Breastfeeding Peer Support Course Frequently Asked Questions

Anyone who is interested in supporting infant feeding and wants to do so with some Slingababy ethos woven into it. It is ran by J’Nel Metherell who is an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) and Slingababy consultant.

The course is built in such a way that each time you attend you might pick up new things, so we look forward to welcoming you back several times.

The breastfeeding peer support course was built to complement the feeding and carrying advocacy course. Some of the support content is built into the feeding and carrying advocacy course which frees some time for breastfeeding specific knowledge on the breastfeeding peer support course. This means that although it looks like the Breastfeeding Peer Support Course is a one day course, in reality it is a two day course!

So what if you want to sign up to the breastfeeding specific one first?
Well you can, but you need to book ALSO onto the Feeding and Carrying Advocacy course. You will only receive a certificate once both courses have been attended.

The breastfeeding peer support course lasts for one day. It starts at 9am and finishes at 5.30pm (UK time or local time if in-person). Remember that prior attendance to the feeding and carrying advocacy course is necessary to book onto the breastfeeding peer support course.

No. And also yes. You don’t need to do anything as we will look into each topic from the grounds up. This being said, the more you prepare, the more you will get out of any course. The good news is that if you do not have the time or resources to do any preparation, you can still come back as many times as you wish. This means that as your knowledge grows, you can come back and ask any new question that may have arisen.

Only a pen and some paper.

We are currently limiting this course to 8 participants.

At Slingababy, we understand about the diversity of humans who come through our doors.  We have had many anxious students. We have also worked with many neurodiverse people. We want to work with you to put you at ease. We can give you as much detail as you need before the course takes place. We can talk to you through a means that works for you. 

One key component to our teaching is consent. We will always ensure you are happy with what is offered to you and you can opt out of any part. If there is anything we can do for you, please do let us know and we will try to accommodate you to the best of our abilities.

There is no coursework after the breastfeeding peer support course.

We do encourage you to keep learning, growing and training but this part is completely up to you!

Yes, you absolutely can, providing he/she is healthy (meaning no chicken pox for instance!) We love babies and toddlers. We will do whatever we can for you to feel supported and we will encourage the group to do so too. It is however worth for you to know that the course is very intense and you are likely to wish you had more headspace to focus on the content, then again, you know your child’s needs and yours best. Remember that you can also re-attend at a later stage to pick up on any part you feel you may have missed.

Yes, you absolutely can. We love babies and toddlers. We will do whatever we can for you to feel supported and we will encourage the group to do so too. It is however worth for you to know that the course is very intense and you are likely to wish you had more headspace to focus on the content, then again, you know your child’s needs and yours best. Remember that you can also re-attend at a later stage to pick up on any part you feel you may have missed.

Yes you will.

This is the aim!

If you want to have a supporting role, maybe in a sling library setting, or organising meets, or talking about the wonders of carrying to others then the peer supporter course will give you the confidence to get out there.

If you want to be able to tailor support in a technical way to the many varied needs of parents, then the consultancy course is for you.

If you want to support families through their feeding journey, whether they are reaching you through your carrying support hat, your feeding support hat, or your doulaing hat, the feeding and carrying advocacy course is for you.
If you want to offer a more-rounded approach to family support, you may want to add the breastfeeding peer support course too.

If you are already a consultant, maybe through another school, you may find that all our courses would benefit you. The peer support course will help you simplify how you bring support in busy settings. The consultancy course could bring you more tools and a different approach to the one you are currently using. The feeding and carrying advocacy course could help you answer the recurring question of “how can I feed in this?” and the breastfeeding peer support course will help you have more support arrows to your bow.

All carrying courses stand alone and have a different emphasis, this means you could do just one.
The breastfeeding peer support course leans onto the feeding and carrying advocacy course and prior attendance to the latter is required to attend the former.

We would recommend doing all to get the greatest set of skills. Whichever order you attend them will be beneficial. Remember that you can re-attend all courses if you wish to.