Meet the Pips Nips Breastfeeding Peer Supporters!
I'm Claire, founder of Pips Nips! I had 4 very different experiences of breastfeeding with my children, and I therefore feel passionate about supporting all journeys and approaches to feeding. It is important to recognise that one size doesn't fit all, and I trained as a peer supporter to ensure that local parents are able to access support at our weekly Little Pips Cuppa Club and via messenger, alongside other peer support groups in our area. Alongside Aimee and Leanne, we are here to reassure, troubleshoot, listen and signpost. Our support is free and we are always here without judgment.
My knowledge base includes tandem feeding and troubleshooting issues in the early days of feeding.
For breastfeeding support, you can find us at The Little Pips Cuppa Club on Friday mornings from 10am - 12pm at Portskewett and Sudbrook Recreation Hall.
Hi my name is Leanne and I became a first time mum in May 2019 to my beautiful little girl Luna.
My breastfeeding journey was a difficult one from the start but as a result I have gained some amazing experiences. My difficulties only encouraged me (along with the amazing Claire) to become a breastfeeding supporter and use my experiences to help other breastfeeding mums.
My biggest knowledge base is breast pumping and expressing along with all the tips and tricks you can use to encourage baby back to breast.
I fed my little girl my expressed breast milk up until she was 9 months old and this is definitely my proudest achievement in life.
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I am Aimee, and I am a mum of 5. My feeding journey with each has been so different, and not always plain sailing. My passion for accessible breastfeeding support was ignited in 2006 after the birth of my 2nd child. I had moved from a busy city setting to quiet sleepy Chepstow, and was not prepared for the lack of services this little town had to offer. At first I struggled to find training opportunities, and did some online courses but didn't really feel confident enough to go out and do anything. Then I had my 3rd child, a little 6lb preemie who threw all my knowledge into question. When he was a few months old, I stumbled across Home Start who had just started up in the area, and wanted to offer breastfeeding support to their home visit service. They sourced NCT Peer Support Training and provided the start up networking for me to get started for real, and off I went as a peer supporter in collaboration with Home Start Monmouth, But this was just to be the start. I signed up for and completed every breast feeding related course I could, including counselling skills, to build on my knowledge base and offer the best support possible for the people I met. I did more advanced training with the NCT as well as private practitioners, to include skills in supporting mums and babies facing more complex challenges and barriers to achieving their breast feeding goals. Working with local health visitors, I set up and ran for a time, a drop in group from the Burnt Barn Club in Chepstow. Due to the diagnosis of additional needs with my 4th child, I took a step back from supporting mums, as I faced a new challenge of learning a new way to parent a child with additional needs and communication issues, and negotiated the statementing process, and getting him settled into full time, main stream schooling. Which is where I met Claire, I'd kept my skills up to date during my break from supporting mums, but I didn't have the same time to commit to the cause, so joining Claire at the Little Pips Cuppa Club every Friday, and starting to do some home visits again, was a good fit. Another round of maternity leave on the arrival of baby number 5 and a global pandemic, has meant finding new and inventive ways of supporting new families, but its something I love doing. To have been there to support so many mums and babies over the years, each journey is unique and special, and to be a part of helping things get off to a good start, and assisting families to overcome challenges and barriers in order to achieve their goals, is such a privilege.