Meet the team
Breastfeeding Babes, Bursledon and Fair Oak is run entirely by volunteers. You can email the whole team by clicking here, or individual members by clicking on their name below:
Debbie is an ABM Breastfeeding Counsellor. She is Mum to Bethany who was born in October 2005, Finlay who was born in August 2007 and Zachary who was born in May 2010. She breastfed Bethany until she self-weaned at 16.5 months of age, Finlay until he self-weaned at 17.5 months of age and Zachary until he self-weaned at 17 months of age.
Debbie says, ‘I believe passionately in the benefits of breastfeeding for both mothers and their babies and am keen to ensure that no mother who wants to breastfeed should have to stop due to misinformation or inappropriate advice. Breastfeeding gives your baby the best start in life and is a lovely way to bond with your child. Our aim is to enable mothers to feed their babies for as long as they wish to and to support them through each stage of their breastfeeding journey.’
Dominique is a midwife with the Weston team and Mum to Francesca who was born in December 1998. She breastfed her daughter until she self-weaned after blowing out her 1st birthday candle!
Dominique says, ‘Not knowing one end of a baby from the other, I shed many perplexed tears down a few helplines whilst feeding my daughter! Breastfeeding is of course, the norm for infant feeding and I feel passionately that families should be welcomed, supported and have access to evidence based, sensible information - I can’t say it was my own experience, but I have been working very hard ever since to improve matters. It is such a pleasure to support the group and meet the families who come along for a chat, to get information and drop in to feed their babies in a friendly and supportive environment. We are always happy to offer advice and support – if we don’t know the answer, we’ll go and find it!’
Helen is an ABM Mother Supporter and trainee Breastfeeding Counsellor. She is Mum to Jonathan who was born in June 2006 and Rebekah who was born in January 2009. She breastfed Jonathan until he was 6 months old and Rebekah until she self-weaned at nearly 13 months.
Helen says, ‘Having had difficulties with breastfeeding with Jonathan in the early weeks, the support I received from a local breastfeeding group encouraged me to persevere and keep going, rather than give up. The group then became a regular fixture for me to meet friends and chat socially, and not just a place to go to in case I had a problem. I believe that support during the time a baby is breastfed, regardless of whether baby is first or fifth, is paramount to helping mothers make the choice to breastfeed, and feel encouraged and supported to keep going and help them to overcome any issues that might arise as time passes on.’
Lisa is an ABM Mother Supporter. She is Mum to Shalimar who was born in March 2009. She is currently feeding Shalimar.
Lisa says, ‘Breastfeeding got off to a good start for us until three weeks in when I developed mastitis and my daughter started getting colicky. My health visitor suggested going to breastfeeding babes and the support and advice we received made all the difference. Going along to breastfeeding babes quickly became a weekly fixture as we made many friends and the support has been invaluable in our breastfeeding journey. I became interested in the art of breastfeeding and the more I learnt about it the more I wanted to support other mothers through their breastfeeding journey.’
Shanna is an ABM Mother Supporter. She is mum to Maddison who was born in October 2008. She breastfed Maddison until she was 14 months old.
Shanna says, ‘I was passionate about breastfeeding before I fell pregnant, believing that is is the best and most natural way to feed your baby. I was very lucky when Maddi and I had no particular issues learning to breastfeed and a health visitor suggested I go along to the local support group as a social place to meet other mums. So along we went when Maddi was 12 weeks old and I instantly felt it was such a wonderful supportive group to be a part of. When Maddison finished feeding, we still kept in regular contact and I was delighted to offer to volunteer in December 2010. Since completing my Mother Supporter course, I believe that the access to knowledge empowers women to make their choices in breastfeeding and a support group is an incredible way to support and encourage all mums and babies in their breastfeeding journey.’
Laura is an ABM Mother Supporter. She is mum to Jakub who was born in October 2008. She breastfed Jakub until he was 26 months old.
Laura says, ‘I had always known I wanted to breastfeed my child. However, I had no idea about how long I would feed for or even indeed how long each feed may take. I was completely clueless and without the support of a breastfeeding group I am not sure how successful breastfeeding Jakub would have been. I experienced very sore nipples for the first five days of breastfeeding Jakub. I was fortunate enough for someone who knew what they were talking about to check him over and diagnose his tongue tie. We didn’t look back once his tongue tie was snipped and had 2 successful years of breastfeeding when he then self weaned. The support of the group helped give me the confidence that it is normal to breastfeed and to actually be proud of the fact. The group became as much a social thing as it did help Jakub and I. I found the group extremely welcoming, supportive, friendly and helpful and, having now completed the Mothers Supporter module, hope to offer the same to other breastfeeding mothers.’
