Baby Café NewsSpring 2016

Myths about breastfeeding. page 7

Baby Café helped me. page 3

Baby Friendly meets

Baby Café. page 4

page 2 page 3

In this edition...Baby Café helped m

e! page 3

Everybody’s talking about it: pages 4&5

news from the Baby Cafés

In the news: snips and clips page 6

Q&A: myths and page 7

misunderstandings

Websites and helplines page 8

Goodbye Joanne! Here we say ‘goodbye and thank you!’ to Joanne Richardson, from Croydon, as she moves on. Joanne Richardson has been Croydon’s Baby Café co-ordinator since 2010, when she landed the role of introducing and developing Baby Cafés across the borough. By 2012, five Baby Cafés were up and running. The records show that together, they help many hundreds of mothers and babies every year, welcoming more and more mothers as the word gets round.

Joanne is an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant), and her work has played a major role in improving breastfeeding rates. Sadly, she left Croydon at the end of 2015. She will be missed - but the good news is that the work will continue with the local breastfeeding support team, health visitors, peer supporters and NCT breastfeeding counsellors linked with the Baby Cafés.

Joanne Beaumont, from Peterborough, has two children, Tamsin aged four and Eddie aged two.

‘I knew I wanted to breastfeed when I was expecting Tamsin, but no one I knew had done it for long… in

fact, most people told me it just hadn’t worked for them, they didn’t have enough milk, or their milk wasn’t nourishing enough, and off-putting things like that.

‘When Tamsin was born, I decided to give it my best shot, but by day four, I was in a lot of pain. Fortunately, I was able to go to the breastfeeding clinic

at Peterborough City Hospital, and Roberta Roulstone, the infant feeding facilitator there, really helped. She restored my confidence, and she also told me about the local Baby Café.

‘I went when Tamsin was about seven weeks, and everyone was so friendly and welcoming. They didn’t

Baby Café helped me!Baby Café offers friendship, a listening ear plus encouragement and support. This can be important for mums struggling with confidence and worries. This issue, we hear from two mothers, Joanne Beaumont and Nicola Kirkwood, who share their stories.

Nicola Kirkwood and her 12-month-old son George attended the

Baby Café in Tunbridge Wells.

‘I always knew breastfeeding was something I really wanted to try. Once I

was back home from hospital, the midwife spotted that George had a

tongue-tie. Thankfully, this was quickly snipped, and we got off to a good

start. However, I didn’t know many other mums, and those early days with

a newborn felt lonely. Visiting the Baby Café became a regular outing

which I really looked forward to. I was always grateful for the advice, but

also for the informal support from other mums, and as my baby grew we

gained help with a range of issues including weaning and expressing.

‘Our breastfeeding journey has had its highs and lows - there were plenty

of times at 2am when I almost gave up. But I’m proud to say that at 12

months we are still going, and George is thriving.

‘Unfortunately, I’m no longer able to attend, now I’m back at work, but I

will always be grateful for the support, and the friends I have made, at

the Baby Café. I highly recommend it to other new mums!’

Hello everyone!Welcome to the first issue of Baby Café News

for 2016 – and all best wishes to everyone

who works within the Baby Cafés and those

of you who attend... plus all the babies, too.

I enjoyed meeting so many of you at the UNICEF

Baby Friendly conference last November and

hearing about the great things you do within the

Baby Café model - see pages 3 and 4 for some

pics and news from the event.

Keep up the excellent work that you do. You will

see the results of it in the next few months, when

the data collection from the annual survey is

analysed and published.

We hope to be able to have some exciting news to

share with you all about the development of the

Baby Café website in 2016. We know the internet

and social media is a vital way of keeping in

touch, and of reaching out to mothers who need

our support. Lots of us turn to the web first, when

we have a question, or want to explore what’s

available to us locally.

I’d like to also take the opportunity to thank

publicly, Heather Neil, who has been the editor

of Baby Café News since we started to regularly

publish, in the last 18 months.

