Meet the team
Breastfeeding Babes, Bursledon 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 worked as a case loading midwife in Weston from 2006 – 2014 and is currently doing PhD Research into early labour on the Isle of Wight. She is 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!’
Shanna is an ABM Peer Supporter and Trainee Breastfeeding Counsellor. 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 it 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 then I have completed my Peer 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 journeys.”
Hannah is an ABM Peer Supporter. She is mum to Riley born in 2015 and Thea born in 2018. Hannah was unable to breastfeed Riley but with the help and support of Breastfeeding Babes fed Thea until 11 months.
Hannah says, “I’m so proud to volunteer for Breastfeeding Babes, they have given me knowledge and friendships for life. Without their support I doubt Thea and I would have had a successful feeding journey given a number of issues we had. I only hope that I can help parents gain the right knowledge and support to empower them to make informed decisions about breastfeeding and its benefits.”
Katie is an ABM Peer Supporter. Katie is Mum to her son Macsen, who she fed until 19 months, and daughter Lyra, until 3 years. Katie is a local Hypnobirthing Instructor and loves welcoming her ladies and newborns to the group. Katie has a particular interest in allergies as her two children had cows milk allergy.
Katie says “I feel passionate about supporting your breastfeeding journey, however long or short that is – it should be celebrated. It can be so confusing with all the differing opinions and advice thrown at you, and so I believe providing up-to-date evidence based information is so important. Feeding two allergy babies was challenging, and more support needs to be given to families wanting to continue breastfeeding in these circumstances. I am fascinated by breastmilk science, new research is being released all the time, and it’s my hope that eventually this will filter through to affecting healthcare policy to make a difference to new mums and their babies.”
Emma Lawless
Emma is an ABM Peer Supporter. She is Mum to Alba who was born in June 2022. Alba is now 16 months old and continues to breastfeed.
Emma says “I knew from the beginning of my pregnancy that I wanted to breastfeed, I was very lucky that a friend told me about breastfeeding babes. The support I received was incredible and is what made my breastfeeding journey successful. I wanted to train as a peer supporter as I felt there wasn’t a lot of support for breastfeeding mothers when I need it and would like to be that support for mother’s in the future”
