Mother-to-mother support.
Mothers have always turned to each other for reassurance, encouragement and ideas. Mother-to-mother is the most natural and effective way of providing support for breastfeeding.
Our regular meetings are for mothers and pregnant women only, which enables free discussion and ensures privacy and dignity at what can be a vulnerable time. We believe that mothers are the experts on their own babies. We encourage the sharing of wisdom and experience. Just being among other breastfeeding mothers can be reassuring and empowering.
The mother-baby dyad.
The dyad describes the unity of the baby and mother. It is created through pregnancy and by birth has become a finely tuned symbiotic relationship.
We recognise the dyad as the single most important concept in identifying and meeting the needs of the baby. In advocating for the dyad we advocate for the baby and recognise the mother as the centre of her newborn’s world.
The normal course of breastfeeding.
Babies are born already knowing their mothers and expecting to breastfeed. It is also what the mother’s body has been preparing for through pregnancy and birth. Disrupting the normal course of breastfeeding has a detrimental impact on the health of both mother and baby. In the UK most mothers give up breastfeeding earlier than they want to.
We support mothers at every stage of the normal course of breastfeeding from pregnancy through weaning, and help guard against unintentional or unnecessary disruptions. We encourage mothers to recognise and trust their instincts and empower them to make their own decisions.
Birth and breastfeeding
Breastfeeding will follow more naturally for a mother who has been able to participate actively in her birth and who has experienced agency in that process. Complications during birth can sometimes have an impact on the readiness of the mother and baby to breastfeed or on their ability to do so comfortably but these challenges can nearly always be overcome with the right information and support.
Advocating for the child.
We recognise that a baby’s need to be with his mother is as intense and instinctive as his need for food. Breastfeeding is a complete answer to the newborn’s demand for comfort and nourishment. When a newborn is with his mother early and often he helps to establish breastfeeding and ensure a reliable milk supply.
Breastmilk will naturally adapt to meet a baby’s changing needs. It is the only nutrition a healthy full-term baby requires until he shows a readiness for complementary foods around the middle of the first year. Ideally, breastfeeding will continue until the child outgrows the need.
Mothering through breastfeeding.
When a mother meets her baby’s primal need for comfort and nourishment through breastfeeding, she strengthens her bond with her baby and enables her sensitivity to his changing needs to develop naturally. The breastfeeding relationship evolves as the child grows and establishes a firm foundation for attuned mothering throughout childhood.
Recognising the whole family
We provide information and guidance to fathers, co-parents, partners and family members who wish to understand the normal course of breastfeeding and support the breastfeeding mother and baby. We recognise that breastfeeding is more likely to be successful and sustained when mother and baby can rely on loving and positive support from those around them.