MagicMum.com

Hi everyone
I’m offering magicmums a 20% discount on my breastfeeding class on December 1st or January 12th . The class is normally €75 , discounted fee €60. It’s a full morning class held in Leopardstown , Dublin 18 just off the M50 after the Dundrum exit.
The class is suitable for first timers or as a refresher.
If you’d like to book in just email me for more information at info@breastfeedingsupport.ie . Please mention magicmum to avail of discount.
Thanks
Nicola

With all due respect, I can't believe there's a class on breastfeeding when all any BF mum needs to do is phone their local public health nurse for 'FREE' advise on breastfeeding!

I did this class before I had DD1 3 years ago, found it very helpful indeed, practical advice and presented in a relaxed way. I felt the preparation really helped me get my head around the whole idea and armed me with information in advance of the whole hormonal time directly after giving birth. Just my two cents worth

lcD - Im the one who trains the public health nurses when im not teaching pregnant mothers.
Being prepared for breastfeeding is one of the most important ways to ensure success.
Your PHN must have got great training

You must be joking This site is littered with stories from women who gave up breastfeeding thanks to the lack of support available from the hse/phns.

Personally I don't feel you can have too much information or support when it comes to bf'ing, and while the information in the hospitals and from the PHNs has definitely improved (thanks to people like Nicola), I would recommend this class to anyone who want to bf - anyone I know who has attended it would agree with me.... I took it before DS was born, after having bf DD, and I still learned loads - I wanted to make sure that I got things right from the very start second time around.

It is partially covered under some health insurances too, fyi.

D

My sister did this class before her dd was born and found it hugely helpful.
Unfortuantely lcD you can't count on your phn to get all the help and advise you need on breastfeeding, there are some well-informed phns out there but there are others who give wrong/bad advice.

There's no way I'd rely on my PHN for advice on bf - or anything else actually

These classes are fantastic and I'd highly recommend it. I did one in Cork...I think I paid €90 at the time.

I agree with the other posters, lcD, the PHNs vary enormously in their experiences of breastfeeding, and some give dire "advice". Although I have never met Nicola, I would trust her classes and advice over the PHN I had on DD2.

Well considering my PHN's "advice" consisted of weighing the baby & then "top them up with formula" I am glad to see there are alternatives (obviously they hadn't been trained by you Nicola )

I do agree with the fact that having as much information as possible on breastfeeding is essential especially in Ireland, giving the ignorance about the benifits for both baby and mother. Therefore, I would highly recommend all Mothers-to-be to go to their nearest Breastfeeding Support Group where there is any amount of information as well as experienced Breastfeeding mothers.....and it is all free! Without the help and support I received on breastfeeding in my local Breastfeeding Support Group as well as the PHN present, I would probably have thrown in the towel much sooner than I did. I fed my DS for over a year and have no regrets. Also as new mothers attended the group, I was delighted to help them in any way I could.

My PHN was a disgrace, knew nothing about breastfeeding and would cringe anytime I had to feed dd in front of her, wanted me to bring dd to temple st at 16 wks when i mentioned that dd would do one dirty nappy a week because she was breastfed, I did go to the support group run by my PHN but I left halfway through, the advice that was being passed around was ridiculous, if I didnt have my aunt, MM and my SIL for advice I would have been lost. Trust me when i say i will not be taking advice from my PHN or local breastfeeding group this time round if it is the same as i got on dd.

lcD you were lucky indeed to get such support, not everyone does and for those who dont have friends or family to turn to classes like Nicolas are a godsend.

Planning on bfing no2 and would love to go to to a class, but disappointed there isnt one on a saturday near me.

with ds my PHn was useless, i couldnt get him to latch and her solution was formula so i ended up exculsively expressing for 19 months- glad i did but very very hard work.

with dd now 9 months i did nicola's class and we are still going strong the best couple of hours and euros i ever spent.

i couldnt recommend these classes highly enough.

I would just like to add my 2 cents worth - I went to Nicola's class and without the information I learned there I wouldn't have lasted 2 days breastfeeding, not to mind the 18 months I eventually fed for!

In the hospital before I was discharged I even had the notes I had been given at Nicolas class on the bed beside me (they didn't leave my side for weeks until both baby and I had mastered the art of latching on!! ). One of the nurses on duty literally grabbed my breast at one stage and shoved it into DDs mouth - that was supposed to get her feeding, or so she thought... Needless to say, I didn't ask her opinion on latching on again! My local PHN had a breastfeeding support group, but I'd say you were lucky in that you got support from the people in your group, and that they were willing to share. My group was mostly just used for weighing and measuring the baby and saying a quick hello! The PHN wasn't even present 99% of the time.

