As a healthcare professional working with families in Medway, you can help to spread the word about Beside You by discussing the campaign with families and letting them know we are here for them.
Here are just a few things you can do to help let mums know we are beside them …
Share stickers with mums so they can easily access resources
Join the Beside You Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and share positive messages about breastfeeding.
Contact Beside You to tell us which breastfeeding resources you like to use and we will look at incorporating them into the website or sharing on our social media channels.
There are lots of healthcare professional a mum-to-be will see, from pregnancy and beyond birth.
Below are some that you will come in to contact with and how they can support you at different stages of your journey.
Midwives are here to support you through your pregnancy journey but also on those first couple of weeks after having baby.
You will see your midwife for appointment from booking between 8-10 weeks gestation. After your baby is born a Midwife will visit you in your home and at set days within the first 10/14 days before discharge.
Health visitors support families from the antenatal period (before your baby is born) until your child is 5 years old.
They will see you;
We also have specialist services within health visiting which supports with infant feeding, maternal mental health, and children with complex needs
Breastfeeding clinics run in Medway to support you and your baby.
A specialist clinic runs locally to support you with feeding concerns that haven’t been resolved with community midwife or health visitor support.
If your baby is under 14 days old:
These are run by specialist infant feeding midwives and run on Monday’s and Thursday’s by appointment only. You can be referred by your community midwife if there is more complex feeding concerns or more support is needed with feeding concerns.
Over 14 days old
A specialist feeding clinic is held each Monday morning by appointment only. You can call the Health Visitor duty number on 0300 1233444 and book an appointment.
Peer supporters are trained mums who have previously breastfed their own child/children.
If you are having any problems with breastfeeding, or want some reassurance, please contact us for a peer support session. The peer supporters can help with breastfeeding from the early days to toddlers and beyond. If any issues continue (persist; are not resolved or are more complex) you can call the Health Visitor duty number 0300 1233444 and book into the specialist feeding clinic.
"Breastfeeding has been amazing for me, but there has been bumps in the road.."
Beside You Medway
Hear about Catherines story and why she is Beside You