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Congratulations, you're pregnant and planning to breastfeed!
Breastfeeding is natural and healthy, yet every mother will tell you that it's not intuitive: in fact, it's an act that we discover when we put our child to bed, but which we've never practised before. And just as you learn to ride a bike or swim, you also learn to breastfeed. That's why being well-equipped and well-informed are key to the success of this wonderful project. This includes being accompanied by someone you can trust, trained in human lactation, who will be able to guide and support you along the way, whether you want to breastfeed for a few days, several months or several years.
At Mumade, we are proud to offer consultations with Mariama Seugnet, IBCLC consultant.
My name is Mariama Seugnet, I'm 37 years old. I'm the mother of a little girl, Awa, soon to be 1, and also the mother-in-law of Antonin, 9.
I am a trained nursery assistant; I worked for 4 years in a Parisian nursery and then for 6 years with the Monaco family as a nanny.
In 2021, I decided to train and support women, and nursing mothers in particular. I took a parenting support course and trained in breastfeeding issues for one academic year at CREFAM (Centre de recherches et de formation à l'allaitement maternel) in Paris, in order to obtain IBCLC certification.
My job is to support mothers and co-parents in their breastfeeding project.
I help them to prepare the elements necessary for successful breastfeeding and to overcome their difficulties, to find solutions when they encounter a problem.
I support all mothers, including those who can't or don't want to breastfeed and need to need nutritional advice before making a decision. The most important thing is to be informed.
To find out more about this little-known profession in France, take a look at this article.
I wanted to become an IBCLC-certified consultant in order to offer quality support to mothers. Feeding one's child is a major preoccupation, and I feel I need to be qualified to provide serious support to patients and meet their babies' needs.
My main interest in becoming an IBCLC is to be able to support you from the beginning to the end of your breastfeeding, to anticipate difficulties and respond to the various issues that arise during the lactation process. And above all, to restore mothers' CONFIDENCE in their own abilities.
IBCLC certification is a demanding international examination that requires the following: a medical diploma (nursery nurse, midwife, nurse, doctor, etc.).
A minimum of 1,000 hours of practical experience and 141 hours of theoretical training are required to be eligible for registration.
The exam lasts 4 hours and takes place every year in September. Around 60% of candidates pass, and there are some 200 IBCLC consultants in France.
Unlike other, much less demanding training courses, you have to retake the exam every 5 years, otherwise you lose your certification.
It's a guarantee of quality, because it means always keeping up to date and training.
IBCLC certification is a specialty, an in-depth study of all breastfeeding issues. It's not part of the curriculum for midwives, nurses or even pediatricians. This is another reason why many mothers encounter health professionals who are not trained to advise them properly.
I receive and accompany mothers on a wide range of issues: sometimes it's a question of baby's weight gain, or a lack of milk, or on the contrary, hyperlactation.
I also help moms who have pain during feeds, or need advice on preparing to go back to work and organizing the breast pump.
I recommend that all mothers or mothers-to-be get support BEFORE the birth, so that they can understand and anticipate the elements needed for successful breastfeeding. And to be supported in their project, even if they only wish to breastfeed for a few days.
I always enjoy telling this story because I find it so moving: a mother of twins contacted me last October, 9 days after giving birth, because her stay in the maternity hospital had gone so badly. She had been discouraged from breastfeeding by being told that she had too little milk to feed two babies. That it was impossible to feed twins while breastfeeding.
After our first meeting, I set up a protocol to kick-start her lactation, explaining all the steps involved. A few days after our first appointment, she was filling 180ml bottles every 4 hours, in addition to breastfeeding her 2 babies. Now she has so much milk that she's giving it to the lactarium!
Ideally, I recommend that mothers have a consultationbefore the birth. In France, there's a lot of preparation for childbirth, but very little for breastfeeding, even though it's an essential period and such a unique experience. As a result, many mothers say to themselves "I'll see what happens", but end up very disappointed when it doesn't work out.
nb : To book your breastfeeding coaching and prepare yourself , click here ( breastfeeding coaching pack ) or here ( one consultation ).
Mumade cushions are a brilliant invention. It's a real advantage to be able to breastfeed wherever you go, without having to take up too much space, enabling both mother and baby to maintain their comfort on the move. Breastfeeding should be easy, and Mumade makes it possible.
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