Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to Jane Terry.
Self-help groups, e.g. for breast-feeding support or postnatal depression, can be an effective resource for clients. They can also be an effective use of professionals'time in primary care. A health visitor offers practical suggestions for starting and guiding a new group, including the need for professionals to think creatively and flexibly about group structures. The advice is to keep these simple, audit regularly and allow the groups to evolve.
Reasons for expressing milk vary from mother to mother. Those who breast feed may be more likely than other mothers to return to paid employment outside the home. To assist mothers to continue with exclusive breast feeding, health professionals should provide information antenatally about expressing milk. Mothers can start to express from birth and should be encouraged by health professionals to pump or express milk on a frequent basis--"the more the better"--as this will help to establish lactation and increase the milk supply. The use of pumps and the storage of breast milk are discussed.
A health visitor gives examples of some of the questions raised by mothers at a local breast-feeding group and discusses possible answers.