How to seek help with Breastfeeding
Having breastfed my 2 children I opted to become a Breastfeeding Peer Supporter. I did this not because I found breastfeeding easy but because I found breastfeeding hard……….really hard.
With my first daughter I developed Pre Eclampsia. She was born prematurely via induction but fortunately at a healthy birth weight. I was very unwell and remained in hospital for over a week after the birth. I struggled and struggled to get her to latch and felt like such a failure as nothing I tried seemed to work. There was enormous pressure to supplement with formula and very little support in establishing why I was having such difficulty. I found this extremely upsetting. I wanted so desperately to breastfeed. I worked hard to pump milk and was able to eventually give her bottled expressed milk. With the challenges of jaundice and a significant drop in birth weight I still felt pressure from my care providers to consider formula feeding. It felt to me that it was almost their way of moving me on. A sticky plaster. They had no time to offer anything more. With a long time in my hospital bed, I read the La Leche League publication ‘A Womanly Art of Breastfeeding’ from cover to cover. It is thanks to this book that I discovered nipple shields. Although I would never recommend their use without specialist support they did enable me to latch my tiny baby and saved my breastfeeding journey. I continued to feed for 22 months.
With my second daughter, I was fortunate to have an amazing home birth. It had been a big anxiety of mine throughout my pregnancy as to whether I would again struggle with feeding. With a peaceful and protected golden hour her latch was immediate and I felt so elated. Though it wasn’t plain sailing from there. As the days went by I began to experience severe discomfort and my nipples began to bleed and crack. It was truly agonising. I was fortunate to be in the care of the amazing ‘Cygnet Home Birth Team’ who were quick to diagnose and treat a tongue tie. I am still feeding my little girl as she approaches 2.5.
For some, breastfeeding does come with ease but for so many it is really tough. Breastfeeding rates in the UK are extremely low. Delving deeply shows an array of reasons for this but probably the most significant is the startling lack of accessible support at this emotionally charged and very challenging time of a family’s life. So many women stop feeding far before they are ready to. I mentioned my own desperation to breastfeed. I Know that if I had not succeeded the emotional effects on me would have been significant. I am certainly not alone in feeling so strongly about how I fed my baby.
Breastfeeding trauma is something that I hope in time will become more recognised. An understanding of the sense of grief a woman can feel if she is unable to feed her baby in the way she wished. Mothers can be left with an enormous sense of failure and a deep seated guilt that can last for a very long time and in some cases for the rest of their lives. The effects on a mother’s mental health can be profound with the potential onset of post natal depression.
Professor Amy Brown of Swansea University has researched this area and has written an extremely helpful book as part of the ‘Why Matters’ range. Amy’s other books are also fantastic - ‘The Positive Breastfeeding Book’ and ‘Breastfeeding Uncovered’.
I would highly recommend this book for those who have experienced breastfeeding difficulties. Maybe your breastfeeding journey stopped before you were ready and this plays heavily on your mind. It may just go a long way in helping deal you with what is an issue that is so commonly swept under the carpet.
As I am in regular contact with many pregnant and new mums as part of my business I opted to complete a course offered by The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers. I hold a qualification as a Breastfeeding Mother Supporter. The course was really enjoyable, informative and refreshingly in depth. Having this qualification enables me to support women in what is ‘normal’ with breastfeeding. This means I can help put a woman’s mind at rest with what is considered by society as an abnormality such as ‘cluster feeding’ or regular night waking. I can support with positioning and latch. I can also ask questions and listen to a mother’s experience. Listening often provides a wealth of clues of potential lactation problems. On recognising something that seems concerning it is then my role to sign post a mother for further help. Most commonly I ask a woman to contact an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC). It is really important that I stick to my remit of knowledge to ensure that a mother and baby are in the best health possible. The IBCLC qualification is second to none and the knowledge these certificate holders have is immense. A lactation consultant will work with a mother and baby to resolve the root cause of the problem.
The vast majority of the mums I support during my hypnobirthing classes will contact me in their early days post partum to discuss infant feeding. Since the start of the pandemic this has only increased.
An example of this is when I supported a mother in the feeding of her second baby. On listening to her it was very apparent to me that her experience of feeding her first child had caused breastfeeding trauma. The grief she felt about her experience was on-going. I was determined to provide a high standard of guidance and to be available for reassurance as much as necessary in those early weeks. With the Covid-19 lockdown in place I was only able to offer phone support. Although this wasn’t ideal I do feel the lockdown has helped many women to be able to focus on feeding their newborns with less unwanted advice from visitors. Professional support is still there despite difficulties with communication so I encourage all new mums to seek help if they need it. Here is the feedback I received from this particular mum:
“Without the daily support from Emma I would not have got to week 6 of breastfeeding. The first three weeks saw challenges including tongue tie, weight loss and low supply. All causing me a great deal of anxiety. Once the tongue tie was sorted things improved significantly. Emma always answered my questions and when she didn’t know the answer she knew the right healthcare professional to point me towards. She reassured me when things were going well and when I was feeling unsure. Emma had such a positive impact on my breastfeeding journey.”
It is not just the early weeks that require guidance and support. I routinely talk about sleep, weaning, feeding strikes and an on-going issue I experience myself………..breastfeeding aversion.
I offer support in a voluntary capacity. I chat to mums at my Activmama Pre & Postnatal Fitness Classes and offer on-going contact to the couples I work with during their antenatal course with me. As part of my Hypnobirthing Antenatal Course I prepare couples on what to expect with infant feeding. I do focus heavily on breastfeeding during the course. Statistics say 80% of mothers wish to breastfeed. During my courses to date it’s been 100%. Breastfeeding is where support is so lacking. Preparation during pregnancy is a great place to start. Knowledge is Power. My aim is to ensure couples are as equipped as possible to take on those potentially challenging early weeks. Check out my blog ‘Emma’s Breastfeeding Top Tips’ for the backbone of what we discuss. My antenatal classes currently take place online.
For details CLICK HERE
Great online information on breastfeeding can be found on the following sites:
If you need support please please speak up. Be kind to yourself. xx