What is this thing called ‘Breastfeeding Peer Support’ – and how does it work?

What is this thing called ‘Breastfeeding Peer Support’ – and how does it work? This presentation will explore different understandings about how breastfeeding peer support ‘works’ and will unpick findings from experimental studies. Heather brings together findings from a realist review of experimental studies with the perspectives of parents, peer supporters, health professionals and policy makers, which she has gathered, through interviews and focus groups. Taking a realist approach to interpreting this evidence, Heather engages us in identifying and evaluating different understandings about what exactly it is that peer supporters do – noting that this extends well beyond what happens in an individual one-to-on encounter. She also draws lessons about the wider service and societal conditions that are necessary if peer supporters are to be empowered to make a real difference to mothers. The presentation asks us to critically reflect on the ‘goal’ of peer support intervention (and indeed on the ‘goal’ of infant feeding policy) – and to consider whether a top-down public health-led approach is sufficiently aligned either with the role of peer supporters or with the lived experience of the women who seek support