February 11, 2025
Let’s start this journey from the beginning, when I was pregnant and knew within my heart I really wanted to breastfeed! I was so shocked at the amount of negativity on social media towards breastfeeding, and I was struggling to find any positive stories/posts.
As a first time mum this was obviously concerning, to the point it made me think it wouldn’t be possible. I stocked up on bottles and a bottle prep machine “just in case breastfeeding doesn’t work out”.
My first step was to do as much research as I possibly could so I felt somewhat prepared. Some of the key things I did was:
In addition to all those things I also started to collect colostrum every single night as soon as I hit 37 weeks pregnant. I didn’t get on with hand expressing so I used the Medela Harmony pump and I was getting about 4 syringes (4ml) every single night. This was a great start for me and filled me with confidence that my journey was starting strong and heading in the right direction.
My birth didn’t exactly go to plan (but does anyone’s?!). After 2 hours of pushing it was discovered his shoulder had got stuck so I was off to theatre for an assisted delivery.
I kept my eyes closed and continued to listen to my meditation music and before I knew it they were placing him on my chest. However, the pain of contractions, cocktail of drugs and 18 hour labour had left me so tired, that once I delivered and cuddled him for a few minutes, I pretty much passed out from exhaustion and had a short nap.
When I woke up I immediately felt this dread that I didn’t have the “golden hour” spoken about so frequently, but with no hesitation I instinctively put him straight on my breast. I made sure to follow the ‘nose to nipple’ advice. I couldn’t believe my eyes when Oliver latched straight away and was feeding so contently.
I remember hearing those beautiful suckling noises and thinking to myself, where is the pain that I was told I would experience? As this was my first ever experience of breastfeeding I couldn’t believe how natural and perfect it all felt in that moment, even after a not-so-perfect birth.
Something I wasn’t expecting was when Oliver latched I instantly went into this state of pure relaxation like I was about to fall asleep, but at the same time it made me so thirsty! I would be holding Oliver and feeding him whilst my partner Christian was holding my water bottle and I was drinking from it.
In the hospital I continued to breastfeed Oliver every 2-3 hours sometimes needing to wake him in order to do so. I also brought some of my colostrum in to give him in between or straight after feeds as well, just to ensure I knew he was consuming something and there was no need to panic. I kept reminding myself babies stomachs are tiny and even a small feed was enough.
I made myself a promise that no matter what, I would feed on demand for 6 weeks and I would not give in to any pressure to give “top ups”. I knew that my milk coming in was only step one and I needed to give my body time to regulate my supply and adjust to what Oliver needed.
For the first 6 weeks after birth I did not pump at all – even when my boobs were replicating Pamela Anderson’s in Baywatch! I did not pump to make them go down. I knew my body would do the work and I was not experiencing any pain from them being so full, it was just strange feeling them so rock solid! I just let nature take its course, and kept feeding roughly every 2-3 hours and certainly every time he would cry.
For the first 6 weeks after birth I did not pump at all – even when my boobs were replicating Pamela Anderson’s in Baywatch!
I made sure to utilise different breastfeeding positions. For me, I loved lying down in bed or on the sofa and letting him feed laying on his side. This position really helped reduce my back pain as well. I kept checking the corners of his mouth to see if I could see liquid there, and when I could this was my nod to myself that he was getting something. I reminded myself again that I didn’t need to worry about the specific amount he was getting.
Soon I started to see ‘breastfeeding means you don’t know how much your baby is getting’ as a blessing in disguise. Ignorance is bliss as they say. I just trusted in my body to do the work. I stayed as relaxed as possible because I had read that cortisol (the stress hormone) would only harm my milk supply.
I stayed as relaxed as possible because I had read that cortisol (the stress hormone) would only harm my milk supply.
I never let go of the end goal and my reasons for wanting to breastfeed. After every feed I would use nipple cream and thankfully I only experienced nipple soreness on one occasion. When that happened I used nipple shields to let them recover for a couple days. I also made the decision not to keep weighing Oliver once we had been discharged from the hospital. He was obviously weighed at his 5 day and 10 day appointments in which his weight was increasing at a good rate the nurse was happy with.
Once we were discharged I decided to keep trusting my gut, trusting that I could see Oliver was content and trusting that I could feel and see he was growing! I didn’t want the pressure of his weight increasing by a certain amount to cause me any stress, make me doubt myself or distract me. At the end of the day, every baby will grow at their own pace, it’s not a competition.
It takes a village to raise a baby they say, but really it’s just having a handful of supportive friends and family to keep you sane. I was fortunate enough to have my partner off work for 6 weeks, so he was constantly getting me water, feeding me and letting me rest.
I urge any breastfeeding mums to communicate with their partner what they need from them but also to encourage their partner to read into breastfeeding, the benefits and the challenges many mums face. If breastfeeding is important to you as a mum, then it should be equally important to your partner as they are the greatest team mate you’ll ever have postpartum, if they choose to be.
I was surprised to see online content say that dads can’t bond with a breastfeeding baby. This was so far from the truth!! My partner was holding and playing with Oliver whenever he wasn’t feeding. He would cuddle/rock him back to sleep during the night once I’d finished feeding him. They would also have contact naps together during the day.
