I had always looked forward to breastfeeding and seeing adverts on TV it all looked so simple and lovely and I was determined that would be me and I imagined it to come so easily and naturally.

When I had my daughter 2 years ago via c-section, she never latched on properly or took to the breast that well which resulted in her losing 14% of her birth weight and then never took to the breast at all then as I was having to express my engorged breasts and bottle feed her.

It was such an exhausting time and I never got any sleep. I was heartbroken that my vision of breastfeeding was shattered. I was also getting sharp pains in my breast which no-one was able to pin point what it could be, it felt like a sharp knife.

I started to get this pain during my second pregnancy and I got very anxious that I would not be able to breastfeed without that pain again and it would just be ruined again.

However this time I was determined this would not happen. I wanted all the support I could get which couldn’t have been at a worse time due to lockdown and limited access to services.

However I managed to access a lactation consultant who gave me a lot of support and provided guidance to a breastfeeding specialist that worked on the ward where I was having my baby. After many phone conversations and planning I was given so much support prior to the birth of my baby and started to look forward to my breastfeeding journey.

I was advised to collect colostrum prior to the birth from 36 weeks. I was unsure how I felt about this as I had never done this before and never knew anyone who had done this either. After reading about it and talking to the specialist I decided to give this a go. I could either get some or not. I was very successful at collecting colostrum and labelled it and froze it to take it with me. I am so glad I did this and I would recommend everyone to do this if they can.

Once I had my baby the breastfeeding specialist who I had kept in touch with came to see me and we both started our breastfeeding journey. I had so much support and it made a huge difference.

My second daughter was born by c-section and wouldn’t really latch on again, so the colostrum came in handy. I used the colostrum to give my baby. before she latched on when she was struggling and this enticed her taste buds and she latched on for more.

It was hard to do without the support and I don’t think I would have come this far without the amazing support i have received.

Everything was going really well, then after one week I got a cracked nipple and breastfeeding became really painful on that side and I used to dread feeding her on that side. I used to cry, flinch and tense up every time she latched on. One she was on it felt fine and the feed was fine.

To help cope with the pain I started to introduce one bottle before bed of formula to give my nipple a longer break to allow time to heal. I used lots of Lansinoh cream and aired my nipple as much as I could and still do.

I have kept in touch with my breastfeeding specialist on a weekly basis and when I told her about my cracked nipple she asked me to come back to see her. We went through different latching techniques and different styles and positions which made a huge difference and although it still hurt a little bit any my nipple is still cracked (on the mend) the latch has improved.

My baby is now four weeks and we are doing really well with breastfeeding because of all the support I had. Without this support I would definitely have given up by week 1. Although it is challenging and managing engorgement and fullness when baby has had a longer gap between feeds and leaking milk etc. It is definitely worth it and I am glad I stuck with it and had the right support to do this.

It saves on washing lots of bottles in the early days when all you want to do is rest and sleep as much as you can and at night it is easier.

The best part of breastfeeding is having that time with your baby that no-one can take away from you and it is something to make the most of. It is such lovely bonding time, even if it is hard at times.

Emotionally it has been a rollercoaster, some days are really good and I love it and other days (mainly when my nipple was sore) I did not enjoy it one bit and wanted to give up.

Breastfeeding should not be underestimated it is something that you and your baby have to learn together so just keep at it if it is something you really want to do. It is very to just give up and give bottles. Always get support early on when you feel like things are not going to plan or starting to get sore or you feel your latch needs working on. The latch is so important and is the main part of feeding, if your latch is right then feeding is such a lovely and wonderful experience. Never sit in silence and enjoy every part of your journey however long you decide for it to be. Be proud of how far and how long you have breastfed for or even if you haven’t, there is no right or wrong, just do what is right for you and your baby.

Our breastfeeding journey isn't a positive one but it is an important one. Throughout my pregnancy I was determined to breastfeed. I told myself it wasn't a choice, if other women could do it, so could I.

We struggled with latching in the hospital and I experienced cracked nipples but was told this was normal and would go away once we'd got the hang of things. After being home for a week and still experiencing pain I called the health visitor. Ola & I were diagnosed with thrush and my GP prescribed us treatment. Nothing changed. By this point my nipples weren't just cracked they had deep gashes in them and the pain was excruciating. We were given more thrush treatment and when this didn't work I spoke to a lactation consultant who suspected tongue tie and referred us to a specialist.

This was late June and we have still not received an appointment (August) but we were lucky to have the option of going private which we did. Having her tongue released helped but my nipples still weren't healing. Our GP wouldn't see us due to Covid-19 but she suspected Raynaud's syndrome and prescribed treatment. It didn't help. I spoke to the lactation consultant again and sent pictures of my nipples this time, she said it was definitely thrush and not Raynaud's and I needed stronger treatment.

By this point breastfeeding was unbearable and I decided to switch to exclusively pumping for a few days to allow myself to heal. I pumped every 2 hours around the clock to keep my supply up and after a few days my nipples were healing but Ola was now refusing the breast. I was devastated but didn't give up, she eventually accepted the breast again and now even refuses a bottle so we switched back to exclusively breastfeeding.

Since then I have had 2 cases of mastitis because of an oversupply from pumping so often but we fed through it and now we both love the bonding time we spend together during feeds.

