November 14, 2024
Our special guest on the podcast this week is songwriter, creator, actor and mama of two Riona O’Connor, who talks to us about her motherhood and breastfeeding story.
Riona is a huge breastfeeding advocate and natural term breastfeeder. On Riona’s popular Instagram account @rionaoconnor_ she entertains her loyal following with mama parodies and comedy skits. She also talks personally about her recent ADHD diagnosis and her intuitive eating journey.
In this episode, Riona talks about how clueless she was about breastfeeding when she had her first child, and how she secretly combi fed in the first few months for fear of being criticized.
The second time around Riona was a lot more accepting of what worked for her and her family and gained more confidence with her breastfeeding choices. At this stage, she was breastfeeding both her baby and toddler.
She recalls how a picture of her four-year-old breastfeeding went viral, sparking conversations and criticisms around natural term breastfeeding. We look at how society and mainstream media depict breastfeeding and how this has inevitably shaped peoples view of breastfeeding – specifically around breastfeeding older babies and children.
Riona also openly talks about how pregnancy and breastfeeding altered how she thought of her body – after years of being uncomfortable in her own skin.
“I remember hiding the formula in the wardrobe when the midwife was coming because I thought she was going to tell me off. I was scared and a little bit ashamed. I felt this huge pressure to breastfeed exclusively from day one…but that just wasn’t possible for me in the beginning.”
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