The Baby Cafe

On the 13th March 2008 the Billericay Baby Café were invited to attend the South West Essex NHS Primary Care Trust Staff Awards for 2008 at the Holiday Inn in Basildon. This was an exciting evening, attended by over 200 members of staff, recognising, inspirational and dynamic projects and individuals across the PCT.

Mandy Myers, a School Nurse within the Trust, who decided to nominate The Billericay Baby Café and Lucy Peacock (Health Visitor and Lead Facilitator for the Cafe) for the NHS Working Together Award, has observed the project gather momentum. Mandy, a mum herself, said that 'the Café offered mums a safe, non judgemental environment to breastfeed their babies' and quoted another mum from the Café who had said it had been 'a godsend!"

The Billericay Baby Café was launched in November 2006. The volunteers were trained by NCT Breastfeeding Counsellor Merrill Knight who is involved with Peer Support training across other areas of the Trust. During this time the café has gone from strength to strength and is now enjoying seeing mums return with their second baby.

The 'Chair's Award' was presented to the volunteers by Val Liddiard Outgoing Chair of the PCT who praised the volunteer mums for their work within the community.

All the girls were presented with a glass plaque and vouchers, which they intend to put towards a celebratory night out!

Christmas Bazaar

We held our Christmas Bazaar at Baby Café last Thursday 22nd November.
We used it as a reunion and invited all mums who have attended since we opened two years ago.
The picture right includes a group of antenatal mums, our supporter hazel, a long term visitor to cafe with her toddler and a brand new mum.

A BIT MORE ABOUT US...

Feeding in public may be one of the biggest social issues surrounding breastfeeding, yet in reality and when you talk to most mums, their reasons for stopping are far from complex. Lack of support and information often leads to discomfort and pain at a time when mum is very vulnerable and overwhelmed with the birth of baby. It is normally at this point leaving mum feeling she has failed.

Bearing all this in mind the Billericay Baby Café was set up two years ago to offer a café style environment for mums to meet up and share their experiences. port. There are now eight 'mum to mum' supporters working in Billericay as well as a support group in Wickford and volunteers in Brentwood. We are able to offer everything from a cup of tea and a chat to, 'one to one' support, as well as a telephone helpline, antenatal and weaning sessions.

When supporters chat to mums in the community who have given up breastfeeding before they had planned they invariably want to share their story about breastfeeding. Statistics show that '9 out of 10 mums stopped breastfeeding before they wanted to' (Hamlyn et al 2000). A bit of old fashioned 'moral support' that is often all that is needed to get mums through the darkest hours.

The Baby Café philosophy is to help mums make informed choices. We have worked with mums, with babies as young as five days old and have supported those who are mixed feeding, returning to work, looking after other siblings whilst breastfeeding, starting solid food and stopping breastfeeding. We see mums who come for a one off visit and others who have been coming so long they are now pregnant again. You are welcome to come antenatally, as well as with baby. Bring a friend if you feel you need moral support although our aim is to make people welcome at the door and make sure they are looked after.

Here are a few things to consider if you are pregnant and hoping to breastfeed.

	Chat with your partner about how you both feel about breastfeeding. Was either of you breastfed yourself?
	Have you got a friend or family member who has breastfed that you could chat to.
	Discuss how you and your partner feel about feeding in front of friends and family. Perhaps you could make a plan of what you would do when visitors arrive.
	Let your partner know that his support is vital and that a big hug could be just what makes the difference

A few things to remember when baby is born.

	Bear in mind that pain relief such as pethidine will make baby sleepy and could make breastfeeding slow to establish.
	Baby only takes about a teaspoon of milk at a feed in the first few days. (Their tummy is the size of their fist)
	Breastfeeding is like learning to drive a car, it is a skill that neither you nor baby have practised before.
	Let baby lead the way, breastfed babies can't overfeed.
	Expect 8-12 feeds in a 24hour period.
	Plenty of skin to skin helps baby regulate its heartbeat, breathing and temperature as well as helping with breastfeeding.
	Nipple trauma almost always comes from poor position and attachment; if you are struggling seek help.
	Be confident, you will know your baby best!

You can visit the Billericay Baby Café every Thursday between 12.30 and 2pm at the Christian Link Community Church, Queens Park Avenue.

For telephone support and details about other breastfeeding groups (including Wickford and Brentwood) please contact us on 07939 818 340 or 07950 402 316

BREASTFEEDING AWARENESS WEEK 2007

The Breastfeeding Manifesto calls for the Government ‘to do all it can to protect women’s right to breastfeed in public places and encourage greater social acceptance of this important and natural choice.’ More is needed from local establishments if we are to make the experience of breastfeeding our babies as normal as it should be.
It is for this reason Billericay branch of Baby Café chose to team up with local restaurant The Village Bar and Grill on Wednesday 16th May during Breastfeeding Awareness Week. The coffee morning ran between 11am and 2pm, mums were invited to come along with friends and family for either a drink or lunch and could be confident that they would be made very welcome!

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PO Box 640 Haywards Heath RH17 5WS

Registered Charity Number 1110358