Breastfeeding Peer Support Volunteer

Mercy Wilmot is a warm and caring mother of one. Before settling in the UK, she was born and raised in Ghana. She met and married her husband, Tony and settled in West Hull where she is actively involved in her local church community.

Mercy (pictured left) started in the peer support project right at the beginning. She was recruited onto the first intake in January 2010 and completed her OCN, level 2 qualification at Fenchurch Street Children’s Centre. The training consisted of 7 weeks tuition (2 hours per week ‘classroom time’), a level 1 safeguarding children’s course and completion of a workbook and oral test.

Mercy now volunteers for the project in a variety of ways. Primarily she is based at Hull Women’s and Children’s Hospital on the postnatal wards helping new mums position and attach their babies and helps initiate a successful and positive breastfeeding experience. She finds this extremely rewarding and so struggles to leave each Tuesday, spending up to 4 hours at a time on the ward! She also regularly attends the breastfeeding information evenings. She frequently attends child play sessions with her daughter at McMillan and Lambert Street Children’s Centres and her local community church promoting the project and enthusing about the benefits of breastfeeding to the mother and baby.

Mercy will drop everything to help this project always attending promotional and training events with a smile like the Innovations and Developments in Infant Feeding Conference and the Service in Development Day at the KC Stadium in March.

Mercy has dedicated 56 hours to the service since qualifying as a Breastfeeding Peer Supporter in March, she has grown in confidence, has made new friends and has had some great experiences. Mercy is a very passionate breastfeeding peer supporter and is always enthusiastic and willing to help the project.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Mercy for everything she has given the project over the last 9 months.