Hi Everyone,
My name is Anna Hayward and I am currently looking into the possibility of
training as a volunteer breastfeeding counsellor and learning more about what
it involves. I live in southern England and married with two children.
Although my most recent paid employment was as a computer systems manager, I
have part-trained as a nurse and have also studied biochemistry at university,
so I am heavily into medical matters.

I have two children, Emma, aged 21 months (who was breastfed for a year) and
recently Alice, aged 8 weeks whom I am currently breastfeeding. I became
interested in breastfeeding issues when I received totally inadequate support
after Emma's birth and almost failed, despite major allergy problems in our
family. It was this that made me realise how poor support was for women in
Britain and I became interested in breastfeeding support.

I am a member of La Leche League and of the National Childbirth Trust (with
whom I am hoping to train as a breastfeeding counsellor). I am the NCT Branch
librarian and co-editor of our newsletter, and like to use every opportunity to
spread the "breastfeeding gospel" :-) ie when I meet women at meetings who are
having breastfeeding problems, I always try to find the information they need
and try to support them. I used to just give out La Leche League leaflets to
people and give them the local leader's phone number, but it has started
mushrooming and the more I learn, the more I find I am able to help a little
myself and leave the complicated stuff to the professionals.

At the moment, I am overawed by the expertise on this list, so I will probably
mainly lurk and see if I can pick up any tips. I hope I get this all right -
the instructions were long and complicated :-(

--
Anna (mummy to Emma, born 17th Jan 1995 and Alice, born 11th Sept 1996)
Email: [log in to unmask]
Web Page: http://www.ratbag.demon.co.uk/anna