Makes Milk with Emma Pickett: breastfeeding from the beginning to the end

This week, I’m honoured to be joined by Nicole from South London, the host and founder of the Squiggly Motherhood podcast. Nicole started the podcast because she couldn’t find motherhood content that reflected her experience as an exclusively breastfeeding Black mother working in a senior corporate role, and she wanted space for the two truths that motherhood can be both hard and loved at the same time, with practical, values-led gentle parenting reflections.
Nicole shares her feeding journeys with her two children who are just 18 months apart. She exclusively breastfed and delayed introducing bottles and dummies out of fear of disrupting breastfeeding, but later faced severe sleep deprivation with frequent night waking and significant pressure from others to stop breastfeeding or use formula, especially because her baby was small. She describes feeling isolated by exclusive breastfeeding and struggling to leave her baby, and explains how nights improved when her husband took over settling and they added other comfort methods.
Nicole’s second birth was an unplanned, very rapid home birth on the living room floor. With her son, early breastfeeding was harder due to a shallow latch and limited postnatal support because staff assumed she already knew what to do. She stayed in hospital longer specifically to get breastfeeding help, used different positions like the rugby hold, and took weeks to feel settled. She describes being more confident and accepting a second time, choosing co-sleeping from day one and not pursuing bottles or pumping. She later returned to work when her son was one. Nicole is still breastfeeding her two-year-old, who feeds frequently, and discusses managing boundaries within gentle parenting. She ends by advising parents breastfeeding past infancy not to justify their choices: it’s enough to say it works for their family right now.
My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.
You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, that's uk.jkp.com using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 
Listen to Nicole’s podcast, Squiggly Motherhood, wherever you get your podcasts.

 
This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

I’ve got two amazing mums for you this week in a bumper episode about feeding five year olds.
Natalie, in Cornwall, breastfeeds her 5-year-old daughter Georgia mainly at bedtime (and occasionally in the morning or when ill), and describes how continuing breastfeeding helped with starting school, bedtime regulation, co-sleeping, and meeting Georgia’s high attachment needs. She discusses societal pressure, comments Georgia received from her classmates, her own feelings about reclaiming her body (supported by returning to exercise), and managing mixed reactions from family and professionals while staying confident in her choices. 
Dana, originally from the Czech Republic and living in Cambridgeshire, breastfeeds her 5-year-old son Alex every couple of days (around her evening work schedule) and tandem feeds him with her 3-year-old daughter River. She shares how tandem feeding worked after River’s birth, how feeds fit around school and very early bedtimes, and how breastfeeding has been largely straightforward for her, supported by family.
My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.
You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, that's uk.jkp.com using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 
This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week, I’m pleased to be joined by Dr. Kelsey Bianca, an academic researcher and certified lactation counselor from Maryland, USA. Dr. Bianca shares her personal experience with breastfeeding and exclusive pumping, which inspired her PhD thesis - a qualitative study of women who exclusively expressed milk. She discusses her research work involving pumping, the decisions parents face, and her studies on children’s literature about breastfeeding. The conversation delves into practical aspects of exclusive pumping, attitudes of society and statutory protections in the US and UK. Dr. Bianca's insights shed light on the importance of understanding and supporting parents on their exclusive pumping journey.
My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.
You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, that's uk.jkp.com using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 
Find out more about Dr Bianca on her website https://drkelseybianca.com/
And read her research here https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-023-01666-2 
This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

My guest this week is an impressive mother of four, Philippa Lomas. She is a single parent. She homeschools her two older children. She trained as an ABM breastfeeding counsellor. She volunteers to support new parents, and she does all this without sight, having been born blind. We’ll be talking about all that, but also her struggles with Insufficient Glandular Tissue (IGT). Philippa shares her experiences with breast augmentation surgery, multiple miscarriages, mental health challenges, supplementary feeding systems and coping with her children's food allergies. She also talks about her work with Blind Parents UK and the invaluable support she received from her family and lactation support teams. 
My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.
You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, that's uk.jkp.com using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 
Resources mentioned - 
Blind Parents UK https://www.facebook.com/BlindParentsUK/?locale=en_GB
Philippa’s article on IGT https://www.aims.org.uk/journal/item/igt 
This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week’s guest is the amazing Lorah, from Leeds. Lorah is a mother of four, who found herself pregnant with her son, Luca, during her treatment for thyroid cancer. She shares her journey of breastfeeding her four children, who all had different challenges, and the emotional rollercoaster tied to her cancer treatment and weaning. She discusses her support systems and the difficult decision to delay treatment so that she could breastfeed Luca. Lorah highlights the emotional and physical struggles, the process of treatment, and the importance of support groups and communities for those going through similar experiences.
My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.
You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, that's uk.jkp.com using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com
Resources mentioned - 
Macmillan Cancer Support https://www.macmillan.org.uk/
Maggie's, Yorkshire https://www.maggies.org/our-centres/maggies-yorkshire/
Mummy's Star https://www.mummysstar.org/
Leeds Bosom Buddies https://northleeds.mumbler.co.uk/leeds-bosom-buddies-support-groups/

 
This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.