Jenny Whelehan
I am a midwife, I have worked solely for the nhs for 30 years now.
I first started out in nursing as it was the only way to eventually get into midwifery. I took a short break when I had my 3 children and returned part time.
I joined the Infant Feeding Team during my time at Chase Farm Hospital and my passion for supporting mothers to feed their newborns flourished!
That was ten years ago and I still feel the same love and dedication for the work that I do! It was on this team that I first met my colleague and fellow midwife Jenny Marshall, we bonded and together we rose to the dizzy heights of Infant Feeding Lead midwives, chosen to take our Maternity Units through the Unicef Baby Friendly stages. We celebrated our achievement together with our Team and maternity staff in 2016 when we were accredited the Baby Friendly silver award.
Just as I decided to retire early last year, the covid pandemic hit and I chose to return, due to the increased demands on the nhs workforce. Now as I wind down I have joined forces with Jenny to bring our expertees and years of experience to you!
Jenny Marshall
I started my career in healthcare as a registered nurse working in general medicine and neurology in a variety of hospitals. Following a year working in Australia I changed direction and qualified as a midwife in 1991. I have practised in all areas of midwifery, and undertaken post registration training in Enhanced midwifery, Teaching and Assessing, Preparation for Parenthood and Aquarobics Aquanatal Midwifery Training.
Since 2003 I have specialised in Antenatal Education and Infant feeding, I have undergone UNICEF Baby Friendly training and supported my current Maternity unit to achieve UNICEF Baby Friendly Accreditation. My role involves training staff in infant feeding, designing and running Antenatal workshops, supporting mothers in the hospital with feeding and running two community breastfeeding support groups.
I have a great passion for supporting mothers-to-be, who are excited, but possibly anxious, about their new role. Pregnancy can be an emotional roller coaster, recognising this and providing realistic, unbiased, evidence based information can reduce anxiety. We hope to increase confidence and enable you to nurture your babies, building the foundation for secure attachment and a happy, loving relationship between you both.
