Our equivalent in the UK are peer counsellors who may do support with 
groups and occasionally at clinics.

I'd be horrified if they weighed babies - at least not without 
further careful training and supervision. Carrying out a weight and 
even more importantly interpreting its signifance is work that needs 
to be done carefully and with a good level of knowledge. In addition, 
helping the mother understand the significance or accept the lack of 
significance, is skilled work.

Weighing is actually a clinical intervention - not something to be 
done lightly (haha!).  It should be done for a clinical reason and 
the implications of getting an unexpected or worrying or even 
slightly puzzling result should be understood. In addition, plotting 
the result on a chart needs to be trained for.

I think it would be perfectly possible for peer supporters to learn 
to do all this, but it takes them out of the purely social 'informed 
friend' realm and makes them somewhat closer to HCPs - and this would 
have its downsides.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
-- 
http://www.heatherwelford.co.uk

http://heatherwelford.posterous.com

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