From one mum to another: how breastfeeding peer support volunteers are making a difference
Breastfeeding peer support volunteers are playing a key role in supporting and sustaining breastfeeding rates across Northern Ireland. Working alongside health professionals, they provide free, practical and accessible support to new breastfeeding mums in their local communities.
Catherine Magennis, Nurse Consultant at the PHA and Lead for Breastfeeding and Family Nurse Partnership, said: "Breastfeeding offers the best start in life – it provides all the nutrients babies need and acts as natural medicine, helping to protect against infections and reducing the risk of long-term health conditions, and complementing childhood vaccination. For mums, breastfeeding can improve recovery after birth and lower the risk of certain cancers.
“However, breastfeeding is a skill learned over time –a mother and her baby usually take a few weeks to get used to it, and that’s why support is so important in the early days. We want mums to know they are never alone – there is a range of free support available across Northern Ireland.
“Peer support volunteers offer a valuable extension to statutory services, using their own lived experience to provide reassurance, guidance and encouragement at a time many mums need it the most.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months, with continued breastfeeding alongside solid foods for up to two years or beyond. While more mothers in Northern Ireland are choosing to breastfeed and rates have been steadily increasing, with attempted breastfeeding rising from 56.1% in 2013 to 62.2% in 2022, the early weeks can still be the most challenging for new mums, with statistics showing a 16% drop by six weeks. This highlights the need for ongoing, accessible support.
Catherine continued: “Peer support volunteers play a unique role. They are local mums who have completed a six-week training programme, led by Infant Feeding Leads across all of our trust areas. They provide practical advice and emotional encouragement, often outside traditional service hours, by phone call or text.”
Ruth McGowan, Community Infant Feeding Lead at the Southern Trust, said: “Our peer supporters are equipped to give practical advice and reassurance, when new mums need it the most. What makes this service so valuable is that these mums have experienced breastfeeding themselves, and this mother-to-mother connection offers reassurance from someone who truly understands.
“If friends or family haven’t breastfed, they might not fully understand the challenges, but a peer supporter does. Being able to lift the phone and speak to someone who truly ‘gets it’ can make all the difference."
Shared understanding can foster renewed confidence, and for many volunteers, their motivation to support comes directly from their own breastfeeding journey.
Margaret Craig, a Breastfeeding Peer Support Volunteer in the Southern Trust said: ‘I had a really difficult start to my own breastfeeding journey, but I was determined to make it work. Things began to change when I joined a local breastfeeding support group – I saw first-hand the benefits of having a network around me.
“Being a peer support volunteer gives me the chance to give back to other mums in the community, and I can’t think of a better way than helping a mum who’s having a hard time reach her breastfeeding goals. The training course has been hugely beneficial; I feel equipped to help mums overcome challenges and signpost them to the right resources. I feel really empowered and knowledgeable to help mums on their breastfeeding journeys.”
Margaret Craig, breastfeeding peer supporter.
There are over 100 free support groups across Northern Ireland offering advice and a welcoming space for mums who breastfeed or want to breastfeed. Referrals to peer support can be made through midwives and health visitors, and mums can find local groups using the map at breastfedbabies.org.
Voluntary breastfeeding counsellors, such as those from La Leche League, also provide telephone advice open 24/7 – ensuring help is available whenever it’s needed.
Find out more at www.breastfedbabies.org