Heather is an NCT breastfeeding counsellor

and tutor, and she is retiring from her tutor

job, including the editing role. I wanted to

acknowledge her contribution to the successful

relaunch of Baby Café News, and to say how she

will be missed.

Heather would echo my thanks to the Baby Cafés

and individual mothers who have sent their news

and stories to us, and who keep us going with

inspiration and ideas. We always need more, and

it’s such a great way of sharing good practice

and spreading the good work.

Trina - Baby Café co-ordinator

Hello!

bombard me with questions about breastfeeding, and there was no pressure - just a lot of warmth and support. It was comforting! So many people had similar experiences to mine, and it normalised everything I was feeling.‘I think the Baby Café was my backbone. My main worry was somehow running out of milk. I was so nervous. Trina at the Baby Café was great - she explained such a lot about how breastfeeding works. My understanding grew and my worries gradually disappeared.

‘After a while, it was suggested I train as a peer supporter, and I was so pleased to do so. These days, I contact new mothers after they return home from hospital to offer them telephone support and to signpost them to the clinic and the Baby Cafés.

‘Going to the Baby Café and training has helped me support my own family, too. My sister had difficult breastfeeding experiences with her first two babies, and she found it very hard, but with her third, she breastfed for a year.

‘I think Baby Cafés do a really good job. It’s a lovely environment.’

I think the Baby Café was my

backbone. My main worry was

somehow running out of milk.

Real life stories

page 4

Safe sleeping and the Baby Café

News from San Antonio, Texas, USA: the

Baby Café there has joined forces with

the local health district in supporting

education on safe sleeping for babies,

in response to concerns about a rise in

preventable baby deaths due to unsafe

sleeping practices.

UK Baby Café mums and workers can see the

US ‘Safe to Sleep’ materials here: https://www.

nichd.nih.gov/sts/Pages/default.aspx. Note that,

just as in the UK, breastfeeding is one of the points

given to reduce the risk of SIDS (Sudden Infant

Death Syndrome, or ‘cot death’), though there

are some differences in other recommendations.

Two new Baby CafésWelcome to Park Lane Baby Café in Tottenham, North London! This brand new addition to the capital’s list of Baby Cafés meets weekly at Park Lane Children’s Centre, Tuesdays from 10 to 12.

And stop press: there’s already a Baby Café in Hastings, New Zealand - and we now have one to match in the UK! The latest addition to the Baby Café listings is in Hastings, East Sussex, on the south coast. More news and pictures in the next edition of Baby Café News.

Congrats to the tongue-tie clinic

Baby Cafés in the Huddersfield, Yorkshire

area have close links with their local

tongue-tie clinic, run by midwife Marilyn

Rodgers, from Calderdale Baby Café.

Our picture shows Marilyn (below left) being

presented with the top Celebrating Success

award, by Judith McLean of the local NHS

Trust. Babies are assessed at the Baby Café and

then referred for tongue-tie snipping. Follow-up

care is offered by the Baby Café, and, so far,

several hundred babies have been helped by the

procedure. The award came with a hefty cash

award to develop and continue the good work.

Co-ordinator Trina Warman headed up the Baby Café team at the UNICEF Baby Friendly conference held last November in Harrogate.

‘It was a pleasure to meet people from several Baby Cafés,’ says Trina. ‘I was there alongside Dr Rebekah Fox (pictured top) and Dr Sarah McMullen (pictured bottom), from NCT’s research department, who had copies of the research paper they have written about Baby Café.’

Rebekah and Sarah’s study is available on the Baby Café website with the title A Cup of Tea and Tell Me All About It. The focus is on the impact on mothers of visiting Baby Cafés, and captures the real essence of why mothers find the support given to them so useful.

Trina reports that one of the memorable sessions came from Dr Helen Crawley. Helen is a dietitian and a public health nutritionist, and she is a director of First Steps Nutrition Trust. She spoke about her dealings with formula milk companies and her attempts at gaining information from them about the contents of specialised formula milks. You can see a copy of her work at the link below.