Breastfeeding figures in the UK are some of the lowest in the world and I fully believe that this is due to a lack of support and knowledge. At one point my GP openly admitted to me that they were not trained in breastfeeding issues and that I would have to speak to a specialist. As women, we are told during pregnancy that breastfeeding should be a pain-free experience that will come naturally to us and our babies. This is simply not true for the majority of women. When breastfeeding doesn't happen the way it "should" we tell ourselves that we have failed, our bodies cannot do what they were designed for and we are incapable of providing our babies with the nutrition they need.

I cried and cried throughout the hard times in our journey because I thought that I wasn't the mother my baby needed.

My story is not intended to scare expectant mothers, I absolutely love breastfeeding now and I am so glad I chose to persevere but I wish I had been more prepared for the journey. As a society we need to be more open about the issues surrounding breastfeeding so that women don't have to feel the sense of failure that I felt and they can prepare themselves to have to work hard to establish breastfeeding rather than expecting it to come naturally.

During my pregnancy I worked in a really stressful job in social care which got even more full on during the Covid 19 pandemic and as a result in hindsight I feel like I was sleepwalking through some of the decisions I made in pregnancy without thinking too much about them.

Hence I knew I wanted to breastfeed and beyond that I hadn’t imagined what it would be like and what stresses it may or may not put on me. In fact it only entered my mind that I might not be able to breastfeed the few days before I was induced so I quickly ordered a starter kit of bottles and a steriliser just in case (I forgot the formula but the thought was there).

I was induced at 38 weeks and I again o was so focussed on the birth and how it would work during a pandemic that the breastfeeding was at the back of my mind. When Hattie was born she latched on instantly and I thought great- that’s that sorted then. Of course it wasn’t and when I came back from having surgery I was pretty out of it and agreed to her being topped up with formula by the staff at the hospital as I was just in no state to hold her let alone feed her. So the next morning when I came to feed her she wouldn’t latch on.

The staff in the hospital ward really tried to help me but every time I pressed the buzzer a different person came to help giving me their take on what I should be doing and 12 hours later she still hadn’t latched on my boobs were sore and had been prodded, poked and squeezed by what felt like everyone in the hospital.

I agreed with the head midwife that I should stay a second night to try and master it and an amazing healthcare assistant gave me a pair of nipple shields which changed everything instantly and Hattie guzzled away happily. So I went home happily with my nipple shields. The first few weeks were tough and I never realised how long it would take to feed her as well as how often she would feed. So after listening to lots of different advice and views I decided I would start to give her a bottle overnight so she would go more than 2 hours between feeds. So over the next few weeks I experimented with how much to bottle and breastfeed to suit us both as well as trying to support her weight gain which wasn’t happening as it should whilst just breastfeeding.

We are 12 weeks in now and have found a lovely routine that suits us both. I breastfeed overnight and in the morning and the bottle feed until bed time. I now enjoy the time I do breastfeed and enjoy that I can have some time and headspace where my husband can feed her instead.

I didn’t really think too much about breastfeeding, I just assumed I would. All my family has breastfed their babies, so I knew there would be lots of support for me. I went to a breastfeeding workshop at the hospital and took my mum. They showed us a video of a baby after birth crawling up their mum’s tummy and finding its way to the breast. I thought it was absolutely amazing. When my first baby was born, I was keen to see if it actually does happen and it really did, it was very straightforward. There was absolutely no pain, it felt so lovely to cuddle my baby and feed him. I absolutely loved it from day one.

Over time, all the professionals were satisfied I was doing a great job. My baby was gaining weight, I was fine, all was good, natural and easy, just as I had expected. But in the early days, I fed a lot more than I expected. Some days it felt like I sat there for the whole day breastfeeding. I always forgot to set myself up with the remote control, a drink and a snack!

The main issues I faced were that our families lived about a 2 hour tube and train journey away and I could never get comfortable with feeding on the tube and he always seemed to need some no matter how I tried to prepare and he would instantly cry when others held him leading to many comments of ‘he is hungry, why don’t you give him a bottle?’ This created a lot of anxiety in the early days and often left me in tears on the phone to my mum who would just say ‘well let him have some more than....and make sure you drink plenty and have something to eat’.

Our breastfeeding journey lasted far, far longer than I ever thought it was . I had no plan but to just let it fizzle out, let nature take the lead. At 2.5 he stopped asking for it. Over time, I could only see enormous benefits to breastfeeding. When Hugh broke his elbow, we went to A&E and I breastfed him whilst we waited, he sat there in the waiting room and he just breastfed, no crying at all. On flights, he would just sit on my lap and help himself as he wished. I didn’t have to buy milk or wash bottles, in the night, I could practically sleep through a feed (especially as he got older). It’s also encouraged me to think twice about taking medicine if I feel unwell and seek a natural remedy instead.

I often wonder how much a coffee shop would charge if they could offer a shot of milk that had the benefits that breast milk apparently does! I was happy when our journey finished, it was just all so natural and had fizzled out with nobody really noticing. At the time I was about 3 months pregnant. However, at 6 months pregnant, something must’ve happened to my hormones because Hugh couldn’t stop looking at me like I was a walking Dairy Milk, constantly asking for milk.

