Whilst sorting through my paperwork to decide what to recycle, I came across an article I’d written 20 years ago for the LLLGB magazine. It was about breastfeeding my then four-and-a-half-month-old son, Murray. Rereading the article prompted me to reflect on how our breastfeeding relationship … [Read more...] about Bringing Up a Breastfed Baby – Twenty Years On
Breastfeeding Matters
Breastfeeding Matters is the LLLGB members' newsletter, with news and views from LLLGB and inspiring stories from our members.
You can support the work of of LLLGB by becoming a member, and receive six copies of Breastfeeding Matters a year. Here are a selection of articles from the newsletter.
First Impressions
At the top of my to-do list when I was pregnant with Amaya, my second child, was to find a breastfeeding group. I stopped breastfeeding my son when he was four months old due to the challenges I faced with a lack of support. I was the first person in my family for three generations who breastfed … [Read more...] about First Impressions
Pumping and Me
Pumping and Me It’s gone eleven o’clock at night and I am trying to settle my five-month-old daughter who has woken up and is in need of a feed. This is in itself not unusual for a newborn and a first-time mum, however what makes it harder is that I am also attached to my breast pump so that I am … [Read more...] about Pumping and Me
Breastfeeding in Community – needed now more than ever
I’ve started thanking everyone at the beginning of La Leche League meetings for making the time to do something important for themselves by coming to talk and listen. Often we prioritise groups that have a more obvious benefit for our babies, like baby massage or playgroups. In the earliest months, … [Read more...] about Breastfeeding in Community – needed now more than ever
Feeding Gwilym
Background As with my first pregnancy, we had a private scan at 30 weeks with the second,as we wanted to ensure all was going well for our baby inside. The sonographer did all the measurements but kept remeasuring the baby's femur. It turned out that it was shorter than it should have been for the … [Read more...] about Feeding Gwilym
Breastfeeding with a nursing supplementer
My son was born two and a half weeks early in a birth pool at home. Although the birth went well and he latched on straight away, he seemed too sleepy to feed. As he still hadn’t fed six hours after birth, the midwife said we would need to give him formula, which went against everything I had read, … [Read more...] about Breastfeeding with a nursing supplementer
The birth of my second child
E struggled to cope with the change to the family dynamic when her second baby arrived… I have two lovely, scrumptious daughters, A who is nearly four years old and B who is just over a year old. The first year of B's life has been the most difficult year of my life so far. I had no idea that … [Read more...] about The birth of my second child
Body Image
This morning I attended a meeting of my local LLL group on the subject of breastfeeding and body image. At first I thought it wasn't something I had thought much about until recently, but I soon realised it really wasn't the case. Although I am now completely confident breastfeeding my youngest … [Read more...] about Body Image
Single mum and breastfeeding
When I had my second baby, I knew I was doing it alone. Having successfully breastfed my first child through a crumbling relationship, I thought that doing it again would be a breeze. I hadn’t realised how hard it could be. Breastfeeding my daughter had many challenges. Finding my feet as a mother … [Read more...] about Single mum and breastfeeding
Recreating the ‘lying-in’ month
I took a fascinating class at university called 'Childbirth in 17th Century England', which looked at the history of childbirth and the transition from traditional women-led births to a medicalised and male-led birth process. Apparently, a midwife was called, husbands weren't allowed in the room, … [Read more...] about Recreating the ‘lying-in’ month