When mum of twins, Chloe*, heard about Home-Start Bradford District through another mum of twins that had been supported by a Home-Start Bradford volunteer, she thought an extra pair of hands would be of great help to her and her baby son and daughter aged six months old.
Chloe’s Story
When my twins were young babies, they suffered from reflux, where they were bringing back up milk after feeding – it was a really challenging time. Another twin mummy told me all about Home-Start Bradford District and the support that she had many years prior – her twins are now 11 years old!
I felt that having two pairs of hands would be of great help when it came to looking after twins. Trudi, the Home-Start Bradford Family and Volunteer Coordinator matched me to a volunteer who had experience of supporting families of multiples.
My volunteer provided practical help – we could take a baby each and feed them their bottles and let them settle on us. My volunteer grew a particularly special bond with my baby boy, since she generally took him to feed.
My volunteer offered valuable advice on looking after two babies at once, including feeding advice and how to manage their reflux with little tips like showing me new ways to get the wind out of my babies.
My volunteer noticed that my baby boy was ready to start solids and helped me to start the weaning process by offering advice and practical help with solid mealtimes.
Having a volunteer made a real difference to me through my first steps in motherhood and made me feel more confident as a first-time mum. She offered a great listening ear to the challenges I was facing as a mum of twins and supported me with practical help and advice.
Not only did I benefit from support from my volunteer herself but also from Trudi. She listened to my challenges and was often able to help, for example she helped me access a HENRY weaning course, which I attended and benefited from.
If you need support, then please reach out. From my experience the Home-Start Bradford District service is supportive, tailored to your needs and solution focused.
*names and identifying details have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.
