Healthcare assistant for maternity services at City Hospitals Sunderland and Sunderland Children’s Centres, Renata Robinson works hard to ensure families in Sunderland have the very best advice when it comes to decisions about breastfeeding.

While elements of her job, like being able to see newborn babies everyday, are enviable, Renata strives to ensure that the very important messages about the benefits of breastfeeding, such as a reduced risk of gastroenteritis and improvements in the child’s immune system, are communicated to as many new parents as possible.

Day-to-day she works in the east of the city to help mums and dads prepare and adapt to the new routines that a newborn baby will bring. As well as providing postnatal support to mothers Renata also works with fathers so that they are involved in what can often be a difficult time, while showing how they can provide essential encouragement to their partner.

Renata also helps to deliver training to women who have successfully breastfed and go on to become volunteers with Sunderland Children’s Centres. These volunteers are known as Bosom Buddies and provide breastfeeding support groups in the centres. Trained members of the group can provide further advice to women who are new to breastfeeding, allowing the network of support to grow.

Speaking about the work of the city’s healthcare assistants, Councillor Pat Smith, Portfolio Holder for Children and Learning City within Sunderland City Council, said: “Ensuring mums-to-be and new mothers are receiving the appropriate help and support is vital. The city’s healthcare assistants, like Renata, play an extremely important role.

“Through their visits healthcare assistants can offer support to both mums and dads in the lead up to the birth and in the early days afterwards as well as supporting access to Sunderland Children’s Centres, where ‘Bosom Buddies’ can provide a friendly and listening ear to parents who may be feeling the challenges of their new role.”

Alongside offering pre-birth visits to parents-to-be and breastfeeding support following the birth – both in hospital and after discharge – Renata makes referrals to the smoking cessation team for any parents wishing to quit smoking as well as to the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service for home safety assessments and the fitting of free smoke alarms.

As part of her job, Renata also promotes Children’s Centre activities, explaining how the services can be accessed and signposting to extra support available. “I work to encourage young mums and dads – helping them to access groups and activities,” Renata added.

Renata’s childhood experiences have played a large role in her determination to help families successfully breastfeed. She said: “As a little girl I grew up in a large family which always breastfed their babies and because of this breastfeeding has always been a big part of my life. I have two sons who were both breastfed and another baby on the way, who will also be breastfed. It was the most amazing experience of my life and I cherished every minute – it gave me great satisfaction and peace of mind, that as a mum I had given them the best start in life.

“The bond that I developed with my children through breastfeeding was overwhelming and I wanted a job which would enable me to support other mothers with breastfeeding in order for them to have as an enjoyable experience as I had, while helping them to benefit from improved attachment and emotional well-being. Working as a healthcare assistant allows me to do exactly that – I absolutely love my job. Everyone who knows me says just how well suited this role is to me.”

“The best aspect of my job is the great feeling of satisfaction which I have at the end of each day, knowing that I have made a real difference to people’s lives. Sometimes I will meet a family going through a difficult time trying to settle into breastfeeding. My job is to show them the best positions and techniques to help the baby attach, as well as reassuring the parents that they are doing the right thing by persevering with breastfeeding.

“It is wonderful to see new parents enjoying the breastfeeding experience as it is one of the best things you can do for your child in infancy. Breast milk has been shown to provide a newborn with many health benefits, which continue into adulthood and for me it feels great knowing I have helped a family.

“My job is to offer both mothers and fathers the right information to help empower them in dealing with their particular situation and to support them through the difficult times they may be experiencing. It’s wonderful to arrive at a follow-up visit to see that the baby is breastfeeding successfully and that the parents are much more comfortable and happier, and enjoying being new parents.”

Return to Latest News

News archive