A Day in the Life: Sheena Friel, Clinical Midwifery Manager 2
Meet Sheena
My name is Sheena Friel. I have lived in Ennis for 25 years and I’ve been working in University Maternity Hospital Limerick for the last 22 years. I have two teenage daughters, and my husband and I enjoy supporting their busy lives and achievements.
My Journey into Midwifery
I began nursing in St. James’ Hospital in 1992 and later worked as a theatre nurse in the UK, New Zealand and Ireland. When I moved to Ennis, I decided to embark on the Higher Diploma in Midwifery. I have worked as a staff midwife in the theatre and the Neonatal Unit (where newborn babies are cared for), and since 2022 have been working as a Clinical Midwifery Manager 2 (CNM2) on the Infant Feeding & Lactation / Parent Education team.
Why I’m Passionate About Infant Feeding
I loved my time working in the Neonatal unit and witnessed the benefits of maternal milk for premature and ill infants. I gained huge experience supporting mums to establish a supply of breast milk for their infants. This can often be the only thing that mums feel they have control of when their infant is ill or premature. Breastmilk acts like a tailored medicine, boosting immunity and anti-inflammatory responses in premature or ill infants. Colostrum (the first milk after birth) and breastmilk help infants grow and develop a healthy gut microbiome, giving them a little ‘step-up’ on their journey.
Supporting Mums and Families
I started my journey towards studying to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC ) while working in the Neonatal Unit. I wanted to be in a position to support other mums to breastfeed. The support I received made breastfeeding my daughters a very positive experience.
Breastfeeding is the normal and natural way to feed our babies. In Ireland, it is not yet the societal norm to breastfeed (although this is improving), so lots of positive support is required. Helping with challenges early on can lead to more positive breastfeeding experiences.
A Day in My Role
I work as part of a great team in UMHL. We have three CMM2 Infant Feeding & Lactation and two staff midwives. We work as part of a wider multi-disciplinary team with UMHL, providing care throughout pregnancy and the postnatal period. With Carmen, Helen, Shauna and Catherine, we provide daily postnatal breastfeeding support and weekly antenatal education, including colostrum harvesting classes.
Our Services and Innovations
The work is very varied: antenatal consults (for those at risk of premature delivery), postnatal consults for complications associated with breastfeeding, neonatal consults (to help start expressing milk or move from tube feeding to breastfeeding), and a weekly infant feeding clinic to support those with breastfeeding difficulties up to six weeks post-delivery. We also support breastfeeding mothers across the HSE Mid West hospitals, including breastfeeding infants/children admitted to the Children’s Ark paediatric unit at UHL and mothers admitted for medical, surgical or mental health support.
Education and Teamwork
As a team, we also provide staff education sessions and facilitate the new National Infant Feeding education programme in conjunction with our Community Lactation PHN colleagues, Kiri in Clare and Gobnait in Limerick. We’ve also started education programmes for international nurses and Healthcare Attendants at UMHL. All education aims to create a positive and supportive environment for infant feeding. We facilitate practical workshops for all nursing, midwifery and medical students. Each July and January, we endeavour to meet the Non-Consultant Hospital Doctors (NCHDs) and discuss their roles in supporting infant feeding in UMHL.
The Lactation Station: Innovation in Action
In April 2024, we launched a pilot project, ‘The Lactation Station’; an innovative, cost-negative quality improvement project. The Lactation Station is an area where mums and babies can access breastfeeding support from the Infant Feeding team. It’s a space to meet other mums and receive personalised care. In the Lactation Station, we support, educate and empower women to achieve their breastfeeding goals
What I Love Most About My Work
The most rewarding part of my job is witnessing a new mum’s confidence and self-belief grow over the initial postnatal days. Our ability as women to grow and then feed our infants is monumental.
Looking Ahead
We have just completed the third year of a self-assessment audit for the National Infant Feeding Standards 2022 with National Women and Infants Health Programme (NWIHP), and it’s with great pride that I can say that through quality improvements, along with staff and parent education, we’ve shown our commitment to high-quality care across all eight standards. I look forward to continuing in my role and to improving the service we provide for women and their newborns in UMHL.
If you’re expecting a baby and want support with breastfeeding, visit: https://www2.hse.ie/babies-children/breastfeeding/
https://www2.hse.ie/services/hospitals/university-maternity-hospital-limerick/departments-services/infant-feeding-259/