Tooting is my home patch, and I want families here to know how much support is on their doorstep, free as well as private. This is where to find it: the NHS teams, the local drop-ins, the helplines you can ring today, and the signs that need attention sooner rather than later.

NHS support where you are

Your midwife looks after you in the early days. Your health visitor takes over from around 10 to 14 days and can weigh your baby and talk feeding through with you. Your GP is there for anything to do with your health or your baby's. All of it is free, and none of it needs a referral.

Two local services go further:

  • St George's Hospital infant feeding team07766 800365For families who gave birth there. Weekdays 9am to 5pm. Voicemail on 020 8725 0199, or email infantfeeding@stgeorges.nhs.uk
  • Wandsworth NHS infant feeding service0330 058 1679Duty line. Runs the groups below and offers specialist support by referral

Local drop-ins and well baby clinics

A breastfeeding group is somewhere to get practical help and to sit with other people doing the same thing as you. A well baby clinic is a drop-in where your baby can be weighed and you can speak to a health visitor. Neither needs an appointment.

  • York Gardens Children's CentreBreastfeeding group, Mondays 1.30pm to 3pmWell baby clinic, Thursdays 9.30am to 11.30am
  • Smallwood Children's CentreBreastfeeding group, Fridays 1pm to 2.30pmWell baby clinic, Tuesdays 9.30am to 11am
  • Roehampton Family HubBreastfeeding group and well baby clinic, Tuesdays 9.30am to 11.30am
  • Yvonne Carr Children's CentreWell baby clinic, Mondays 9.30am to 11.30am
  • Putneymead GroupWell baby clinic, Mondays 9.30am to 11.30am, and Wednesdays 1.30pm to 3pm
  • Westhill in the Park Children's CentreWell baby clinic, Tuesdays 1.30pm to 3.30pm
  • Grayswood GP PracticeWell baby clinic, Wednesdays 9.30am to 11.30am
  • Faylands Children's CentreWell baby clinic, Thursdays 1.30pm to 3.30pm

These do not run on bank holidays and times occasionally change, so it is worth checking before you set off with a newborn.

Helplines you can ring today

Free, and answered by trained breastfeeding supporters rather than a call centre.

  • National Breastfeeding Helpline0300 100 0212Open 24 hours, every day of the year. Press 1 for Welsh, 2 for Polish
  • Breastfeeding Network0300 100 0210Every day, 9.30am to 9.30pm
  • Bengali and Sylheti line0300 456 2421Every day, 9.30am to 9.30pm
  • La Leche League GB0345 120 29188am to 11pm, with a callback service

If your question is about medication and breastfeeding, the Breastfeeding Network's Drugs in Breastmilk service answers by email at druginformation@breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk, 8.30am to 8.30pm every day. It is worth asking them rather than guessing, or stopping a medicine you need.

When to get help sooner

Most feeding worries are not emergencies. A few need looking at quickly.

Contact your midwife, health visitor, GP or NHS 111 if:

  • Your baby has fewer wet or dirty nappies than expected, or dark, strong-smelling urine.
  • Your baby is very sleepy and hard to wake for feeds.
  • Your baby has lost 10% or more of their birth weight, or is not regaining it.
  • You have a painful, hot area on your breast with flu-like symptoms. It may or may not look red, depending on your skin tone. This can be mastitis and needs prompt advice.

Call 999 or take your baby straight to A&E if your baby:

  • Is floppy or unresponsive
  • Will not wake for feeds
  • Is having trouble breathing, or their lips, tongue or gums look blue or grey
  • Has a sunken fontanelle
  • Is visibly jaundiced and unwell with it, for example floppy, hard to wake or not feeding. Yellowing shows most clearly in the whites of the eyes, the gums, and the palms and soles
  • Has dark urine or pale, chalky stools

Where private support fits

Private support does not replace your midwife or health visitor, it sits alongside them. NHS services are good, but they are rarely able to offer a long, unhurried, one-to-one assessment at short notice, and that is usually what is missing when feeding is not working.

When I visit, I watch a whole feed, look at your baby's latch and how well they are actually transferring milk, weigh them if it helps, and leave you with a written plan and support afterwards. As an IBCLC, registered midwife and nurse I work with the care you are already getting, not around it. If something needs your GP, your health visitor or a specialist, I will tell you, and help you get there.

How a consultation helps

If you are in Tooting or nearby and feeding is not going the way you hoped, I can come to you at home, so you do not have to pack a newborn into a car seat first. You can book a consultation or get in touch if you would rather talk it through before deciding.