You Are Not Alone
While some women and babies take to breastfeeding easily, many of us need guidance. Breastfeeding is a skill, and whilst it may be a natural one, it takes knowledge and practice. You'll find helpful videos below, and details of organisations and individuals to reach out to for help.
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All of the organisations below will welcome mothers at any stage, whether during pregnancy, or already breastfeeding. If you are struggling, or having doubts, or "just" exhausted, reach out. You're not alone.
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Finding a local online group (facebook is a great place to look) can also be a real life-line.
This whole Human Milk initiative started on a facebook page!
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(Please note: There are many excellent organisations and individuals out there helping mothers daily. The list below is intended as an emergency signpost, and is not by any means exhaustive.)
Photo from the Human Milk Food Connections Festival event at the Bristol Beacon 2019
International
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La Leche League
An international support association with many regional branches in many countries. You can find your local branch on the above link.
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Breastfeeding.Support
An evidence based treasure trove covering all aspects of breastfeeding, including a search facility to find a certified lactation consultant near you. International.
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Breastfeeding Younger Babies & Beyond
A large and active Facebook support group with both new and experienced mothers giving and receiving support, for babies up to 1 year old.
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Breastfeeding Older Babies & Beyond
A large and active Facebook support group for mothers feeding children over age 1. Also the birthplace of the advert idea! International.​
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Led by Kelly Bonyata BS IBCLC, KellyMom.com provides evidence-based breastfeeding and parenting information to both professionals and parents.
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UK Based
(Though these groups and organisations and their helplines are UK based, their websites contain excellent and reliable information no matter where you are.)
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​Bristol, our home town, and surrounding North Somerset, have a lot of support available, including our monthly meet-ups in Clifton.
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Breastfeeding Younger Babies & Beyond
A large and active Facebook support group with both new and experienced mothers giving and receiving support, for babies up to 1 year old. UK and international.
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Breastfeeding Older Babies & Beyond
A large and active Facebook support group for mothers feeding children over age 1. Also the birthplace of the advert idea! UK and international.
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The Breastfeeding Network
The Breastfeeding Network (BfN) aims to be an independent source of support and information for breastfeeding women and others. They offer a telephone helpline, face to face support via social groups across the country, and messenger support via local groups, all with BfN trained helpers/supporters.
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The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM)
ABM are a group of trained volunteers dedicated to supporting breastfeeding mums and their families. They’ve been supporting mums and nurturing families for almost 40 years. You can call their helpline, email them, use their web chat or find local support groups.
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Breastfeeding.Support
An evidence-based treasure trove covering all aspects of breastfeeding, including a search facility to find a certified lactation consultant near you. UK and international.
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La Leche League GB
Providing mother to mother and parent to parent breastfeeding support at meet-ups across Great Britain. Their trained breastfeeding counsellors work as volunteers to provide a network of support options including local calls, a national Helpline, emails and social media.
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The Hearts Milk Bank and The Human Milk Foundation
The UK's first independent milk bank, providing equitable access to donor milk for premature and sick babies, while supporting more mothers to donate milk.
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Breastfeeding And Medication
For anyone worried about whether or not they can take certain medicines whilst breastfeeding. The reality may differ from what it says on the packaging.
Dr Wendy Jones MBE, BSc, MSc, PhD, MRPharmS has been supporting mothers since 1987, and has saved many breastfeeding journeys.
Prof Amy Brown
Not a breastfeeding support association, but a treasure trove of evidence based wisdom that supports your instincts and needs, and your baby's too. You'll find books, articles, videos and more on Professor Amy Brown's website.
How you can help support a breastfeeding mum
"Creating a supportive environment where mums can breastfeed more easily is the responsibility of us all. As part of our research at Swansea University we asked over 1000 breastfeeding mums what helped them."
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By Prof Amy Brown and the College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, UK.
Frequent Feeding
"When you have a new baby everything can seem a bit overwhelming. One thing lots of new parents worry about is how often their baby breastfeeds, often made worse by people giving their unwanted opinions. To help put your mind at rest we asked nearly 10,000 breastfeeding mothers with a baby aged 0 – 12 months how often their baby fed through the day and night."
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By Prof Amy Brown and the College of Human and Health Sciences, Swansea University, UK.