My husband and I tried everything - mostly giving him snacks and drinks, telling him he is a big boy etc etc, it was hard work. Now the baby has arrived, he is desperate. He won’t stop Felicity but is always trying to have the other breast, especially if he is tired. I feel very unprepared for this. There is so much advice and help out there for people to ‘keep going’ but not much about stopping! This time round, I have bought a breastfeeding apron which I love and have been listening to audiobooks during night feeds, to avoid any 3am parent googling and I make sure there I always a big glass of water and a snack to hand!

I always wanted to breastfeed George and had heard it was hard but having a difficult job and never one to shy away from a challenge, I sat through my breastfeeding course thinking ‘I can do this’.

When George arrived the midwives helped me try to feed him and I remember feeling overwhelmed with emotion that he latched instantly and it felt amazing. Over the next few days in hospital I was feeding on demand (every 2 hours or so) but I could tell George wasn’t satisfied and seemed hungry. The younger midwives told me to ‘hang in there’ and thought it was because my milk hadn’t come in yet, but the older ones suggested I top up George’s feeds with formula. I remember being so torn and disappointed, I wanted to be everything my baby needed but I didn’t want him to be hungry so I gave him some formula (30 ml or so) after every breastfeed. It turned out that my milk had not ‘come in’ at that point - the 36 hour induced labour is not the ideal way to help your body be relaxed and well hydrated to encourage this, or a good milk supply!

We had to stay in hospital for 5 days for antibiotics so my milk ‘came in’ then and we were incredibly lucky to receive help from the midwives on the latch. I felt so proud when they said it was ‘textbook’, so we left hospital thinking we had breastfeeding down and some proper sleep in my own bed would also help boost my supply. I continued breastfeeding George then offering him formula afterwards to top him up. Unfortunately despite my best efforts after 10 days we were referred to hospital as George had lost too much weight. Although his latch was perfect to start with, it would slip throughout the feed and get incredibly uncomfortable.

I fed through the pain and tried everything - nipple shields, creams, positions, to help him retain the latch. I remember crying a lot during those first 4 weeks and it was 90% due to our breastfeeding struggles.

We were advised to go to a specialist local breast feeding clinic, so I hung a lot of hope on that offering some improvements. I can remember the lovely lady there trying desperately to help us but I could tell she was clutching at straws as to what was wrong. She suggested he might have a tongue tie - a diagnosis with I have heard a disturbing amount of mothers told when breastfeeding isn’t going to plan. She thought that George had a minor posterior tie, not the more obvious anterior tie (which prevents feeding), but we later obtained a second opinion who disagreed with her. She also set out her plan to help me increase my supply which consisted of me feeding every 3 hours and pumping in between for 30 minutes.

At this time I was exhausted and to be told I wouldn’t be able to sleep for more than an hour was too much. We were also told to drop the formula, but I knew that was keeping my baby happy and full and I wasn’t willing to effectively starve him until my milk hopefully increased. I remember feeling incredibly disappointed at this stage and so worried that I wasn’t doing the best for my baby.

The NHS loves the ‘breast is best’ slogan and I really wanted to know what I was denying George if I couldn’t breastfeed. So I read lots of articles and journals on the scientific research behind ‘breast is best’. I would urge anyone struggling with breastfeeding or who is feeling like a failure for wanting to quit to look into those studies.

I wish more support groups and pages would provide a balanced view. If I am honest I heard/read the ‘fed is best’ message but didn’t really believe it until I read up on the scientific research myself. After 6 weeks George started screaming on the breast and wouldn’t feed from me at all so he effectively chose formula. He is now 6 months old and a gorgeous, healthy baby boy. Our relationship is so special and I couldn’t love him any more. If I am lucky enough to have a second baby I would definitely take formula to hospital with me. I will try to breastfeed for as long as it works for us both but if it doesn’t I am ok with that.

I had my daughter in 2016 and as soon as we had skin-to-skin she started to wriggle herself towards the boob. It was a bit painful getting the latch right, especially as my milk came in and I was so engorged but a fairy godmother of a health visitor arrived on day 5 and altered my positioning slightly and from that moment we were off! It was the easiest thing in the world and we were a great team until it felt like a joint decision to stop after a year.

I had a very anxious pregnancy with my son. It was following a miscarriage, we had shown high risk for Down’s syndrome at 12 weeks and needed a few growth scans as my bump kept measuring small. Luckily it was always fine but I just couldn’t relax and enjoy being pregnant. I just kept thinking as soon as he’s here I’ll be fine, I’ve done it before and know what to expect... a global pandemic wasn’t expected though!!

Thankfully Woody arrived on 4 May in the water at the birth centre so my husband was able to stay with me the whole time and it was my dream labour, just 3 hours with gas and air and breathing (my daughter had been 29 hours resulting in labour ward and a ventouse delivery). I couldn’t believe how good I felt! I was up in bed eating take away pizza a couple of hours after! He didn’t take to the breast as quickly as my daughter did and when he did it was painful but I remember thinking ‘it’s ok we can work on the latch later...’ this was such an error, the damage was done and I had a blister.