Trina adds, ‘Many of us were moved by hearing poetry from Hollie McNish (pictured right). Her new book called Nobody Told Me has poems about the experience of parenthood - it’s a must-buy.’

Diss welcomes Sherry Regional trainer for the Baby Café, Sherry Bevan, made the journey from London to Diss in Norfolk to drop in at the Baby Café in the town.

‘It was lovely to see people, and to be made to feel so very welcome,’ says Sherry. ‘One mum told me “I like coming because it’s a space just to be me and to realise that what I’m experiencing is normal’’.’ Our pic shows left to right, Ruth Noble, a peer supporter for nine years, plus colleagues Jo Aston and Angela Mayes. Diss mums and babies attend weekly sessions held on Mondays, at the Colin Riches Room, Methodist Church, Victoria Road.

Everybody’s talking about

it... Baby Café at Baby Friendly

...events and happenings

around Baby Cafés

Specialised infant milks in the UK: 0-6 months:

Information for health professionals: http://www.firststepsnutrition.org/newpages/

Infants/specialised_infant_milks_UK.html

NCT’s report on the Baby Café: http://thebabycafe.org/news/10002-general-

news/330-new-report-on-2-year-evaluation.html

Hollie McNish’s new poetry book on parenthood is called Nobody Told Me:

http://holliepoetry.com/

page 5

Q - My baby won’t stay on the breast for long, though she is thriving. I have read she needs to be on each side for at least 25 mins to get the hindmilk. Is this right?A - Your best guide to timing is your baby! Some babies, especially older ones, can be on the breast for a few minutes only, sometimes having longer, more leisurely feeds when they need to go to sleep. You cannot measure intake by looking at the clock. ‘Hindmilk’ is just a term for the creamier components of the milk that become available as the breast becomes less and less full, but this change in composition is gradual and variable. Healthy babies can be relied on to get what they need, as long as they are being fed responsively, according to their needs and not according to a book (or the clock!).

Q - Is milk ok, nutritionally, for toddlers, or does the quality go down?A - Your milk will be fine, however long you feed. There’s no difference in quality.

Q - My friend said dads don’t bond with breastfed babies.A - Not true! Many dads love the fact their babies are breastfed, and they can be just as close and loving with them, without actually feeding them,

Q&A...

page 6 page 7

Mothers’ health protected More evidence that breastfeeding your baby can protect your own health appears in a new study looking at hormone receptor-negative breast cancers.

This is a sub-group of breast cancers which typically affect younger women, and which are difficult to treat successfully. Mothers who breastfeed, even for a short time, are less likely to develop these cancers than women who do not breastfeed at all. Find out more here: Breastfeeding and breast cancer risk by receptor status - a systematic review and meta-analysis. http://tinyurl.com/hnnndbn

#BeyondBabyBlues: new campaignToo many mothers suffer in silence with mental health worries, says leading parenting charity, NCT.

At the end of last year, NCT launched its #BeyondBabyBlues campaign, to encourage people to talk more openly about the mental health of new mothers, their friends and family.

NCT is calling for further funding from central government for improved services for women’s mental health during pregnancy and early parenthood, and better access to support and treatment.

Dr Sarah McMullen, head of research, NCT, said, ‘We know many women’s mental health can be affected during pregnancy or in the early weeks and months of motherhood, and a lot find it incredibly hard to talk about how they are feeling. They also worry about not being a good enough mum. Our #BeyondBabyBlues campaign is asking everyone to be more open about maternal mental health, to take it more seriously and to ask for help.’

The campaign is being supported by celebrities including comedian Jo Brand, a former psychiatric nurse, and Coronation Street actress Jennie McAlpine.

For more information, see nct.org.uk/beyond-baby-blues

In the news... The art of feeding babies Excuse our French, and take a look at Photos et documents d’allaitement à travers les ages, a Facebook page which collects interesting pictures of breastfeeding down the ages.

This very sweet example, painted in 1900 by James Jebusa Shannon, belongs to the Tate, London. Just put the name of the page into the Facebook search box for more.

