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
Articles
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
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
Breastfeeding and Postnatal Depression
What is Postnatal Depression? Postnatal depression, or PND, is a depression that starts within the first 12 months after giving birth. In the UK it is estimated that 1 in 10 women suffers from PND at some point during the first 12 months of their baby’s life (1). The symptoms of PND include low … [Read more...] about Breastfeeding and Postnatal Depression
The Goodness Goes On
“Are you still feeding?” “When are you going to stop?” I was asked these questions when my first son was very small, only months old. I knew of LLL long before I had my baby because my friend was a Leader. I saw her deftly dealing with bundles of leaflets and information sheets, wielding massive … [Read more...] about The Goodness Goes On
A week of nursing strike
Just after my son turned one, I returned to work and he started going to nursery. He picked up hand, foot and mouth disease during his first few weeks there, and so began his first nursing strike. He became dehydrated, as he was barely having any fluids, and after six days the doctor sent us to the … [Read more...] about A week of nursing strike