On his checks the next day the midwife said he had a slight tongue-tie but told me that some babies can work out feeding without needing a snip and to see how we got on. Unfortunately what followed was weeks of pain, tears and disappointment. My nipples were cracked, blistered and bleeding. I couldn’t get Woody to open his mouth wide enough to latch on so had multiple zoom calls with health visitors and the local breastfeeding support. In the end we did get a good latch and i wasn’t in pain anymore but it just didn’t feel right. Woody would latch on but come straight off screaming. It was so upsetting that something I felt should be a comfort and settling for him was causing him so much distress.

Again I spoke to health visitors who were all so lovely but they said as long as I wasn’t in pain and he was putting on weight it was fine. We tried different positions and loads of winding but everything kept coming back to ‘maybe it’s the tongue-tie’. In the end after 5 weeks we found someone who could come to the house and snip his tongue. The days after were the worst. The midwife who performed the procedure told us to just go back to ‘the new born bubble’ with lots of skin-to-skin and try different positions but it was horrific. It was a hot day, we were both half naked, sweating and crying. I so nearly gave up but the guilt I felt at the thought of giving him a bottle was overwhelming, especially as my daughter was exclusively breastfed for 6 months, I couldn’t bear the though of not being able to do the same for him.

In the end I rang the health visitors in floods of tears who told me to come in and see them. To see a real human, kind face in the middle of lockdown was just wonderful. She checked my latch, weighed Woody and reassured me that everything was fine. I just needed to keep going as getting the tongue-tie snipped was basically like starting again.

The local breastfeeding support team were wonderful as well and checked in on me every few days to see how I was doing. They said it wouldn’t be something that got better over night but slowly the number of good feeds will start to over take the bad ones and this was so true.

By 8 weeks I felt like I was coming out of the fog. We’re 13 weeks now and I still have the odd bad feed but mostly when he’s over tired or too hungry. Looking back I think we’ve just been really unlucky. As well as the tongue-tie I think I’ve got a very heavy flow which can choke him a bit sometimes and he was really congested for the first 10 weeks as well which didn’t help.

Obviously the whole Covid thing has added to it an already stressful start too. I’ve really missed meeting up with other mums and babies to be able to compare and swap stories. I’ve obsessed over every thing, convinced myself he’s too small and not getting what he needs from me when he’s actually totally fine and turning into a really happy little baby! If I hadn’t breastfed my daughter for so long and Woody had been my only experience of it I definitely would have given up which would have been such a shame.

I really wish there was more information about tongue-tie during pregnancy and midwives were able to offer the option to snip the tongue-tie in the first few days. It is so common that I really think it would make such a difference to so many families if they didn’t have to try and feed with it.

I could go on forever about feeding but to summarise here are a few things I wish I’d been told this time...!

- Every baby is different, get to know your baby as they are not what your previous experiences have been

- If the latch is painful it’s not right, even the first one! If there’s any pain take them off and re-latch. If you’re still in hospital ask midwives to help you. If you persevere with one bad feed you’ll kick yourself when you’ve got a blister and feeding is sore for days after!

- Breastfeeding is hard!! you’ll more than likely think about hitting the bottle but if you really want to feed you will, have faith in yourself.

- Get a tongue-tie snipped as soon as you’re aware of it. I don’t know anyone who has fed through it without getting it shipped eventually and it just wastes time!

- Get help and advice, even amongst all the coronavirus madness the health visitors and breastfeeding teams are there and ready to help, you are not alone!!

- Lansinoh cream is awesome and magical.

- You’ll come out of the newborn fog feeling so proud of yourself that you’ve grown this amazing little thing inside but you’re still growing them outside and every time they hit a little milestone it’s the best feeling!

I am a first time Mum to baby Oscar who was born right at the start of lockdown.

I had no real strong opinion on breastfeeding before I fell pregnant or even during my pregnancy. I knew I would try it and I excitedly bought all of the breastfeeding paraphernalia, but I also knew that I wouldn’t be devastated if it didn’t take.

Initially, Oscar took to it really well. That first feed after he was born was amazing; I couldn’t believe he knew what to do and my body was responding the way it was!

I had an emergency C-section so my milk didn’t come in straight away but, despite that, Oscar was confident and I took my lead from him.

Even though it was exhausting (and painful for a few seconds at the beginning of each feed) I didn’t care as I felt such a bond and such love whenever he fed. This carried on for the first 4 weeks until, one day, Oscar just would not feed well.

He was becoming more fussy and more distressed with every unsuccessful feed which, in turn, was making me stressed. It carried on for another couple of days until finally, with both of us in floods of tears, my husband took Oscar away and gave him a bottle. It needed to happen. That was the abrupt end of my breastfeeding journey with Oscar.

Although I was sad at the time, looking back now it was the right time for us. Moving to bottle feeding meant that Oscar was feeding better and our feeding experience was, once again, positive and loving and not filled with frustration.

From then on, Oscar had expressed breast milk from a bottle and combination fed until 8 weeks when my supply finally dried up. He’s been formula fed since.

Had times been different and I could have accessed support immediately, maybe I would have breastfed for longer. Who knows?

I don’t feel bad or guilty that I didn’t though, I just feel lucky that I could and proud that I did for as long as I did. Ultimately, we just need to do what is best for us and baby: you alone will know what that is.