...snips and clips about babies, breastfeeding and more

Breastfeeding sells...

….gym subscriptions!

Believe it or not, this amazing picture of a well-

dressed lady breastfeeding her twins at a posh

restaurant is part of a US advertisement for a

gym. The model is wealthy heiress Lydia Hearst

- but no, they are not her babies, so we suspect a

little bit of trickery here.

Some of the misunderstandings

and myths about breastfeeding you

might hear at the Baby Café - or

elsewhere - need a bit of debunking

or clarification. Here’s a selection

of the most common ones to share.

Q - Uhoh, my baby has started to

produce green poo. Does this mean he’s

not feeding right?

A - In a healthy, thriving baby, green

poo is normally nothing to be concerned

about. It doesn’t mean ‘too much foremilk’

or ‘foremilk-hindmilk imbalance’ and there

is usually nothing you need to do to ‘correct’

it. Most babies produce green poo on some

occasions, and for a few babies, this can be the

usual colour.

Green is the colour of stools in the lower gut

before they turn the more typical yellow.

It may indicate your baby is fighting a minor bug. It

may mean he is feeding more often, and/or taking

in greater volumes of milk than he usually does,

and the milk he is taking in has proportionately

less fat; his gut works more quickly and so the poo

comes out green. It doesn’t matter, if everything

else is fine.

Q - I feel my breasts are soft and f lat – after

weeks of feeling full. My baby seems unconcerned.

A - Almost certainly everything is just fine. After

several weeks of breastfeeding, the breasts may

start to feel and look like this. Sometimes it’s a

gradual change, sometimes it feels quite sudden.

These are normal changes. You are probably

storing less milk than before, and milk production

is regulated downwards so your breasts fill up less.

At the same time, your breasts are very responsive,

so if at any time your baby needs more milk, you

will make it quickly when he ‘asks’.

Q - I used to be able to express loads of milk – now I get less out, every time.

A - Again, this is normal. Your supply is down-

regulating as your baby grows. If you need to

maintain your expressed supply, then express

more often. If you’re using a pump, check it’s

working properly, and that none of the parts

needs replacing.

DES497

Baby Café News is the magazine for visitors, trainers

and facilitators linked with the Baby Café.

The Baby Café is a network of breastfeeding drop-in

support groups. They aim to offer help and support

to mothers at any stage in their breastfeeding journey,

regardless of the age of the baby or child. Pregnant

women are welcome too. You don’t need to have a

problem to attend - lots of mums come because they

enjoy being in a group with other breastfeeding women

chatting about their experiences. There are Baby Cafés

across the UK and other parts of the world. For more

information see thebabycafe.org

The newsletter is published by NCT.

We welcome contributions to Baby Café News.

Editor: Heather Welford

Graphic design: NCT Design Team

Baby Café News is published by NCT, Brunel House, 11 The

Promenade, Clifton Down, Bristol BS8 4AG

NCT Baby Café is a trading name of The National Childbirth

Trust Limited company registered in England and Wales:

2370573 Registered address: 30 Euston Square, Stephenson Way,

London, England NW1 2FB.

Registered charity in England and Wales: 801395 and Scotland:

SC041592

Breastfeeding on the webOur ‘where to f ind out more’ favourites:kellymom.orgGreat for finding answers to common questions about breastfeeding nct.org.uk Go to the ‘parenting’ tab and select ‘feeding’ for a wide range of helpful articlesthebabycafe.org Our soon-to-be-revamped site for all things Baby Cafébreastfeedinginc.caThe website of Canadian breastfeeding expert Dr Jack Newman. Useful videos and linksisisonline.org.ukInfant Sleep Information Source - with up-to-date, evidence-based information on all aspects of baby and toddler sleep

Ring ring… Breastfeeding helpline numbersNCT Helpline 0300 330 0700National Breastfeeding Helpline 0300 100 0212Breastfeeding Network Supporterline 0300 100 0210Drugs In Breastmilk Helpline 0844 412 4665La Leche League Helpline 0845 120 2918