Support

I really like this sculpture. If it is a sculpture. I don't know what else to call it! It looks like pencils falling out of the sky. The windier it is, the faster the sculpture spins around. It stands outside the maternity entrance at Dorset County Hospital, in Dorchester.

Now why was I visiting the maternity department?

Well...

Nope, it's not that!

I went along for an induction day as a volunteer to work on the maternity unit as a breastfeeding counsellor (in training!). I want to gain some experience working with mums in the first few days after giving birth, to support them with initiating and establishing breastfeeding. I hope that myself and Emma, another volunteer breastfeeding counsellor, can help the staff support women to breastfeed. It will be great experience for me and will help me with my training, and support for mums when they come to the breastfeeding group.

I am still breastfeeding my son, who is 2 and a half years old. This week I have reduced him down to one feed per day, and he's accepted it very well, much to my relief! Now for anyone out there grimacing and saying "eugh" or words to that affect, I would like to defend myself.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that a mother should exclusively breastfeed until their baby is six months old, and continue to breastfeed until the age of two and beyond.

Breastmilk does not really change much in terms of nutrition and antibodies from when a baby breastfeeds at six months old, so it is still a healthy part of a healthy diet for a toddler.


Breastfeeding for this length of time is reducing my risk of developing osteoporosis, breast or ovarian cancers.

My son may have a higher IQ thanks to the benefits of breastfeeding!

He will have stronger bones as a result of breastfeeding for this long.

And many more positives! I know that there may be some out there reading this who will label me as a breastfeeding nazi. I hate that expression.

The reason is this: our society has been dominated by labels. Formula manufacturers are far more guilty of strong, bullying (and illegal) tactics (look up Ne$tle boycott for more information) that aim to predetermine how a mother feeds her baby than a breastfeeding woman, with the sole aim of making money out of them. They don't really care about the increased risk of obesity, and diabetes that will result in babies being formula-fed. They're not really that concerned about the environmental impacts of formula milk manufacturing, and they certainly aren't interested in the financial burdens associated with formula feeding.

Don't misunderstand me, though - a mother has a right to choose how they feed their baby. I am not ever going to judge a woman, no matter how they feed their child. Breastfeeding is difficult to get used to and can take a few weeks to get going with it properly - but that's why it's so important that they are supported and know where to go for the right help if they're having problems. I also understand that some women just aren't interested in breastfeeding at all. That's fine for them and I respect their decision.

What is wrong is the way in which formula manufacturers take advantage of women who haven't had the right information about feeding their baby, or where a mother hasn't had enough support or encouragement to breastfeed (and most women can feed their baby, as long as problems are identified early enough and they are helped through it by experts and support from their peers, friends and family).

What is wrong is the way in which I and other mums who choose to breastfeed beyond what someone considers to be an "acceptable" amount of time, are labelled as weird or disgusting, when if we really think about it, if it weren't for the invention of formula milk in 1873, we'd all be breastfed for longer periods of time and nobody would think anything of it!