Listen to all the advice, guidance and support you’re given but whatever feeding route you choose know that, for whatever your reasons might be, you’ve chosen the right one for you

Whilst I was pregnant I’d read about all the benefits of breastfeeding and knew it was something I wanted to try and do with my baby. I didn’t expect it to be easy but I thought like a lot of things if you try really hard it would be possible! I attended the HPHB course and listened closely to the breast feeding section, read the positive breastfeeding book and attended the HPHB Instagram lives that they ran during lockdown.

All made me feel prepared and ready for the challenge. After the birth the HCA in hospital was helpful and showed me how to get a latch and how to harvest colostrum both of which I tried but couldn’t manage myself. Lacking confidence from the start and gave my baby formula wanting her to have food over no food. When we were discharged we continued to struggle with getting a latch so I attended our midwife centre where they told me everything I was doing was right.

By day 8 in a not so mini meltdown I got in touch with Jasmine who had run one of the Instagram lives I’d seen as I knew I’d feel comfortable with her. We spoke briefly then and she recommended I look at getting a pump to help increase my supply, I hired a hospital grade pump and that was there by the time of our call the following morning. Jasmine was really generous with her time and realised I had flat nipples which was why the latch was proving so difficult for us to get.

One pair of nipple shields later we could get a latch which was a huge relief. She also recommended a cycle of feeding on the breast, formula top ups and pumping which worked but was a lot to fit in every 3 hours. We managed it though and now we’re firm mixed feeders which really works for us.

My only words of wisdom to other mums is to be as compassionate to yourself as you would to anyone else, I think hormones mixed with a trickier birth meant I was really hard on myself at first whereas with anyone else I’d never question their choice on how to breastfeed their baby.

I’m Mum to two lovely little boys, Ted who is 5 and Charlie who is 1. It still totally blows my mind the differences I experienced in terms of both of their labours and also breastfeeding; they are pretty much reverses of each other!

With Ted, I had a long and tiring labour and when he was born he had quite severe jaundice, which required a week-long stay on the maternity ward. During this time I received lots of support from the midwives and maternity support staff in terms of establishing breastfeeding. Due to the jaundice, Ted required constant feeding to help break down the bilirubin and as a result, for the first week of his life he was fed breast milk from me, expressed breast milk in a bottle and was also topped up with formula. I didn’t experience any pain of discomfort when I was feeding him, breastfeeding was established and we were off - I was delighted. I can still remember those bursts of oxytocin when I fed him and what a special feeling it was.

Cut to four years later and Charlie was born. I feel so lucky that with this labour, I really got the positive birth experience that I had so hoped for when I had Ted. My labour was short, manageable and easily one of the most empowering experiences of my life; I felt like superwoman. We had a lovely Golden Hour and Charlie started feeding straight away – because I had done this before, I just assumed I had this nailed. We were very keen to avoid a hospital stay and because the delivery had been so straightforward, we were discharged to go home that evening.

Towards the end of day two I started to notice that feeding Charlie was quite painful. In the days that followed, all that amazing oxytocin that had left me feeling so euphoric was fading and the pain I was experiencing when feeding was really ramping up. My nipples were not in good shape; they were cracked and bleeding. I was dreading it so much that I would get full body sweats every time I was about to feed. It was tough. I had a go with nipple shields - but unfortunately they gave Charlie terrible wind and he screamed that night for hours. Everything seemed to be going wrong. I was stressed, in pain and upset. This couldn’t be more different to the experience I had establishing breastfeeding Ted.

Ted had a tongue-tie that went undetected until he was about 10 weeks old; so I had asked the midwives to check Charlie’s mouth before we left the hospital. I was told that he did have a mild tongue-tie, however, because he seemed to be feeding so well, we didn’t need to worry about it. I decided to get it double checked and had been recommended a local tongue-tie specialist who fortunately could visit that day. She was lovely and confirmed that Charlie did have a severe tongue-tie and a very strong sucking reflex – she said, no wonder I’d been in so much pain. She was able to perform the ‘snip’ right then and there, on the kitchen table and this did provide some immediate relief with feeding.

My nipples were still a bit of a mess – I needed them to heal and so relied on paracetamol, lansinoh cream and breastmilk to help. Even with the tongue-tie improvements I still didn’t feel like we were fully in our stride wit breastfeeding and I really did consider giving it up, many times.

The real turning point was when I went to my local breastfeeding hub and met the most amazing Health Visitor, called Michaela. She welcomed me with open arms, demanded I accepted a cuppa and said biscuits were mandatory. Michaela was approachable, knowledgeable and so, so kind. She gave me some advice regarding Charlie’s latch and also about different feeding positions. She reminded me to smile, relax and drop my shoulders. I’d become so tense and stressed that my shoulders were rigid!

From that point onwards things really clicked into place and Charlie and I enjoyed started to enjoy breastfeeding and did so for 8 lovely months.

This different experience of breast-feeding was really eye-opening. My biggest advice to anyone choosing to breastfeed would always be to find out where your support is, in advance. The last thing that you want to be doing when you’re tired and in pain is researching when and where the support groups are; I’d also recommend researching private lactation consultants – if you’re in a position to book an appointment it could be invaluable in terms of getting things off on the right foot. There are also lots of breast-feeding consultants who post lots of free resources and advice on Instagram. And of course, do attend a Happy Parents. Happy Baby antenatal course – where an infant feeding workshop with an IBCLC breast feeding consultant is always included!

Even before I got pregnant, I knew I wanted to give breastfeeding a try.