Just because I was the only one feeding him, doesn’t mean there wasn’t ample time for them to bond in their own special way, and to this day Oliver and Christian have the most amazing relationship.
Secondly, I had some wonderful mum friends and those who had also chosen to breastfed were such a huge support. We would message in the middle of the night, asking questions like “does yours get fussy after a feed sometimes?” and share and tips with each other.
Finally, I also had my own mum sharing her experience of breastfeeding me and her constant encouragement telling me I was doing a great job and that she was proud of me. That’s all a woman can ask for really isn’t it? For your own mum to tell you that you’re a great mum.
For me, co-sleeping and breastfeeding go hand in hand. Once my partner went back to work at 6 weeks postpartum, I started co-sleeping to manage with the night wakes. Oliver would wake every 3-4 hours when he was small. His first sleep regression at 4 months meant I was up every 2-3 hours for about a week, which was tough!
I followed the safe 7 sleep rules and followed @happycosleeper and @cosleepy on Instagram for extra safety tips. This meant that I could keep feeding throughout the night, protect my supply and get enough sleep to function. I didn’t have to spend ages rocking him back to sleep because he would fall back asleep on the breast.
Breastfeeding also relaxes the mother so I was able to fall back asleep quite quickly compared to when I was having to actually get up out of bed. Oliver’s sleep kept improving every month and he started sleeping part of the night in his own room at around 5 months old.
I never practiced sleep training. I made sure to comfort and feed him back to sleep after every wake. This certainly never became an issue for me and I never saw it as a bad habit which is often depicted on social media as well. At this point, Christian would help in the night by rocking him back to sleep and putting him back into his cot after I’d fed him. It’s so true that in the moment it’s hard but one day you’ll miss the night feeds. There’s something so special about being the only one your baby needs in that moment and what an honour that is.
Before I knew it he was 7 months old and sleeping independently through the night with no wakes. I actually didn’t even realise that his last night feed would be the last. It’s worth mentioning I also fed to sleep for all of his day time naps up until the point I started to wean him.
When it came to pumping and bottles, honestly, I was just too lazy for it. For me personally the time it takes to sterilise the pump, use the pump, wash bottles, sterilise bottles etc…it just wasn’t worth it. I had no issues with Oliver’s latch and was fine with solely feeding him myself. For those reasons, I believe pumping would not have benefited us hugely.
Being able to feed him in seconds and calm him instantly was a total win for me. Here comes the downside of that..Oliver never accepted a baby bottle at all. When it came to my first outing without him when he was 6 months old (The Eras Tour after 16 years of being a Swiftie was not going to be missed out), I needed a solution. I managed to purchase a sippy cup from Amazon which he did use after a few weeks of practicing. On the day of the concert he was able to take my pumped milk from the cup and was absolutely fine. Yay!
I knew I wanted to wean him off the breast as gradually as I could before going back to work. I breastfed exclusively for 6 months, then introduced solids using the baby led weaning approach which worked well for us.
It was around the 9 months mark where I started to cut his breastfeeds one by one each month, replacing them with 3-4oz of formula. The goal was to have him off the breast completely just after he turned 1 year old.
If I wasn’t going back to work I’d have loved to keep going till he was two years old but with my job being quite stressful I decided I didn’t want to pump at work. Coincidentally it was at 9 months Oliver’s first 2 teeth cut through, but he never bit me. He continued to just latch and suck which confirmed Oliver had a really good latch since birth.
If I wasn’t going back to work I’d have loved to keep going till he was two year old but with my job being quite stressful I decided I didn’t want to pump at work.
Fortunately Oliver started to sleep through the night (7-7) from 7 months and was consistently sleeping through every single night from around 9 months. So luckily, I didn’t have the challenge of needing to wean him off during the night. He gradually did that all by himself, when he was ready to and it was developmentally right for him.
In terms of the day feeds, first to go was the morning pre-nap feed. Then I cut the afternoon pre-nap feed, then the bed time feed and last to go was the morning feed. At this point Oliver had just turned 1 and I was very emotional about the whole situation – knowing I only had one more feed to cut out, knowing my baby isn’t really a baby anymore, knowing we’re moving into a whole different stage of his life, knowing my return to work was just round the corner.
All in all I was weaning for just over 3 months with the help of formula, before moving him over to full fat cows milk at 12 months old. The cows milk didn’t last long though because he was intolerant to it. Now he only drinks water throughout the day alongside his solid snacks 2-3 times a day and his 3 meals.
In the blink of an eye, it was the end of our journey. It felt like it went so quickly. Where did that year go?! Everyone’s experience of breastfeeding is so different, but I’m glad I can share a positive journey. I can say I breastfed my son for 12 months and it remains the best thing I’ve ever done.
I wish I could go back in time to that very first feed and tell myself “it will all be okay, you’ve got this, don’t worry!”. Already I can’t wait to have another baby and start journey #2!
To summarise, here are my top breastfeeding tips for new mums:
I hope that this positive story inspires other mums to try breastfeeding, and thank you for reading.
Discover how Nourish can transform your workplace into a breastfeeding-friendly environment.
Become a contributor. Register today!
Whats this?
Earn points for engaging with our breastfeeding community and resources!
