Teens need different information and support than other moms-to-be!
First, you may want to cover all the basics in each of your meetings with the
teens, and then cover one topic in-depth if you'll be meeting with them more
than once. I have found this age group to be highly mobile: living with
mom, living with dad, living with her best friend, living with her
boyfriend's ex-stepmother, etc. You may only get one chance to teach and
inspire!
Ask what they've heard about breastfeeding. Dispel the myths and clarify the
misunderstandings. "I like spicy foods, so I can't breastfeed" "I don't
want my breasts to sag" "I can't give up chocolate and I know I can't eat
chocolate if I breastfeed" "I heard it hurts a lot" Find out their
concerns. Sometimes I have everyone write a question on a piece of paper
anonymously.
Invite her to bring any guests she wants to bring along. Moms, boyfriends
and best friends can be a tremendous amount of support to a new breastfeeding
mother of any age. Let the guests know how they can support her decision to
breastfeed. Give dads and grandmas-to-be a list of ways to "bond" with the
baby without giving a bottle. I also review with them how to be assertive
with the hospital staff about supplementary feeds and artificial teats. I
truly believe that teen mothers, especially unmarried, poor teen mothers are
not treated as the competent people they are. Their requests are often
ignored.
Keep the group active, they bore easily. Have them swallow with their ears,
shoulders and hips lined up. Then have them turn their head and swallow.
Have them inhale through their noses. Now let them smash their noses and
see how much more easily they can breathe. Let them know that's why babies
have those cute little noses. Pass around a walnut to demonstrate the size
of a newborn's tummy.
Emphasize the benefits to the mother: quicker return to pre-pregnancy
weight, etc. Usually, they're very interested in what's in it for them. I
present the health benefits to the baby, of course, but still talk about less
time in the doctor's office or clinic, less time awake in the middle of the
night with a crying baby, etc.
Have them practice discreet breastfeeding positions in front of a mirror, if
possible. Have their best friend or boyfriend give them feedback. I have
found most of these young women to be very modest. Ask for a volunteer male
member of the group to "breastfeed" a doll. Recently I switched to an Elmo
doll (of Sesame Street fame). He's not humanlike, he's almost the right
length (18"), his arms are floppy, and his mouth is open wide! My thanks to
Tani Pryce for this idea. I have the other participants critique his
positioning. They usually love this part of the talk.
Assume they know nothing. You will probably be right. This is not a
population of readers! I like the pamphlet Breastfeeding--Getting Started in
5 Easy Steps, available from Childbirth Graphics. The pamphlet has a lot of
pictures and not too much text, but it is not condescending in the least.
Let the mother know that breastfeeding this child is something only she can
do. Many of the girls are concerned their own mothers will take over, and
knowing this is something only they can do for their baby often gets them to
at least consider breastfeeding.
Bring a breastfeeding teen mom with you on the talk. I've only done this a
few times, but it is very effective. The group is usually very interested in
the baby at first, but then has a lot of questions for the mom: does it
hurt, where does the milk come out, do you give bottles in public, how do you
know if the baby's getting enough....A mix of standard new mother questions
and those only a teen would ask another teen.
Leave them with your card. Let them know they can call and that you do return
messages. If anyone comes up to you after the talk, answer all her
questions, and then, if you can, call her and follow up. They love freebies.
I once gave out breastfeeding stickers that actually ended up on notebooks
and binders. Remember, our competition gives out plenty of freebies and
coupons and club memberships.
Make the goal simple. I usually want to at least introduce the idea of
breastfeeding as a possibility. I have never given a teen talk when any girl
said she was planning to breastfeed. Even if none of the girls go on to
breastfeed, I hope I may have changed a few attitudes and they'll be
supportive of friends or classmates who do choose to breastfeed.
BTW, the first woman I ever saw breastfeeding was a sixteen-year-old mother
feeding her four-month-old when I worked for our local School-Age Mother's
Program. I was completely fascinated. I couldn't believe you could really
feed a baby like that.
|
