Why is mother-to-mother support needed?
Many traditional societies have recognized that a new mother is often vulnerable and sensitive and needs encouragement and support. The informal, traditional support system that positively reinforced breastfeeding in the past may no longer be in place where modernization and bottle-feeding have become the norm. Mother-to-mother support helps fill this gap, as usually it is easier for mothers to share their concerns with other mothers. Mother-to-mother support is available in the mother’s own community and provides an essential complement to the health care system, even where health care providers are well trained in the science of lactation and the clinical management of breastfeeding. Mother-to-mother support counters the dissemination of incorrect or misleading information, thus enabling the mother to make informed choices about the feeding of her baby.