The amount of ignorance out there in relation to breastfeeding is huge, and this is especially true in people you might expect to know better (PHNs, midwives, GPs etc), luckily with Nicola training them, they might be improving

I can only recommend this class. It was brilliant for me. I went on to feed for 18 months without ever getting sore, a cracked nipple or any of the other many ailments that can arise from an incorrect latch etc. I have the notes kept and I will be using them again on baby#2. Its well worth the money

Glad you got such support from your local support group. My own experiences of these have been less than positive. I went to Nicola's class before dd2’s birth as feeding dd1 wasn’t a joyous or comfortable experience for several reasons and while I was adamant I wanted to breastfeed again, I wanted all the help and information I could get.

I found it brilliant and I was able to feed my dd2 for as long as I wanted too with practically no hiccups, nor was I reliant on contradictive information like I was when dd1 was born. I was able to just get on with it and feed her.

I’ve recommended these classes to friends and they’ve had similar positive stories so obviously it is the right decision for many.

are you joking????? I mean it seriously - are you joking?

there are 4 PHN in my local centre. Ironically the first time i met one was while Nicola sat on my couch helping me with ds1. The PHN said "sure I could have helped you with that". Ds1 was 15 days old at the time - he would have starved to death waiting for her.

The second one told me my ds1 was too big and needed a bottle. this was without her even looking at him, weighing him or asking how feeding was going. She suggested baby rice when he was 10 weeks old!!!! this was during a "breast feeindg support group".

Luckily the third one was trained by Nicola. when she heard I knew Nicola, had been to her classes and had her on speed dial she knew better than to offer any advice.

the lack of support for BF mums in this country is a bloody disgrace. If it weren't for people like Nicola the rates of BF would be even lower. Her classes are the best investment you'll ever make and i recommend them to everyone I know.

By the time you get to a breast feeding 'support' clinic it may be too late.
The information is definitely needed before you have a baby, especially in this country where the midwives in some hospitals hand you a bottle at the first sight of trouble.
Thankfully I have had great support at my clinic, but I would not have got there if I had not been for been prepared!
I wish I had known about Nicola's classes during my pregnancy.

I've yet to come across a PHN who has any factual info or practical advice about breastfeeding

I would've gladly paid for a breastfeeding class had I known they existed!

I know I was extremely lucky having all the support I had from my PHN. Not only is she a PHN but she's also a lactation consultant and has helped numerous new mums with breastfeeding. I also understand where you're all coming from re the help you got from Nicola and that's fantastic!
And D6....No I am NOT joking...!!!! I am totally PRO breastfeeding....It really infuriates me that the relevant, correct and consistant help/support/information is not provided FREE of Charge anti natal classes or any other time during and post pregnancy! Oh the ignorance in this country... And if you read my first post....I began...'With all due respect'

lcD,
We all agree that breastfeeding information should be available free of charge and to anyone who seeks it. We all agree that PHNs, GPs, midwives etc. should have all the proper and correct information needed to properly inform.

The problem is, and the experience of the majority of women on here, they do not receive this information from anyone. And often even worse, they get misleading and sometimes false information! All this increases people chances of not breastfeeding at all or giving up at the first sign of difficulty, purely because they are not getting the proper, correct and informed guidance and help they should be getting.

In this huge vacuum, people like Nicola fill a gap, provide a great service, and not only do they pass on valuable skills, they encourage and help and make breastfeeding the natural and beautiful thing it is! I was filled with confidence after Nicola's class and it helped me no end. I have gone on to help others, to spread the word, to do my little bit that may help, one day, make breastfeeding acceptable and commonplace in all of society!

You were very lucky in that you had a PHN who was also a lactation consultant. I would say, unfortunately, that they are few and far between. But because your experience was good, don't get annoyed with others for paying for this service as it was not otherwise available to them, or with Nicola for promoting her fab classes!

Would have to say too, that by the time you get to meet the PHN (usually around Day 5 or later) it is probably too late to help most mothers who have serious issues in the early days - it is really in the hospital that you need the early advice/help, esp if you haven't done a class like Nicola's.... If you get it right from the start it makes the whole experience a lot smoother.

I definitely think that if you don't have a hands-on family member or very close friend in those first few days, the money spend on a class like Nicola's is well worth it - both financially and also for that extra bit of confidence it gives you.

D

I am NOT annoyed in any way shape or form at anybody 'paying' for this service! I am annoyed however at the lack of training and professional help from the HSE! It's about time the government recognised the importance of Breastfeeding in this country! We are light years behind other European countries....but then again, there's no money to be made for the economy by Breastfeeding!