If anyone knows who wrote this I’d love to credit them!

Would you nurse her in the park?

Would you nurse him in the dark?

Would you nurse him with a Boppy?

And when your boobs are feeling floppy?

I would nurse him in the park,

I would nurse her in the dark.

I’d nurse with or without a Boppy.

Floppy boobs will never stop me.

Can you nurse with your seat belt on?

Can you nurse from dusk till dawn?

Though she may pinch me, bite me, pull,

I will nurse her `till she’s full!

Can you nurse and make some soup?

Can you nurse and feed the group?

It makes her healthy strong and smart,

Mommy’s milk is the best start!

Would you nurse him at the game?

Would you nurse her in the rain?

In front of those who dare complain?

I would nurse him at the game.

I would nurse her in the rain.

As for those who protest lactation,

I have the perfect explanation.

Mommy’s milk is tailor made

It’s the perfect food, you need no aid.

Some may scoff and some may wriggle,

Avert their eyes or even giggle.

To those who can be cruel and rude,

Remind them breast’s the perfect food!

I would never scoff or giggle,

Roll my eyes or even wiggle!

I would not be so crass or crude,

I KNOW that this milk’s the perfect food!

We make the amount we need

The perfect temp for every feed.

There’s no compare to milk from breast-

The perfect food, above the rest.

Those sweet nursing smiles are oh so sweet,

Mommy’s milk is such a treat.

Human milk just can’t be beat.

I will nurse, in any case,

On the street or in your face.

I will not let my baby cry,

I’ll meet her needs, I’ll always try.

It’s not about what’s good for you,

It’s best for babies, through and through.

I will nurse her in my home,

I will nurse her when I roam.

Leave me be lads and ma’am.

I will nurse her, Mom I am

I discovered
Baby Greenhouse after I had suffered two miscarriages. I was 22 and didn’t know much about babies or pregnancy. I had no particular opinion on whether I intended to breastfeed or not, when (and if) I had a successful pregnancy.

One night there was a thread on Baby Greenhouse discussing the
Nestle boycott. I read with interest and someone posted a link to a document containing official World Health Organisation research on breast-feeding and their policy on advertising and marketing of formula milk. It describes in detail the *actual* benefits of breastfeeding and the shocking statistics about the health effects of ‘not’ breastfeeding, according to the WHO research. It explains that due to pressure from American formula companies, some of the ‘scarier’ statistics were removed from a health campaign heightening awareness of the risks of ‘not’ breastfeeding. The reason given was that it “..might make (formula-feeding) mothers feel guilty..”

From the second I read the stats I knew I wanted to breastfeed. Up until that point all I’d really heard was ‘Breast is best’. I’d read all the usual stuff that you read in magazines, NHS leaflets etc. None of it really had that much of an impact. But this did. I was shocked. That this vital information would be down-played for fear of upsetting people…?? I couldn’t get my head around it.

With my third pregnancy I researched online and in books for information on breastfeeding. I read all the breastfeeding posts on BGH that I could find! I felt strongly that I wanted to do this for my baby and for myself.

Finally in December last year my dream came true and my baby girl was born. Unfortunately she was very ill. She had risky but life-saving surgery performed in the womb at 32 weeks gestation, causing me to go into premature labour and she was born by emergency c-section at 34+4. At this point I wasn’t really thinking about how I’d feed her – I was more concerned whether she would live or die .

When it became clear that she was going to recover and come home, I started to think again about the reality of caring for her. I knew that I still wanted to breastfeed, but the odds were against us. We had been separated for the vital first few days of her life (she on a ventilator, me immobilised from the section). We were unable to have skin-to-skin contact because she had a chest drain inserted which meant that she couldn’t leave the incubator. I was able only to hold her head and stroke her skin through the ‘port-holes’. I couldn’t smell her. I couldn’t hear her cries without bending myself at a 45 degree angle (!).

I looked into ways I could *try* and get breastfeeding established. I expressed milk every 3 hours to feed to the baby through her nasal-gastric tube. Beginning to express milk when I had no baby to stimulate me naturally was hard. And painful. I found the act of expressing more painful than the seven hours of contractions I’d had whilst in labour. At points I felt like giving up. But I kept going and eventually got used to the electric pump.

