Click on the names below to read the stories of members of the OBS community:
I’m still expressing during the work day for his feeds and breastfeeding at night – no plans to stop yet.
OBS service user
I woke up one day to realise that breastfeeding no longer hurt at all.
OBS service user
The care I have received from OBS supported me through the most difficult lockdown time and gave me the motivation to continue my breastfeeding path.
OBS service user
I’m still expressing during the work day for his feeds and breastfeeding at night – no plans to stop yet. She showed so much compassion. Although encouraging me to continue breastfeeding she also ensured I understood it would be ok to explore other options if it wasn’t the right thing for me.
OBS service user
I was really teary and overtired (well still am) and so to be able to have a call while I was in my own home was really good. It meant I didn’t need to feel at all anxious.
OBS service user
I was able to book a Zoom 1:1 session with Jayne, one of the facilitators, straight away, and see her when my son was just 3 days old. When you have problems with feeding your newborn, time is of the essence, and waiting even a couple of days would likely have meant that I gave up.
OBS service user
Whether someone choses to formula feed or not is their own decision – it should always be an informed choice and not a necessity because there was no help with breastfeeding. I want to say a huge thank you to the OBS team. You are providing a lifeline to mothers each and every day. Thank you for giving me this knowledge which is power.
OBS service user
“It is the little things that citizens do that make a difference” said Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai. My little thing is collecting images to improve healthcare outcomes for women, what’s your little thing?
former OBS trustee
As a Peer Supporter it really resonates with me that we need to be able to help support all mothers of all ages and races. We also are keen to encourage new Peer Supporters from ethnic minorities to join our team at Oxfordshire Breastfeeding Support.
OBS peer supporter
I feel very strongly that we as a profession need to make it much easier for people like me to become breastfeeding supporters at every level.
IBCLC and OBS facilitator
I now get a real sense of pride and feel more bonded to my baby than I think I might otherwise have been had I given up. I am 100% certain though, had I not found OBS that day, I wouldn’t have continued. Breastfeeding ended up protecting my postnatal mental health.
OBS service user
When I was overwhelmed and lost, I found what I needed at OBS: acceptance, empowerment and encouragement. Breastfeeding has been one of the hardest experiences I’ve ever had to go through –physically and emotionally- but OBS helped me overcome those hurdles and fully embrace my personal journey of breastfeeding and motherhood.
OBS service user
“You professionalised it for me, I knew it was the right thing to do for my child but you normalised it and gave me the confidence and skills to do it anywhere and everywhere on demand when Sophie needs it. I breastfed whilst chairing a meeting recently and felt proud that no-one even raised an eyebrow.”
OBS service user
The support we had from you made feeding a lot more manageable while we were working through the feeding problems, it became my default go to for help and everyone we spoke to was so incredibly kind and helpful.
OBS service user
ICrucially, when it was becoming very tough, the facilitators didn’t pressurise me to keep breast feeding, but made it clear they would support me in whatever decision I made moving forward, whether combination feeding, moving to formula or continuing breastfeeding. This was not only reassuring, but also took away so much of the pressure I had felt piling on me.
I appreciate that OBS did not advocate a one-size-fits-all approach to breastfeeding. Instead, they listened to me as an individual and really encouraged me to trust my own instincts as a mother.