Benefits plus

     Patricia Martens, researcher and lactation consultant, describes a peer counselling pilot project offered in the Sagkeeng First Nations community near Winnipeg. Her research found that 61 per cent of the peer counselling clients were still breastfeeding at two months, compared to only 48 per cent of those who did not get peer support. At six months, the difference was even more dramatic: 56 per cent of the peer counselling group were still breastfeeding, but only 18 per cent of those who had no peer counselling continued.

Interviews with the mothers in both groups revealed that those in the peer counselling group had fewer breastfeeding problems and greater satisfaction with their breastfeeding experience. Even more striking was the way that contact with the peer counsellor increased the mother’s confidence in her ability to feed her baby. In contrast, the mothers in the other group tended to say they were fearful, worried or afraid that breastfeeding was not going well or was going to fail.

With research so strongly in favour of mother-to-mother support groups as an effective way to increase the duration of breastfeeding, the tenth step of the BFHI is invaluable.

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