The premature baby charity
Bliss had information about using a dummy to stimulate the baby’s sucking reflex whilst they received their tube feeds. The baby would hopefully begin to associate the ‘sucking’ with the feeling of a full tummy. I spent every day at the hospital, using the dummy with every feed. 12 hours from 9am – 9pm until my feet were sore and my back ached. I was completely exhausted, people kept asking me to take a break, have a morning off. I couldn’t bear to.. Every minute that I was awake and not there I felt ill. I had asked the nurses to use the dummy when they did her tube feeds overnight but I knew from observing them that they are often very busy, and doing this every hour on the hour might not be practical for them.

She spent 2 weeks in Intensive Care with some terrifying moments, including a collapsed lung before she was finally able to move out of an incubator into a cot. On the 21st December at 16 days old she was ‘allowed’ out to try sucking at the breast. I was over the moon when she began rooting around and after a few attempts she latched on. That night at home I cried with relief. The weeks of pain and emotion and uncertainty had been worth it. It is one thing to try breastfeeding and have it not work out: at least you know that you *tried*; it is quite another to not even have the *chance* to do it.

I was allowed to stay over at the hospital for the next two days with the baby in order to get breastfeeding established. Again it was difficult because suddenly I had the responsibility all to myself – DP wasn’t allowed to stay and I felt under incredible pressure. Of course I had put *myself* under this pressure but I knew that my reasons were good. After two days and nights of this, she had gained weight. Clinically she was given the OK to go home and that meant we could have her home with us on Christmas Eve.

Breastfeeding at home was harder than it had been in hospital. As she gained weight she needed to feed for longer. Her sucking became practised and STRONG! I had a cracked nipple on both sides for about two weeks. The pain of feeding through a cracked nipple was almost unbearable. I screamed and shouted and gripped the couch, but somehow we managed it. Through all of this, the only thing that kept me going was my determination. A determination which was brought about not by any health advice I’d received from doctors or nurses or midwives or friends or family, but from reading a post one night on Baby Greenhouse!!

My opinion on breastfeeding now is that more should be done in this country to encourage women to try it. I am sure there are thousands of women / girls who choose to bottle-feed because they investigate the options and bottle-feeding seems the easiest and most practical. The health benefits of breast-feeding *as advertised* by our health authorities are simply not ‘strong’ enough to outweigh the practical benefits of bottle-feeding. Even the midwife simply said “We don’t ask how you’re going to feed your baby, we only say that breast is best. It’s your decision.” This, of course, is true. But my personal opinion is that there is a responsibility on our healthcare providers to properly advise on the pros and cons of both methods. My honest opinion is that bottle-feeding *seems* to be easier because I like the idea of the baby’s Dad and other family members being able to do some (or all!) of the feeds. If I hadn’t read this document I would probably have decided to bottle-feed. And I do *not* blame anyone else who thinks this way. I blame the Government or NHS or whoever it is that doesn’t provide sufficient information for us to make a properly informed choice!

Please please please let me stress that in no way do I think formula is “poison”. I think formula is a perfectly acceptable substitute for breast-milk, when breast-feeding has not happened. Particularly if for medical reasons – HIV, milk doesn’t come in, low pain threshold etc. But I do believe that we should be encouraged to *try* it.

The reason I posted the article was in the hope that I’d reach someone who was like me two years ago.

http://www.ibfan.org/english/pdfs/btr04/btr04intro.pdf

copyright Mhairu Hamilton

<p>When I had the first of my four children, I was determined to breastfeed. And I did. It was wonderful, beautiful, and it ended all too soon. She was just three months old when I returned to work and breastfeeding came to a premature end. </p>

<p>Exactly three years on from that point, her baby sister was born. She suffered some injuries at birth and, if it were at all possible, those problems made me even more determined to breastfeed her, and for much longer than I had her sister. What I did not realise at the time, but can appreciate with hindsight, is how much easier life was as a result of that determination. Whilst her elder sister was a gentle and easy child, which obviously helped, my new baby was difficult, demanding and disturbed. Breastfeeding offered me the only means to comfort her when she became distraught, and meant that, without the stress and hassle of having to sterilise and make up bottles, I had more time than I would otherwise have had with her elder sister, to make sure that the older child did not suffer any neglect. </p>

