More support for breastfeeding

Breastfeeding support services

A wide range of breastfeeding support services are available in Highland. In the first instance, you will get general breastfeeding support and information from:

• your community midwife
• your health visitor or family nurse
• your local infant feeding support worker, where these are based

Other sources of help and support available are:

• Infant feeding support workers.
• Breastfeeding coordinators within Raigmore Maternity Unit.
• Telephone support from breastfeeding support workers who cover a 365-day-a-year rota. You will be asked prior to discharge whether you would like a peer to contact you but all midwives, health visitors and family nurses have access to the rota so you can get put in touch with a peer throughout your breastfeeding journey.
• Specialist support from the infant feeding lead, for mums who may be experiencing more complex challenges.
• Mum-to-mum support in local groups run by breastfeeding peers and infant feeding support workers.
• Help online from voluntary organisations and the national breastfeeding helpline.

All breastfeeding mothers should be given a copy of our local breastfeeding support leaflet Off to a Good Start before they leave the maternity unit. If you do not have a copy, you can also get a copy from your midwife, health visitor or family nurse. You can also request a copy from this email address and they will post this out to you:

email hirs.mailbox@nhs.scot

Staff training

All staff in NHS Highland receive breastfeeding training annually and within midwifery and health visiting teams there are identified breastfeeding keyworkers. If you are worried about any support or advice that you have been given, please ask to speak to your local breastfeeding keyworker or contact the infant feeding lead.

Ante natal colostrum harvesting

Within NHS Highland we offer ante natal colostrum harvesting to pregnant mums who are over 36 weeks pregnant as a tool to support exclusive breastfeeding and to reduce the need for formula supplementation in the post-natal period. If this is something you wish to do, please discuss with your midwife who will complete a referral and send it to our health improvement resource service who will then distribute a pack for you in the post.

The pack will contain information on:

• colostrum harvesting
• tiny syringes
• labels and storage bags

Follow the instructions and safely freeze your colostrum and take into hospital with you when the time has come for you to have your baby. There are storage facilities at Raigmore so just let staff there know you need your colostrum stored safely.

When you have had your baby, and if your baby needs a supplement for whatever reason, your colostrum can be quickly defrosted and given to your baby. You can take home any colostrum you do not use in the hospital.

There are sometimes when colostrum harvesting may not be possible, but please discuss with your midwife as we will try to support you if we can.

Infant feeding support workers

Infant feeding support workers work with the local midwifery and health visiting teams, and are based in the following locations:

• Easter Ross
• Mid Ross
• Inverness
• Raigmore Hospital
• Lochaber
• Oban
• Dunoon and Cowal
• Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Isles
• Helensburgh

The role of the infant feeding support worker is to work with you to enable you to breast or mix feed for as long as you choose to do so. They have the same breastfeeding training as your midwife and health visitor and have undertaken additional training in the following:

• Wise Hippo
• mental health
• baby massage
• Bookbug
• Sing and Sign
• income maximisation
• walking leaders

They will follow you on your feeding journey and can provide face to face and telephone support. Many are available at informal support groups. They also assist in the administration of the Highland Facebook support pages.

If you need to get in touch with an infant feeding support worker in your area please contact the Infant Feeding Lead.

Raigmore breastfeeding coordinators

Breastfeeding co-ordinators are based at Raigmore Hospital Maternity Unit - currently Arlene Rollo.

They will provide expert breastfeeding support to you and your baby following delivery. They also provide specialist support to mums and babies who are re-admitted to the children’s ward.

The coordinators are funded by the Scottish Government Programme for Government and have implemented several projects supporting breastfeeding in the early days:

• early expressing for babies who are admitted to the neonatal unit
• reducing formula supplementation in the post natal ward
• supporting the ante natal colostrum project

They are supported by an infant feeding support worker on the ward. Their main goal is to ensure you get breastfeeding off to the best possible start and they will work with you to support effective positioning and attachment, skin to skin and enabling you to assess for signs of effective attachment.

Volunteer breastfeeding peer supporters

Breastfeeding peer supporters work alongside midwives and health visitors to help support breastfeeding. They can give you additional help and encouragement and answer any questions you may have. This is done via telephone and they also support on the postnatal breastfeeding chat Facebook page. They will try to telephone you within 48 hours of your hospital discharge to see how things are going.

If you would like this type of breastfeeding support, ask your midwife or health visitor to refer you. You can also refer yourself:

email arlene.rollo@nhs.scot 

The breastfeeding peer supporters also run some breastfeeding groups and complete the same breastfeeding training as midwifery and health visiting staff.

Specialist breastfeeding support

Specialist help with breastfeeding is available within Highland whatever the age of your baby. Referral to our service is via your midwife, health visitor, family nurse, infant feeding support worker or volunteer peer supporter. You should usually be given an appointment within a week to be seen.

Clinics are run at Invergordon Community Midwifery Unit and appointments can be arranged in Inverness also – please discuss with your health professional if you would like an appointment outwith Invergordon.

The clinic is run by our infant feeding lead who is a registered midwife and Lactation Consultant. Support can also be offered remotely in the form of telephone calls, emails or Near Me.

Breast pumps

Maternity, health visiting and family nurse services all have a small number of breast pumps for short loan to enable lactation initiation. Pumps can be made available for longer term use also. Loan for all pumps is free.

Priority for pumps will be given to mums who:

• need a breast pump to maintain their milk supply if they are separated from their baby
• are temporarily unable to breastfeed for any reasons
• need to increase their milk supply
• need help to resolve problems such a weight loss or faltering weight

Pumps are also available for social use, such as to helping to keep breastfeeding going when mums return to work.

Voluntary groups and national support

A number of voluntary organisations offer telephone helpline and breastfeeding counselling services.

The Breastfeeding Network

National Breastfeeding Helpline 
phone 0300 100 0212

National Childbirth Trust

National Childbirth Trust Support Line
phone 0300 330 0700

Association of Breastfeeding Mothers

ABM Breastfeeding Helpline
phone 0300 330 5453

More resources

• La Leche League GB
• Parent Club
• UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative