MB BFPC orientation handbook pdf

Mama Bear

Handbook for Peer
Counselors

Contents

Section 1: What is Mama Bear?
Section 2: Enrollment
Section 3: Visits & Phone Calls
Section 4: Breastfeeding Support Tools

& Resources

Section 1: What is Mama Bear?

• Overview
• Study Flow Chart

Overview

The purposes of this study are to:

1) learn what kinds of support will
help women meet their goals for
breastfeeding and weight management
after their baby is born

2) to test mom’s urine and blood
for nutrition factors that may help us
understand how breastfeeding and
weight loss after a baby is born affects
the health of mothers and their baby.

Participants:

African American women in the later months of pregnancy who are
interested in breastfeeding their babies.

We will enroll about 80 women in this research study at Henry Ford
Health System (HFHS).

Funding:

This study is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH R21)
and is a group project between HFHS and Michigan State University
(MSU).

Study Flow Chart

Section 2: Enrollment

• Brochure
• Nurse Recruitment Guidelines
• Consent
• Survey Data Collection By Phone

Brochure

Nurse Recruitment Guidelines





Consent Form













Survey Data Collection By Phone

Data Collectors will be asking a number of health
questions, many related to pregnancy, diet, and
breastfeeding. They will share information with
you before you meet with the participants.

Some examples are below:







Section 3: Visits & Phone Calls

• When
• Peer Counselor Protocol (Script)
• The Art of Active Listening &

Motivational Interviewing

When

Peer Counselor Schedule

• Once during pregnancy
• 1-3 days after mothers go home with their baby
• When the baby is about 6 weeks old
• Texting, phone calls, emails as needed
• Weekly contact through the WATT platform between 6

weeks – 5 months postpartum

Other Activities

Because we want to know how well the program is working,
we will also meet with the mothers to ask some questions
and check their weight.

New Center One Clinic (meet with nurse)
Enroll in Mama Bear during pregnancy
Clinic visit when baby is about 6 weeks old

Trained Evaluators (phone and one-on-one)
Phone survey during pregnancy
When the baby is about 2 weeks old
When the baby is about 5 months old

Peer Counselor Protocol (Script)







The Art of Active Listening &
Motivational Interviewing

Asking questions a certain way
can help to motivate change in others.

For example, while a mother is pregnant, you could ask:

“Is there anything you would like to do that could help you
be successful with breastfeeding before your baby is born?”

If she replies with an idea, offer to help her make a plan to accomplish it.
Remember to be specific:

• What
• When
• Where
• How often/long/much
• When would you like to start

• Example: she replies “Yes, I’ve heard that those WIC breastfeeding
classes can help.” You can help her find out (and write down) when they
are held, the location, if they are one-time classes or a series, how much
they cost, and when she would like to attend. If those classes don’t
work with her schedule, you could help her problem solve and find
other similar community resources, such as hospital classes or La Leche
League meetings.

• After she has made a specific plan, encourage a commitment statement.
“Just to make sure we both understand the details of your plan, would
you mind putting it together and saying it out loud?”

If she doesn’t really have any ideas, offer her some suggestions.

• Example:

• “Would you like me to share some ideas that other mothers
have used to accomplish the same goal(s)?”

• “Some things you might try are WIC classes, La Leche League
meetings, or hospital classes where you are delivering your
baby.”

• “Would any of these ideas work for you?”

• If she says that one might work, offer to help her develop a
plan to accomplish it- remember to be specific!

• After she has made a specific plan, encourage a commitment
statement. “Just to make sure we both understand the
details of your plan, would you mind putting it together and
saying it out loud?”

At the end, evaluate her confidence and available support
system.

• Example: “I’m interested in how confident you feel about carrying
out your plan. Considering a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the most
confident, at what level would you rate your confidence?

• If it’s 7-10, provide positive encouragement such as “That’s
wonderful! I am excited to hear about how the next few
weeks (or breastfeeding class) go for you.”

• If it’s 0-6, provide positive encouragement and problem solve
to overcome barriers. “3 is good, that’s a lot higher than 0.
We know that when confidence is a 7 or more, people are
more likely to complete their plan. Do you have any ideas
about what might raise your confidence to a 7?”

 If she has no ideas, you can offer suggestions if she
would like. “Would you like some ideas that might raise
your confidence?” This is where individual situations are
important. Brainstorm who/what she can find for
support in getting to a breastfeeding class: bus tokens,
ride from a friend, another pregnant friend to go with
her, identifying who she knows who has breastfed
successfully, etc.

In the future, ask questions like:

“How is it going with your plan?”
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“What would you like to do next?”

http://www.centrecmi.ca/learn/brief-action-planning/

Section 4: Breastfeeding Support

Tools & Resources

• Breastfeeding Fact Sheets
• Breastfeeding Duration & Exclusivity
• Maternal Self Care
• Breastfeeding Diet
• Coffective Video
• Coffective App
• Coffective Checklist
• Website
• Booklet

Breastfeeding Fact Sheets































Breastfeeding Duration & Exclusivity

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
that women breastfeed exclusively for the first 6
months of life, and continue breastfeeding until the
baby is at least 1 year old.
What does “exclusively” mean?
• Exclusively means the baby only receives breast

milk. No formula, water, juice, solid foods, corn
syrup, etc….ONLY breastmilk.

Maternal Self Care

Water
Breastfeeding moms need to drink at least 8 glasses/day. A
mom produces about 23 ounces of breastmilk/day, so she
needs to replace those 23 ounces plus what her body needs.
Water helps prevent dehydration, but it also helps to dilute
wastes. Encourage moms to drink a glass of water every time
they sit down to feed their baby, which should be about 8-12
times per day.

Rest
It’s often hard for moms to get enough rest after their baby is
born. Encouraging moms to sleep when the baby sleeps, and
to ask for help with the baby/household chores/meals from
support persons, may allow her time to restore her energy.
Sometimes the stress of having a new baby makes it difficult
to relax. This is another area where support people may help!

Healthy Diet
Focusing on all the foods breastfeeding moms can eat, instead
of foods they can’t eat, can help them make great choices!
There are very few foods most breastfeeding moms need to
avoid. The next few pages discuss diet in more detail.

Breastfeeding Diet

Calories Needed

• It takes about 500 calories per day to make milk if a
mom is EXCLUSIVELY breastfeeding. That’s equal to
running 5 miles!

• Breastfeeding hormones help to shrink the uterus after
birth and changes the mom’s metabolism.

• The best diet for breastfeeding moms doesn’t just
require 500 more calories/day. Maximizing nutrition is
more important since mom is sharing all her vitamins
and minerals with her baby too.

• Being overly restrictive with calorie intake (less than
1500-1800 calories/day) can make both mom and baby
miss out on important nutrients they both need to stay
healthy.

• Breastfeeding can help moms lose weight!

https://www.thebump.com/a/breastfeeding-diet