<p>But I still had to return to work, and, when I did, she came to prefer the bottles she was given at nursery and she rebelled against breastfeeding. It then became clear how much breastfeeding had helped maintain the status quo. Having to work and yet still having to get up to make her a bottle at night time was soul-destroyingly exhausting and I went through a really bad patch, during which I felt so overwhelmed and overrun I could barely function. Had I been able to continue breastfeeding, my nights would have been far less disturbed and life could have gone on in a more even manner. </p>

<p>Just 22 months later my third daughter arrived. I then had a five-year-old, a toddler and a new baby. For a while, I doubted my ability to cope, but breastfeeding was still of paramount importance. It had become second nature to me to breastfeed, there was no way I was going to complicate my life with a steriliser, bottles and assorted feeding paraphernalia. I had two babies in nappies and a busy, intelligent and interesting schoolchild; it was mad!! Add to the confusion by bottlefeeding? No way!! I think that this period represented one of the most chaotic of my life. I took a new full-time job when my third daughter was nine months old and I’d never intended to go back to work and, like her sister, she came to prefer her bottles. So breastfeeding finished when she was ten months and wanted no more of me. I was heartbroken, and, although I did not sterilise her bottles at that time, I still used formula milk for her and still found a sharp increase in my stress levels when the convenience of breastfeeding, its soothing capabilities, and the protection it offers against illness were gone. Trying to juggle the two older girls, a demanding job as a teacher, and a baby who came down with every bug the world in general had to offer (and could not, therefore, always go to nursery) was not easy. I’m not sure, even now, that it was actually possible, but we somehow scraped by!! </p>

<p>As the youngest daughter grew up, I found myself longing to do it all once more. I didn’t particularly want a baby boy, but I did want another baby. Badly. Told by my doctors that it was unlikely at best, I continued to hope and to pray, and found myself pregnant for the fourth time in August 2001. But I got rather more than I bargained for. Desperately ill, and with psychological issues regarding my second birth still unresolved, I suffered devastating depression and was almost admitted to the local psychiatric unit. I was in a very, very bad way, but the one thing I held fast to was that I was going to breastfeed my baby. Given the information (which I refused for some time to actually believe) that I was carrying a boy, I feared that the likely connection, between his sex and how ill he made me, would lead me not to love him. At this point, I can hear everyone who knows how I adore my son laughing, but, at the time, I had serious fears and genuine worries about whether or not he and I would do that mystical bonding thing. And so did those caring for me. </p>

<p>There were two things that I needed. I needed to feel that special closeness with my baby, and I needed to keep my life as simple as possible after he arrived. By now, I knew that only breastfeeding was going to work for us. And I held on to that throughout everything, researching the effect of the drugs I needed to take on my breastmilk and building my determination to breastfeed no matter what. </p>

<p>There were, however, bigger blows to come. And, when I say bigger, I mean bigger . His birth was slightly complicated by shoulder dystocia and, though wonderful and triumphant, it was a little shocking and bewildering. And then, when he was weighed, it transpired that he was a whopping 12lbs 2ozs!! </p>

<p>Well, everyone had something to say about that!! No-one believed that such a big baby could be sustained by breastmilk alone, but, of course, he was. He and I share a marvellous bond and he is still breastfed at 23 months of age. With his three older sisters also to contend with, there was no way I was taking the chance that he would come to prefer bottles so I never gave them to him. The only formula he has ever had has been on his breakfast cereal. He is unbelievably healthy, has followed his growth pattern off the charts, eats a variety of foods and has quite adult tastes. </p>

<p>So my philosophy is that breastfeeding a baby when you have older children to occupy you can only make things easier on you. Breastfeeding was simpler and quicker, so I had more time for the other children, whether there was one or whether there were three. Breastfeeding keeps a baby healthy, boosting his or her immunity against the bigs that older children inevitably contract and bring home for you all to share. That can only be an immense boon to any harassed mother. Breastfeeding bonds you closely to your child, and when there are others to consider, that time to generate a close bond with your youngest can go by the board. It’s true that, a first child has it’s parents fitting around it, whereas subsequent children tend to have to fit in with the existing family. So many times I have nursed my son on the sofa with one of my daughters next to me, getting my help with her homework or reading whilst he fed. Breastfeeding makes for easeir nights, especially if you combine it with co-sleeping, which means you can cope better with the demands of your family because you are not so exhausted. Breastfeeding gets your child accustomed to a variety of flavours (as the flavour of the things you eat comes through in your milk) and that means that weaning is far less traumatic for the mother of many, who has little space in her life for complications in the form of fussy eaters. </p>

<p>Oh, and the best thing of all? If you breastfeed, you never get to a stage where a baby can hold the bottle itself. You just have to sit down!!!!! </p>

<p>This article by Kate Pryde is reproduced with permission from <a href=”http://www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uk” target=”_blank”>www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uk</a>a ‘not for profit’ website packed with articles and advice about breastfeeding, written by mums from their own experiences.</p>

Before I was even married, and certainly before I contemplated having children, I had a lecture on infant feeding from a rather brusque midwife at work one day.

