Breastfeeding & Expressing Support
Breastfeeding Confidence
Breastfeeding your baby or babies can be the most fulfilling, natural and bonding of experiences. This doesn't mean it is always easy. Equipping yourself and your partner with knowledge in advance and knowing where to turn to for support can help you navigate the physical and emotional aspects of this precious journey with your baby.
Breastfeeding is a skill that both you and your baby will learn together. Equipping yourself with knowledge in advance can help promote confidence and help you:
Understand the importance of skin-to-skin time in the first hours, days and weeks of life
Understand your bodies amazing production from colostrum to mature milk
Infant tummy sizes
Recognise a good latch
Understand normal feeding patterns
Explore different feeding positions
Know how to tell if your baby is getting enough milk
Get to grips with the basics of hand expression
The importance of your wellbeing
Where to turn to for further peer and professional support
Antenatal breastfeeding education is offered as part of my Breathe Birth Baby classes, can be taken as an individual private consultation or in conjunction with birth or postpartum doula support.
Every Step of the Way
Whether you need a confidence boost in your breastfeeding, support in guiding your baby to a comfortable latch, to try some different positions or help navigating some of the common breastfeeding hurdles; as a breastfeeding counsellor I can help support your breastfeeding goals and increase enjoyment.
Breastfeeding should be comfortable aside from some temporary tenderness in the very first few feeds. Having sore, cracked nipples is definitely not normal and often with some easy adjustments to your baby's latch can become much more comfortable.
As a breastfeeding counsellor I do not offer diagnosis on conditions such as mastitis, thrush or tongue tie but will always signpost you to a Lactation Consultant should you need additional support to that which I can offer and will help you arrange an appointment and offer follow up support. What I can offer is confident and compassionate support in the privacy and comfort of your home at a time that suits you, as and when you need it.
Breastfeeding Consultation
The benefits of breastfeeding are numerous. Breast milk contains antibodies that help your baby fight off viruses and bacteria, it lowers your baby's risk of having asthma or allergies. Plus, babies who are breastfed exclusively for the first 6 months, without any formula, have fewer ear infections, respiratory illnesses, and bouts of diarrhoea. Not to mention the strong emotional bond that is created between mother and baby during this precious time.
Attending a breastfeeding session while you are still pregnant or when baby is born can equip you with the knowledge to help understand the physiological, hormonal and emotional process of breastfeeding your baby.
I am also here to see you through those early days, with guidance on techniques and tips to help you establish successful, comfortable breastfeeding and help you to avoid issues that can arise such as sore nipples due to your baby's latch or positioning.