My name is Jayde, in December I finished my training to become a volunteer Breastfeeding peer support worker. So far I have had such a wonderful time supporting breastfeeding mums from many different walks of life.
But one thing they have all had in common was they all sought out support, whether positioning, issues with weight gain, supply issues ect and even making sure mums are ok too.
Our jobs as volunteers is to help with the above (medical advice not included but we can sign post) the best we can and share information to help a family on their breastfeeding journey.
I'm incredibly lucky that the training I received was free and provided by Barnardos, without whom many of the free support groups wouldn't be able to run.
Unfortunately funding for breastfeeding support is being cut up and down the country. In 2016 it was reported that there were 47% cuts in infant feeding support groups, 40% cut in peer support or one to one support and 48% closure of children centre services.
All the group I attend are ran by Children's Centres with the help of trained Peer supporters and Childrens centre staff.
I have posted a few links about the cuts and the damage it will/has caused.

https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/news-and-blogs/whats-new/2018/may/do-childrens-centres-even-matter/

https://www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com/twitter-and-blog/come-on-england

https://betterbreastfeeding.uk/2018/06/27/three-things-to-do-during-national-breastfeeding-week/

Last January, The Lancet confirmed the importance of breastfeeding – in both rich and poor countries – to the health of babies and mothers and to the economy. It also reported that the UK has the lowest breastfeeding rates in the world.

But the government has done nothing to reverse this. Meanwhile, across the whole of the UK, but especially in England, there have been deep cuts to breastfeeding support services in the last two years and these are continuing apace.

Recent examples include Blackpool Council, which ended its highly acclaimed and well-liked breastfeeding peer support service in June, and Kent County Council, which has just announced that it wants to get rid of its exemplary breastfeeding service too. They join a long and growing list.

The author of The Lancet report, Dr Nigel Rollins of the World Health Organisation, wrote:

“The success or failure of breastfeeding should not be seen solely as the responsibility of the woman. Her ability to breastfeed is very much shaped by the support and the environment in which she lives. There is a broader responsibility of governments and society to support women through policies and programmes in the community.”

Supporting mothers doesn’t mean simply telling them that breastfeeding is good for them and their babies. Most mothers in the UK already want to breastfeed. The last Infant Feeding Survey found that 81% of mothers began breastfeeding – by 8 weeks, half of them had stopped altogether. Of those, 80% of mothers said that they stopped breastfeeding before they wanted to. With around 700,000 births annually in the UK, that means almost a quarter of a million mothers are being let down, every year.

Midwives, health visitors and doctors cannot offer this support alone. Integrated breastfeeding support services must be set up in every area (as per NICE and PHEguidelines), making efficient use of the skills and time of peer supporters, breastfeeding counsellors and lactation consultants.

Improved breastfeeding rates would save the NHS millionsand would add billions to our economy, but breastfeeding support is inexpensive. It’s estimated that an investment of around £30 million would be sufficient to ensure access to high-quality, timely breastfeeding support for all mothers who want to breastfeed in the UK.

By shaving my head and raising money I hope to help put money towards training the next lot of volunteer peer supporters trained in Bristol and South Glos
#ProtectnotPromote