“You’ll HAVE to breastfeed of course” she said.”Huh?”"Well you’re a doctor, you’ve got to do the right thing haven’t you?”

Not surprisingly, this didn’t really convince me of the benefits of breastfeeding, and I was annoyed by her attitude. My sister was a successful breastfeeder already, but as someone who had never really thought that having children would be important, I’d not really taken any interest.

Years later, on discovering that I was pregnant for the first time, that conversation came back to haunt me, as after reading more about the health benefits of breastfeeding I concluded that yes, I would have to “do the right thing”. It didn’t hold any appeal for me though. I resolved to feed for 3-6 months, until I went back to work. It would be a chore, but I ‘ought’ to. I certainly would never be able to feed in public, and would stop as soon as it was reasonable to do so.

Things didn’t quite end up like that though: as it turns out I fed my daughter ’til she self weaned at around 3.5 years, and I’ve fed her pretty much anywhere you can think of. I’m now feeding my son, and am a passionate advocate of the benefits of breastfeeding. My old friends still find this amazing, and not a little amusing!

So how did this change of heart come about?

Well for a start I had a hideous pregnancy. I had envisaged myself carrying on heroically, as if nothing was happening, probably working until labour was established. In fact I had horrendous hyperemesis (sickness), necessitating repeated hospital admissions and no work after about 16weeks. I then developed pre-eclampsia and Isabel was delivered, just over 2 weeks early, by caesarean section. How on earth did that help me breastfeed, I hear you ask. Well, I’m pretty stubborn at the best of times, but all this disappointment made me even more determined that I was going to get something to work!

Breastfeeding did not come easily either: the pain from my nipples overshadowed the post-section pain in a major way. Despite numerous visits from midwives, health visitors and breastfeeding counsellors, no one could find why I was in so much pain. I cried in pain everyday for 3 months or so. (I’m not encouraging you here am I?) So why did I persist? Well partly that stubborn streak again, partly the encouragement from my b/f support group and especially my sister, and mostly because of my beautiful little girl. She was so obviously thriving on it, and the closeness of the feeding times was marvellous. The look of contentment on her face as she fell asleep at the end of a feed made it all worthwhile. I had never imagined I would feel that way, and if breastfeeding was what she needed, I would carry on. I also loved the convenience; ‘Have baby, will travel’! No need to worry about warming bottles or running out of milk. I love the outdoors and was soon back to sailing and walking with no worries. If she got hungry, I just fed her, wherever I happened to be.

I stayed off work longer than I had anticipated, returning when she was about 8 months old. I had expected to stop feeding her then, but we were both so happy with the arrangement that I carried on. Although leaving her was very hard, the joy of the ‘reunion feed’ at the end of the day made it a little easier. My husband was an absolute star, bringing her over to work in the evenings when I couldn’t get home, so that she could still have her bedtime feed. Breastfeeding had become such an integral part of all our lives, it seemed daft to try and stop.

I didn’t ever consciously make the decision to breastfeed for as long as I did, it just kind of happened. My sister fed her 3 children til they were over 2yrs and my sister in law fed her 4 for between 18months and 3 years, so I didn’t really see myself as that unusual. Of course with time her feeds got less, but a breastfeed continued to make a lovely end to the day, and it was a godsend on the few occasions when she was ill.

Likewise I never made a conscious decision to stop. She began to ask less often, and I stopped offering. It ended naturally. I don’t remember her last feed, or even exactly how old she was. Despite the numerous dire warnings I received, she did stop of her own free will, and she is now as happy and self confident a 6 year old as you will meet, not for ever tied to my apron strings as I was told!

