During lockdown, local NCT Breastfeeding Counsellors in Hampshire trialled feeding support via video calls for mums – with a hugely positive response.
At the beginning of the first Covid-19 lockdown, a team of NCT breastfeeding counsellors in Hampshire quickly set up support via one-to-one video calls for local mums.
Before lockdown, they had run in-person drop-ins. Local midwives and health visiting services referred on mums, and help for funding the service was provided by community fundraising and local grants.
Many mums found the service a lifeline. One mum who received support said: ‘Without your help I would have given up on breastfeeding – we are now three months in and I am so glad we persevered.’
Mindy Noble, one of our Breastfeeding Counsellors in Hampshire, said: “We had never done any video breastfeeding support prior to lockdown so it was a leap into the unknown.
“As soon as we started, people responded really well and the advantages of video over telephone were obvious. Video enabled us to build rapport quickly with the mum seeing her on screen as well as being able to see what she was doing and offer suggestions.”
An article about the service was published in MIDIRS Midwifery Digest last week.
Our infant feeding support line is free and open every day of the year from 8am-midnight. Call 0300 330 0700 to talk to our Breastfeeding Counsellors about all your feeding questions.
We have lots of articles and videos about breastfeeding on our website. Take a look here.