I had heard a lot about the benefits and as a scientist did my own research into why it was so important for me to try and breastfeed my future baby.

However once I became pregnant, I began to follow different accounts on social media where I found many stories of how difficult it could be. Stories of cracked and bleeding nipples, engorgement, limited or no milk supply, babies not latching .. the list goes on!

Therefore all these things combined gave me stress and anxiety for when the time would actually came for me to breastfeed my newborn. The fear of not being able to breastfeed my baby even led me to buy copious amounts of formula as a backup plan!

My thoughts and feelings toward my future breastfeeding journey became a lot more positive thanks to the breastfeeding expert in the happy parent happy baby antenatal course who went through the science and logistics of breastfeeding. She answered all our questions and gave us lots of tips and advice to help make breastfeeding go as smoothly as possible. During this session I took notes and committed the most important tips to memory which proved very useful once the breastfeeding actually began!

Once my daughter Emma arrived, the wonderful midwives at the hospital immediately helped her latch onto me and Emma quickly learned what she had to do.

It was such a magical moment and I couldn’t believe Emma was actually feeding just the way I’d learned she would. I was also extremely proud of my body for responding to my daughter’s needs.

In the early days there was a steep learning curve and it was absolutely exhausting. What I didn’t expect was how often she would want to eat. Nevertheless we eventually found our rhythm and even though my body was physically doing exactly as it should, mentally I found breastfeeding challenging and exhausting.

Luckily I had enormous support at home from my partner and from all the mums who were part of my HPHB antenatal group. Together we formed our own little community via WhatsApp and Zoom where we shared our stories and struggles, as well as different tips and advice we found or were given along the way.

Ultimately I am absolutely loving my breastfeeding journey and the bond I am creating because of it with my daughter. The techniques and advice I was given by the experts in the antenatal course as well as the hospital midwives really gave me the confidence boost I needed and allowed me to start off on the right track from the start.

If I had any advice to give expectant mothers who want to give breastfeeding a go it would be to have confidence and believe in themselves, their bodies and their babies. It is important to have researched, to be ready and to use the support you have available however do not doubt yourself and go into the journey with an open and positive mindset!

Before having my first baby I always said I would try breastfeeding. You are told time and time again it’s benefits but no one really tells you how hard it is. First time I had a natural birth and began feeding to help deliver my placenta, everyone commented on what a good latch he had and asked how it felt (having never breastfed before I assumed it felt uncomfortable but ok) so I just went with it.

I was discharged from hospital and all the problems began. I couldn’t get him to latch he wouldn’t feed he screamed, I cried, I had fantastic help from the midwives (who also struggled) but they weren’t there all the time. Every feed was agony I dreaded it and felt like such a failure surely this was what being a mum was.

Three weeks in the pain was too much and we switched. I cried as I made his first bottle as I felt with my first real dose of mum guilt.

Second time around I was much more realistic about my expectations. Said I would try and my midwife recommended a fantastic online video about natural breastfeeding positions. Ended up with an emergency c section and immediately panicked about the impact. It was completely different she latched well and fed with ease. I combi-fed till she was about 5 months.

Then number three.... Natural birth, last baby and wanted to breastfeed again. I thought I had learned how to do it with number two... it started well but a couple of days in I soon realised it wasn’t like last time. I was back to lots of pain and waking up with a saw jaw from clenching my teeth during the night when she was latching on.

Had her checked for tongue tie several times and told she was fine and just try another position. Went to get her heel prick test and the nurse told me straight away she had tongue tie just by looking. Couldn’t afford a private consultation so went on the NHS wait list. Got it cut at 10 weeks. By that point she already established a bad latch however we were able to continue nursing until I returned to work at 5 months and she started sleeping through the night so my supply dropped.

I am now just nursing once in the morning and will continue for as long as she wants.

Long story short my advice always trust yourself.... if it hurts it’s not right... ask again and again and again! I am now 100% convinced my first was tongue tied and I should have asked for more help! I did the classes, I listened to the midwives, I got all of the information I could and all of that helped to prepare me... what I didn’t do was trust or listen to myself.

I had three completely different experiences, all nursed for different amounts of times but most importantly all of my children are happy and healthy. For no matter how long or short you choose to do it just enjoy the time to stop and cuddle your baby. Make sure it is what is best for you and that is what is best for them!

When I had my first baby 3 years ago, I was determined to feed him for a year, and never use formula.

No one in my family had been breastfeeding, but I had support from my husband and friends with various breastfeeding experiences.

I read the la leche league book, blogs, attended workshops with my husband, I was ready for it to work. When Isaac was born, I was expecting his instincts to kick in and was relying on him to know what to do. Except that one of my nipple was flat, he had an undiagnosed tongue tie and it took him 3 days to properly latch. And I wasn't ready for the pain, as I read everywhere that breastfeeding shouldn't be painful (well it was hurting like hell and it's actually pretty common). As a result Isaac lost quite a bit of weight, had a jaundice and was on the verge of being admitted. I was so desperate for him to feed that I wasn't looking at his position nor mine, he would suck in my nipples rather than opening his mouth wide, which resulted in cracks, bleeds, sore back and shoulders and loads of pain.