For me, breastfeeding is the healthiest option for a baby, but it’s also hugely convenient and a great source of pleasure. With my son, I found the whole business a lot easier and I intend to let him choose the time to wean too. I am not everybody’s idea of a ‘typical’ extended breastfeeder (if there is such a thing) so if you don’t think it’s for you – give it a go. Like me, you might just be surprised!

This article reproduced with permission from www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uka ‘not for profit’ website packed with articles and advice about breastfeeding, written by mums from their own experiences.

A is for:

Antibodies….which are passed from mum to baby through breastmilk.

Allergies, and also for asthma – their incidence is less in breastfed babies.

Alcohol – which you shouldn;t drink when pregnant, but can have (in moderation!) while breastfeeding.

“Awwww”….that lovely snuggly feeling you get…

B is for:

Beautiful smiles I get when she sees the boob coming

Big Bouncing Bazoongas that I have when Breastfeeding (I won’t say what they’re like when I’m Not lol!)

C is for:

Colostrum – babies perfect first milk

Convenience – breastmilk is ready to serve, any time, anyplace, right temperature, no preparation and no clearing up.

Closeness – that special bond between mum and baby

Counsellors – people who can help if you’re finding it hard

Calories – the extra ones you use up whilst feeding

Chocolate – you know every new mum needs it!!

D is for:

Don’t give up, during the Difficult times, which we all have in one way or another,
or

Dental Development

E is for:

Excitement from baby when they know they are about to be fed delicious mummy milk! Extra benefits that bf gives, and

Extending those benefits into toddlerhood

F is for:

Feeding frenzy – what a bf baby does when you need to increase your supply to support a growth spurt – and don’t we wish we’d been warned, rather than (F is also for) fretting that there’s something wrong with us or our supply!

Formula manufacturers – they take every chance to pretend that their product is just as good, for instance pushing (F is for) follow-on milk – implying that bf babies might be deficient in iron! www.ibfan.org/english/news/press/press13may04.html

Flora – the good kind in our babies intestines www.drjaygordon.com/bf/supplement.htm

G is for:

Goodness – all those extra special ingredients in breastmilk.

Gastroenteritis, which is less common in breastfed babies.

Groups – support groups are a great help, especially if you’re finding it hard in the early days.

H is for:

Happiness, the feelings you get when you feed your baby, mmmm, endorphins, fabulous!

High blood pressure and cholesterol, something those who are breastfed are less likely to have.

Healthy, healthy baby, healthy mummy, what more could you ask for?

Help, we all need a little, at some point, and it is always here on iVillage if nowhere else.

Health Visitors, often not experts in breastfeeding, and sadly often far to quick to suggest formula, grrrrrrr!

I is for:

ivillage Breastfeeding support board it’s fab!

Immunity, which breastfed babies get a boost to via the milk.

IQ, breastfed babies have higher IQs, and the longer they are breastfed for the greater the IQ advantage.

Illness – breastfeeding is a fantastic gift when your baby is ill, it comforts and soothes, and when they can’t digest anything else breastmilk can often keep them going.

J is for:

Just the right temperature

Joy to both mummy and baby

Boobie JUICE

Job satisfaction

K is for:

Knowledge…which along with support is the Key to success

Keeping going, through those tough early times – it does get better!

Kip – get it whenever you can!

L is for:

LOVE from mother to infant: breastfeeding increases the bonding feeling

LOVELY LEISURELY feeds

Little cute smiles, when your baby is feeding and you look at them and they have let go of your nipple and are smiling up at you (aww so cute)

Lactation obviously!

Lazy – when you can just put baby to nipple and don’t need to bother with the bottles and the mixing and the

washing and the sterilising!

Lactational Amenhorrea breastfeeding as contraception in the first 6 months

M is for:

Mammories!!

Milk: Mummy milk of course!

Medications – some of which you cannot take when pregnant but are ok when breastfeeding – see the BFN drugline site or www.motherisk.org

Mmmmm Mmmmmm Mmmmmm, the cutest sound in the whole world as your baby guzzles away!

Money: the stash of cash you save by not buying formula

Marvellous and Magical: the way a booby can instantly soothe a fractious child, not to mention the healing powers of breastmilk: put it on a small cut or sty and see how fast it heals!

N is for:

Natural thing to do

No Need to sterilise

Nipple cream, most needed at least in those first days

O is for:

Ooops my milk is squirting everywhere!!!

