Breastfeeding Awareness Week

Loved breastfeeding? Get a job working to support other breastfeeding mums.

We've had a look at some of the jobs available within breastfeeding and have spoken to some of the women currently working in this area.

Meet Julia Close, a trained NCT breastfeeding counsellor below:

Julia Close lives in Epsom with her 3 daughters (aged 9, 7 &4) and her husband. She works within the Leatherhead & District branch of the National Childbirth Trust (NCT).

What is your background

Before having my daughters I worked in Sales and Marketing. My husband worked abroad for a few years and two of my girls were born whilst we were living overseas. On our return to the UK I realised I'd like to retrain and decided to get a new qualification as a breastfeeding counsellor.

Did you have any difficulties breastfeeding any of your children?

Yes, I did struggle with various problems when feeding my eldest daughter. I had good support and this gave me the confidence to keep going.

How did you hear about the NCT course?

Before we moved abroad I'd been involved a lot with my local NCT branch and enjoyed being a committee member and taking an active role. I'd always had good experiences of the NCT and when I read about the Diploma in Breastfeeding Counselling it sounded exactly what I'd been looking for.

What did the course involve? How long did it take?

The course is very self-driven, you do attend tutorials but you work on written assignments at your own pace. It took me about 3 years to get qualified, but some students can take up to 6-7 years. One of the great things about the course is it is very 'baby-friendly' in terms of enabling you to take a break if you get pregnant and need time out to look after a newborn. The course is a fully recognised Diploma and is accredited by the University of Bedfordshire.

The work is a mixture of written essays and assignments, learning about the technical and physical aspects of breastfeeding plus a focus on developing counselling skills. We aim as breasfeeding counsellors to guide parents to make their own choices rather than offer prescriptive advice. One of the most crucial aspects to being a counsellor is being able to listen properly.

Is the role of a Breastfeeding Counsellor varied?

Yes. There are many ways you can work in the community as a breastfeeding counsellor.

Paid work includes running the breastfeeding sessions of NCT antenatal courses and working as part of the NCT's free National Telephone helpline. To do this you log on remotely to a computerised system and then calls are routed to your home phone. There is a limit to the number of hours you can do a week to ensure a fair share of work for all breastfeeding counsellors around the UK. I really enjoy the telephone counselling as often women can be isolated, living rurally or in areas without much support. Being able to talk over the phone can offer a real life-line.

I also work as an un-paid volunteer supporting women pre and post baby, this can be through drop-in sessions or at feeding support groups. There are lots of opportunities to work as a breastfeeding counsellor, but they do vary geographically. Some counsellors work with local health visitors and can be employed to work on post-natal wards.

Being a trained breastfeeding counsellor can offer a career path with the NCT. After 3 years you can train as a supervisor and eventually become a tutor training other women to become counsellors.

Do you enjoy your work?

It is hugely rewarding and fulfilling. It is great to know that you can make a difference to a mum (and the wider family) at what can be a very vulnerable time - feeding problems can make mums feel very fraught and can cause a lot of physical pain. That's on top of fatigue, hormonal changes and coping with change. I'm very much on the side of the parents and want to help support their decisions and make sure they have as much information as possible available to them and be a listening ear.

Find out more about the NCT's Diploma in Breastfeeding Counselling here

Other organisations also offer training as a Breastfeeding Counsellor, these include:

La Leche League - www.laleche.org.uk
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM) - www.abm.me.uk

You can also become a Lactation Consultant through the Lactation Consultants of Great Britain organisation. This qualification allows you to work as a private lactation consultant supporting women privately. Find out more - www.lcgb.org