My friends were a great support, and there was always someone to encourage me or to give me advice when I was feeling down, even at 2am. After 2 weeks and loads of Lansinoh cream, it got better, easier, and I felt ready to continue for as long as possible. It happened that Isaac got diagnosed with a dairy allergy so it was so much easier to continue with breastfeeding, while I was following a strict elimination diet, until his diet was diverse and balanced enough.

In the end, I breastfed him for 2 and a half years. I would have continued longer but we wanted to try for another baby and our fertility clinic wanted me to stop before attempting any treatment.

Our second baby was born 2 weeks ago. He latched immediately and despite a bit of a tongue tie, has been a great feeder. I wasn't expecting it to be painful, having gone through 2 and a half years of breastfeeding not so long ago, but it has been very painful, and I had to be careful with his positions as I started to have cracked nipples within a couple of days. We are now past this point (just) and the experience is starting to be painless. I am hoping this time to be able to feed until the baby decides that he doesn't want it anymore. During my first breastfeeding journey, we encountered nipple confusion, nursing strikes, overactive letdown but I received lots of information and support from my local breastfeeding peer supporter.

My local children centre also had drop in clinics but I found them sometimes less knowledgeable. Breastfeeding had been an amazing experience, I have a very strong bond with my first born and I was very much looking forward to starting again with my second. I would encourage everyone to consider breastfeeding and to get as much support as possible because the first 2 weeks are very difficult (even the 2nd time) and it would be so easy to give up then, just hang on in there!

Before I started, I knew breastfeeding wouldn’t be straightforward but I knew it was something I wanted to do. I was very apprehensive, though, as none of my friends had breastfed either through choice or because it had “gone wrong” for them, and neither my mother or grandmother had breastfed either. I kind of just thought ok it would be nice if I could do this but I won’t beat myself up about it if I can’t because so many women don’t.

To prepare for breastfeeding, I bought Dr Amy Brown’s book ‘The Positive Breastfeeding Book’ and read it from cover to cover as that’s how I deal with most things!

I also found the session with Jasmine as part of my HPHB antenatal course extremely helpful. She said not to buy bottles etc before baby because it’s setting your brain up to accept failure which really resonated with me, particularly as I had already bought bottles “just in case”! Reading up about it was great - I knew what a correct latch looked like, for example - but nothing was going to prepare me for what it was actually like.

As soon as I delivered Axel I was keen to get him latched on. You can hear in our first video, I do not stop banging on about giving him some milk. The midwives ended up latching him on for me and I spent the night in hospital to help get us off to a good start with feeding. The midwives and HCAs were amazing - any time of the night they were there to help me with the latch and to answer any questions I had. They helped me hand express some colostrum and showed me how to do it myself. When I left the hospital I felt like I was ready to go and that we’d be fine going forward. That really was not the case!

Axel was born 9lbs 6oz so was a big baby. On day 3 he was a bit jittery so my midwife sent me to the paediatric unit to get him checked out. They weighed him to find he had lost 11% of his birth weight. Looking back, they shouldn’t have weighed him so early but they were going through the motions of preliminary checks.

Ironically they said the jittering wasn’t a concern but because 11% weight loss is a red flag for them they said I needed to pump top ups and get his weight back up again. My milk hadn’t come in yet and, textbook day 3 hormone plummet, I was an emotional wreck anyway. I spent the next two hours on an electric pump, which was far too long, and the pressure was put on me to give him formula top ups. There was no way I was going to be able to express the 90mls required as I was in such a state mentally. We were admitted and he was given 90ml top ups every 3 hours, most of which he brought back up. We were discharged the next day because he’d put that weight back on, but the midwives and health visitors were keen I continued the top ups. I was getting worried now that this was going to affect my supply. I was trying to express but found that very stressful after our experience in hospital.

I asked Jasmine for help as a lactation consultant and she was amazing - we came up with a plan together for breast compressions and a feeding diary so I could show the midwives how much he was feeding and how little of the top ups he actually needed. He was either bringing it back up or not interested after he’d had a full feed from me (because surprise surprise my milk had come in!). After a few days we were back to birth weight without the need for the top ups. That was week 1!

This is a long story but I want to illustrate that, with support, I was able to keep breastfeeding without the need for supplementation. After that we had some concerns with a possible tongue tie, which didn’t need surgery but involved latch adjustments. I got a blister at one point, which involved feeding a lot on one side and walking around the house with my boobs out so they could heal (very liberating!). At one point, my let down was a bit fast and he had problems with that. It felt quite a few times like we’d got there only for something else to go wrong. But the breastfeeding helpline and other trained mother supporters were always on the other end of the phone ready to help when I needed it.

I was quite upset with how his weight loss had been dealt with by the hospital and from subsequent home visits - at one point I was told by a nurse not to feed responsively which is completely inaccurate - not everyone is fully trained for breastfeeding support in these roles, unfortunately. I know their primary concern is to ensure baby is healthy but I think there is an over reliance on formula as an “easy fix” rather than supporting the mother to continue breastfeeding. That’s why it’s so important to contact people like the breastfeeding helpline and to stick to your guns if you feel like you’re being given the wrong advice.

I really recommend the ABM’s course ‘Team Baby: getting ready to breastfeed’ which is free at the moment and a great way to prepare you and your partner for breastfeeding. Also, if you google anything, make sure you’re reading answers from La Leche League, ABM, BfN or Kelly Mom as they’re all reputable breastfeeding sources. There are others but those are the main ones.