Other peoples problem if they dont like you feeding in public

Our boobs were made for feeding just like our feet were made for walking!!!

Open mind, Open heart

Q is for:

QUALITY milk

QUANTITY – as much as baby needs

QUICKLY available

QUIET baby who doesn’t have to wait for a bottle to be made!

P is for:

Pumps, so baby can still get your milk when you’re apart

Pads – might need lots at the beginning

Public – you CAN feed whilst out and about, even if it seems daunting

Positioning – take time to get it right, right from the start

Problems – there can be lots, but most can be overcome

Practice – it makes Perfect!

R is for:

Rest – get as much as you can

Restful – all those lovely hormones helping you to get back to sleep in the middle of the night and having a great excuse to get everyone running after you whilst you’re sitting feeding!

Rubber – you don’t need any (teats or condoms!) whilst your feeding (at least to begin with) (see ‘lactational amenhorrea’)

Rosy glow of satisfaction knowing you’re doing the best for your baby

S is for:

Snuggling up with your baby So close to you.

Saving money – it all comes for free.

Selfish because I get to have my babes all to myself.

Support, without which we might not have coped.

Size of boobs no object: breastfeeders can be AA or H cup!

T is for:

Time, none of it wasted washing, sterilising, mixing, warming……

Terrific, yet another word to describe how good breastfeeding is

Toddlers, and all of us Weirdos who still feed them! In public!!! http://community.webshots.com/photo/180981338/180982424hJkyuC

Tandem feeding, double the fun!

Truth, what the formula manufacturers try to bend

Teeth, careful now, but it doesn’t mean it has to be the end

Tasty, sweet, light, delicious, no wonder your baby can’t seem to get enough of it!
and – dare I say it? -T is for T*ts: get ‘em out for the babies!

U is for:

Unique: your breastmilk is made just for your baby

V is for:

Vitamins and minerals that breastmilk is full of, and the Vitality they give our babies

W is for:

Weight gain: it tends to be slower and steadier in bf babies leading to heathier adults with lower blood pressure, lower cholestorol (sp?) etc. (it’s just a shame not all medical professionals seem to realise this!)

W is for how wonderful bf is.

Weight loss for mum through bf: an extra 500 calories a day are consumed by BF

X is for:

Xenogeny, which means production, as in milk production!

Xerophagy, which means fasting or dieting, which most breastfeeding mums don’t have to do

Xerox, which actually means to copy or imitate, which is what formula manufacturers try to do to breastmilk, but don’t really manage!

X-ray, avoid it whilst pregnant, but it’s perfectly safe for a breastfeeding mum

Y is for:

YUMMY

Yes please Mummy, I’ll have some more breast milk

Yellow breastmilk poo – and no constipation or smell

Y not?

Z is for:

Zealous breastfeeding and breastfeeding zealots!

Zero formula needed

Z is for breastfeeding being the Zest of having a baby

This article reproduced with permission from www.breastfeedingsupport.co.uka ‘not for profit’ website packed with articles and advice about breastfeeding, written by mums from their own experiences.

The first rule of Breast Club is that you don’t talk about Breast Club. Books, midwives, health visitors, friends, relatives and people you meet in the street cannot prepare you for the nightmare that can be breastfeeding. I have been lucky, no mastitis, no cracked nipples and loads of milk but it’s still been a far cry from the pictures of contented mother and baby that grace breastfeeding literature. It wasn’t the pain so much as the feeling that I was a milk machine, a slave to a small screaming thing who would be obeyed by my leaking breasts if not willingly by the rest of my body. Small thing feeds on demand, and he is very demanding.

When he was 6 weeks old he had a growth spurt that had me feeding every hour, day and night for a week. I just wanted to hide far away from him at the time. But now he is nearly 3 months old and the bleakness of it all seems very distant. Yes he still feeds when he wants, sometimes for a minute, sometimes for an hour. But now my let down reflex is in good working order. It no longer hurts and there is nothing quite like the surge of pure love I feel for him when he breaks his latch to beam a big milky dribbly grin at me. So my advice to others in the same situation is to give up on trying to do anything for yourself and just pretend that you want to be a milk slave, it is your pleasure to drop everything for a feed. This mental switch is what saved my mental health. It’s worth the effort to give your child the best start in life and the difficult bit is not for ever, although it may seem like it at the time.

copyright Lisa Cole www.lactivist.co.uk 2005