Meeting Maxine Wheldon, it’s hard to believe that this confident, chatty mum-of-one needed the professional help of NHS health visitors when her son James was born. Health visitors offer a service to everyone regardless of need, but when someone needs extra support they are always there to turn to, and that’s what Maxine and husband Greg experienced.
“We’d been trying and trying for a baby,” explains 45-year-old Maxine, from Sevenoaks, “I thought at the age of 36 and being reasonably fit and healthy that it would be easy to get pregnant. After a few years we began to try IVF treatment. I also had a number of miscarriages – but when I got pregnant with James I just knew this time it was going to be fine. And it was.”
Maxine gave birth to baby James in May 2017 at Pembury Hospital (where she described the care as ‘fantastic’). But when James was just a few days old Maxine found herself worrying about his development. “I was trying to breastfeed him but I honestly didn’t really have a clue what I was doing;” she explained. “I had no idea if he was latched on properly, or if he was getting enough milk. He just seemed to fall asleep all the time when I was feeding him!”
Maxine visited a breastfeeding drop-in session at her local children’s centre – Spring House in Sevenoaks. “The volunteer peer supporters there were incredible. They were kind, patient and gave me all the reassurance I needed to carry on breastfeeding. There’s so much conflicting advice on the internet it’s so hard to know what to believe. So just being able to talk things through with a real person was amazing. I’m sure I would have given up breastfeeding without their support but thanks to them, and with more advice from the health visitor I was reassured that I was doing the right thing.”
Like most first-time parents Maxine and Greg also struggled with getting enough sleep, which can have a huge impact on emotional health. “When James was around four or five months I went along to a ‘healthy child’ clinic and saw a lovely health visitor. I was so tired and feeling overwhelmed by everything. James wouldn’t nap during the day unless he was in his buggy and I was exhausted. I was only there to get him weighed but I burst into tears! The health visitor couldn’t have been kinder. She reassured me that I was doing well and boosted my confidence. She gave me some practical advice and I felt better about everything straightaway.”
Returning to her full-time job as an HR Director for a London construction company also presented a challenge to Maxine; “James was exclusively breastfed and had never taken a bottle, not even expressed breastmilk. I had no idea how the nursery were going to manage. So I called the health visiting duty helpline for advice. Claire answered and she could not have been kinder or more supportive. Again she gave me reassurance and lots of practical strategies to help James and me to adjust. I called them again when I needed help with weaning him off the breast at bedtime and once more they were fantastic; kind, reassuring, and non-judgmental. All the tips I got paid off and James now eats well, sleeps well and is a lovely calm baby. The health visitors deliver common sense advice with compassion, and their help is available right on your doorstep. We’re privileged to have these wonderful professionals as part of our community.”