I follow quite a few IBCLCs on Instagram but obviously Jasmine @littlelatchers has been an incredible help. There are tons of breastfeeding consultants and mother supporters giving free support and signposting out there. Libby at @themilkhub is one of them. She was always available to help! Breastfeeding is a bit of a rollercoaster, emotionally. Cluster feeding, whilst completely normal, can really take it out of you physically and emotionally. I think it took me to the limits of what I thought I was capable of!

I had to really readjust my expectations about infant sleep and feeding - being up multiple times is the biological norm! But on the other side of it, it’s beautiful, it’s calm, it’s relaxing. There is nothing better than looking down at your baby and knowing that you are giving them everything they need. It’s their comfort as well as their nourishment, and you’re protecting them from diseases and illnesses too. I’ve loved our little bubble even now we’ve started solid foods. I still feel this incredible bond when we sit together and feed. It’s become one of life’s great pleasures for me, definitely.

There are so many benefits to breastfeeding I couldn’t possibly name them all here. The first couple of months were really hard but I do not in any way regret persevering and pushing through. Even in those early weeks there were still plenty of wonderful moments when it was just me and him feeding together and loving each other’s company (even with the sore nipples!). The best bit was when he first reached up and stroked my face during a feed.

Now we’re on 7 months and counting, and it is only good days, and I count it as one of my biggest achievements. I never thought I’d get this far but I can’t imagine stopping any time soon.

My ‘pearls of wisdom’... There is so much support out there if you know where to look, a lot of it is free as well! Breastfeeding support groups are doing online sessions at the moment too. Do not let anyone tell you that responding to your baby’s needs is wrong. You are not making a rod for your own back. It is totally normal for your baby to be up multiple times a night (yes even when they’re a year old!). If you’re at your wits end at 3am, remember that your baby is going exactly what they’re built to do and the night feeds are actually improving your supply. Don’t buy bottles, sterilisers or formula before baby comes - they’re not hard to get hold of if you find you need them. Don’t be nervous about going out and breastfeeding - I’ve had my boob fully out in so many places now and no one has so much as batted an eyelid! Finally, keep at it as it really is a wonderful thing to be able to do with your baby.

Friends had told us that it was amazing but that you needed to be a little bit determined as well.

We used an online course with sections on sleep and feeding etc to help us prepare.

I was lucky to have a strong supply from birth but those initial latches still took time and a lot of support in hospital.

Our baby didn’t necessarily want to feed on the schedule and catching him at the right moment was definitely a new skill.

Our biggest challenge was I started to get an oversupply which was something I knew nearly nothing about. I started to get a temperature and soreness and was terrified I’d get mastitis.

Thankfully the breastfeeding support midwives were phoning daily and I was paired with a peer support mum.

They taught me techniques to help relieve the oversupply and more than anything gave me the support and reassurance to push through this stage.

I love being able to look down at our baby, feel that connection and know he’s getting a great start.

Now, I confidently feed in public, although the first time was a little nerve wracking.

For us, breastfeeding was the right fit and our baby is thriving and a very healthy weight.

My advice to anyone hoping to breastfeed was given to me by our health visitor: work constantly with the midwives when in hospital and get those early latches right. It can make all the difference.

When I fell pregnant I hadn't fully made the decision about whether I wanted to breastfeed but as my pregnancy progressed I made the decision that I was definitely going to do it based on what I had read about the benefits I had watched loads of videos and lives, some through HPHB and some through the Baby Show Live to help me prepare for what to do once baby arrived and getting the first latch/feed right.

After E was born I was rushed to surgery straight after so was unable to do his first feed, so the midwife (with our permission) fed him with a small bit of formula from a cup so not to confuse him when it was time for the breast.

When we did get round to the first feed I was initally very anxious about him latching on because I was worried it was going to hurt, but it didn't. I did however need lots of support from the midwife (I was still in hospital).

Over the first couple of days E and I had to find a position that was comfortable for us both.

We adopted the cradle hold which we are still using nine weeks later. After the first week my nipples really started to hurt and I would dread every latch because it was very painful. I would wince, grit my teeth and count through the first minute of pain. My friend told me it would get "100% better", but at the time I didn't believe her. She was right!

Over the nine weeks we have had loads of hurdles to over come, I was constantly leaking during feeds from the breast I wasn't feeding from and came across nipple shells after watching a video on the Boots website, they have been the best thing I have bought and I use them during every feed.

I also wear Lansinoh washable nursing pads every day and night incase of any unexpected leaks.

We thought E had oral thrush and he was on treatment for three weeks untill we demanded a swab and found out he didnt have it, we have also struggled through growth spurts, where we have had lots of fussing on the breast and stimulating behaviours and I also struggling with a fast let down. I

have received support from a local peer support group on Facebook who also referred me to the Infant Feeding Team for more support. We are now nine weeks into our journey and I am exclusively breastfeeding and loving it. We have the odd hurdles which we have to get over but overall I am glad I persevered through the pain in the early weeks because I now enjoy the time it allows me to have with E and the bond it has created between us.

It is also amazing to see that E is growing and gaining weight just from the milk my body makes for him, breastmilk really is magic!