Support for breastfeeding mums from Doncaster Health Visitors

She said it was like a puzzle and didn’t know what was wrong and turned to Doncaster Health Visitors for help and support.

Melanie (pictured), also a mum to two-year-old Elijah, of Edenthorpe, decided to share her story to help highlight National Breastfeeding Week, which runs until September 24.

“It really was like a puzzle,” said Melanie. “The twins Lilith and Damon were both feeding but not putting on weight. I turned to the Health Visiting Team for help, as they are breastfeeding experts. Claire Wyatt, one of the breastfeeding team, looked into the twins’ mouths and found they were both tongue tied.”

Tongue-tied is where a baby needs a small operation to snip skin under the tongue, to release it and make it easier for them to feed.

The twins were referred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, where the small operations took place, allowing them to suckle properly. The twins are now both weighing in at over 11lb.

“If it wasn’t for Claire I don’t know where we would be,” said Melanie. “They are now both growing so big because they can feed properly.

“Going to meet the Health Visitors gives you peace of mind, whether feeding babies is going well or not. They give you confidence. I thought the problem was that I didn’t have enough milk for two babies. The Health Visitors are experts and so helpful. It was as though they helped put the pieces together in a jigsaw to find out what was wrong.

“They are great. They give on-going support, I can text them, call them, I can go to clinic. Claire built my confidence up. She made me believe in myself and that I could breastfeed well. Mums just need back-up from experts to keep them going. The Health Visiting Team also give support emotionally too. It’s really good to have the support network they create at the Family Hubs around Doncaster.”

You can watch Melanie’s story on video here: https://youtu.be/_wPYcI8_7sg

The Health Visiting Team is run by Rotherham Doncaster and South Humber NHS Foundation Trust (RDaSH).

Any parents wanting support from a Health Visitor or who simply want to get involved in parent groups, call RDaSH’s Single Point of Contact on 03000 0218997.