sessions run by South Cumbria Breastfeeding Support at Ulverston Library are held every Tuesday between 9.30am and 11.30pm.

BREASTFEEDING: THE BENEFITS

Breastfeeding has long-term benefits for your baby, lasting right into adulthood.

Any amount of breast milk has a positive effect. The longer you breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits.

It's available whenever you need it, it protects your baby from illnesses and infections, it's tailored specifically for your baby and it provides health benefits for mums and babies alike - with breastfed babies less likely to develop allergies or skin conditions.

Breastfeeding can also save thousands of pounds, with no need to buy formula, bottles and other bottle-feeding paraphernalia.

Breastfeeding reduces your baby's risk of:

  • infections, with fewer visits to hospital as a result;
  • diarrhoea and vomiting, with fewer visits to hospital as a result;
  • sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS);
  • childhood leukaemia;
  • type 2 diabetes;
  • obesity;
  • cardiovascular disease in adulthood

Giving nothing but breast milk is recommended for about the first six months (26 weeks) of your baby's life.

After that, giving your baby breast milk alongside family foods for as long as you and your baby want will help them grow and develop healthily.

Breast milk adapts as your baby grows to meet your baby's changing needs.

MEANWHILE, a poll by the website Mumsnet of 1,030 mothers found that three-quarters said they believed that there was "too much emphasis on telling women why they should breastfeed, and not enough on supporting them to breastfeed".

The survey identified a number of reasons why mothers stopped breastfeeding by six to eight weeks including: problems with latching, concerns over the amount of milk being produced, pain, exhaustion, difficulties with expressing milk and concerns over the baby's weight.

Mumsnet chief executive Justine Roberts said: "There is no sense in endlessly telling women that they must breastfeed, but letting them down when they have a baby in their arms.

"Breastfeeding is a skill, and most mothers need support when they hit a problem, especially given that they are often shattered, sore and sleep-deprived.

"The guilt, anger and sadness experienced by many mothers who switch from breastfeeding is palpable, and it's deeply unfair to leave so many feeling that they've failed."