Russ’s antenatal diagnosisIt had been a difficult six weeks. My father-in-law was in intensive care. There hadn’t been space to feel excited about being pregnant and we were emotionally drained. I thought we'd had the all clear at our 20 week scan when the sonographer told us we were having a boy, … [Read more...] about Russell’s Breastfeeding Journey
Child Health
Breastfeeding and Autism
Breastfeeding for autistic women & parents The Positives Communication differences Support for breastfeeding women & parents Sensory differences Key things to be mindful of when supporting an autistic person to breastfeed Breastfeeding an autistic child Sensory … [Read more...] about Breastfeeding and Autism
Breastfeeding My Baby with Down Syndrome
Jump to Resources on Breastfeeding a baby with Down syndromeSophie's storyAs soon as I was pregnant, I knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby if possible. At 22 weeks we were told our baby had a congenital heart problem called a complete AVSD (a large hole in the heart), we were also informed that the … [Read more...] about Breastfeeding My Baby with Down Syndrome
Breastfeeding a Baby with a Cleft Palate
When my second son Oskar was born, I had been thinking that after difficulties establishing breastfeeding with my firstborn, it would be an easier journey this time.After a beautiful and quick birth, Oskar went straight for the breast but didn’t open his mouth well and couldn’t stay latched. My … [Read more...] about Breastfeeding a Baby with a Cleft Palate
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
“Fussy evenings” with a newborn
My baby feeds all evening, and my breasts feel empty – have I run out of milk? Every time I try to put my baby down to sleep, they cry! What am I doing wrong? Why does my baby cry at the breast sometimes, even though they still seem hungry? If you’ve ever asked questions like this during the … [Read more...] about “Fussy evenings” with a newborn
Breastfeeding a baby with cleft lip and palate
When we found out that Isla would be born with a cleft lip and possibly palate, one of the first things we were told was that she would not be able to breastfeed. Breastfeeding my eldest daughter, Isabelle, two years before had not been straightforward – she had a posterior tongue tie and lost 16% … [Read more...] about Breastfeeding a baby with cleft lip and palate
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
Thrush and Breastfeeding
Do you have sore nipples, or deep breast pain? Have you read somewhere or been told that this could be caused by thrush? This has been a common suggestion for many years. But research, and what doctors understand about how thrush behaves, is changing our understanding. (1,2,3) Experts are … [Read more...] about Thrush and Breastfeeding