Email: info@familiesandbabies.org.uk

What are you looking for?

Close Search

Make a donation

Families and Babies is a registered charity, which means all the money we make, goes back into running the building and delivering our activities.

Donate

Shop with us

Online Shop Ebay Shop

About Us

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Quisque enim magna, feugiat sed tincidunt nec, suscipit sed arcu.


30+

Years experience

500+

Happy clients

1K+

Orders completed

Elaine Edwards
Chair of Trustees

How it began…

Our breastfeeding peer support service first started way back in 2004 when our now Chair Of Trustees, Elaine Edwards, had a difficult start to breastfeeding her daughter, Jessica, and struggled to get support. Elaine went to a local Sure Start Centre for help, where she met other mums who were in the same position.

 

Together they realised the power of mothers supporting each other, and the need for a local support network for mothers to access support and be given evidence-based information.

 

The project began with a grant commissioned to support the Sure Start programme, with the primary purpose of supporting and promoting breastfeeding, both antenatally and postnatally, within the community of Blackburn with Darwen.

 

Elaine left her full-time employment and became a La Leche League Trainer. Local women were recruited and trained to form a team of paid and volunteer peer supporters.

The peer supporters provided weekly support groups within Sure Start centres, as well as 1:1 home visits, a 24-hour helpline, and daily support on the maternity ward. They worked closely with the local maternity hospital who gave all the peers access to UNICEF Baby Friendly Initiative training, ensuring evidence-based information was being given to mothers.

 

The impact on breastfeeding rates was amazing, and the service has now expanded to provide breastfeeding support across several areas throughout the country.

 

Pilot programmes have been delivered alongside longer- term contracts, and FAB remains a preferred supplier for the provision of breastfeeding peer support services for various commissioners.

Mission and Aims…

  • We believe in the power of mums supporting other mums, and this will always be at the heart of our service.
  • We  enable mums to access evidence-based peer support training and to work alongside Health Professionals, providing the breastfeeding support that families and babies need.
  • We provide evidence-based information, enabling families to make informed infant feeding choices, and ensuring effective support is available.

Our vision is to protect, promote and support breastfeeding through a peer support service run by mums, for mums.

We do this by…

  • Recruiting local mums to become paid or volunteer peer supporters, supporting other mums with breastfeeding through true peer-to-peer support.
  • Providing accredited breastfeeding peer support training and support to make sure all our peers are confident in their roles.
  • Working closely with Health Professionals to ensure evidence-based information is given.
FAB Dorset team
Wakefield mummy breastfeeding her baby girl at the launch of our town centre FAB base
 
© 2024 Families and Babies (FAB). Registered Charity Number 1136594.
Site design and build by Croft.
Shopping cart0
There are no products in the cart!
Continue shopping
0