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

The advice and support that we receive in the early days of breastfeeding can have a profound impact on our journey. My guest today, Abby, had an experience with an unnamed IBCLC that really knocked her confidence, and could have had dire consequences, had she followed the incorrect advice she was given. Abby discovered that she had inverted nipples while preparing for the arrival of her son, Yard...

My guest this week ticks so many different boxes when it comes to breastfeeding experiences - birth trauma, tongue tie, mixed/triple feeding, tandem feeding, gentle weaning - but what we’re going to focus on in this conversation is aversion. When I asked many of you recently about your experiences of breastfeeding in pregnancy, many of you mentioned aversion. Bryony is a peer supporter from Norwic...

This week, I’m pleased to be joined by Karly Proverbs, a specialist paediatric osteopath and maternal osteopath. She explains what an osteopath is, what goes into their extensive training, and what you can expect to happen during a consultation.  We discuss the applications of osteopathy for breastfeeding babies and parents, including treatment of tension, torticollis, back and pelvic pain. Karly...

Trigger warning - In addition to maternal mental health and a discussion of postpartum psychosis, this episode deals with anorexia and disordered eating, which some listeners may find triggering. I’m honoured that my guest this week, Holly Crawley, is willing to share her story with us. Holly is a mother of three, who was diagnosed with anorexia in her teens, and suffered postpartum psychosis with...

Most of us who breastfeed, or work with breastfeeding parents, are on the look out for the symptoms of postnatal depression, but we aren’t always fully informed when it comes to a condition known as D-MER. This week I’m joined by two guests with personal experience of D-MER, experiencing waves of sadness and emptiness that only coincided with breastfeeding or the letdown reflex. Mum of three, Jen...

This week I’m delighted to be joined by American IBCLC Jacob Engelsman, whose new book, ‘Lactation for the Rest of Us’, is out now.  Jacob and I talk about inducing lactation, for birthing parents and non-birthing parents, the drugs and supplements that are used to aid milk supply in different parts of the world, the mental health aspects of breastfeeding for queer, non-binary and trans people, an...

Thrush in a breastfeeding dyad has commonly been diagnosed as a response to pain, but my guest today is a part of an important global conversation asking us to look at the evidence more closely. I’m delighted to be joined by Dr Naomi Dow, GP and IBCLC to talk about her work to better understand what is going on, and reduce the over-diagnosis of nipple and breast thrush. In this episode we discuss...

For part two of our Q&A session all about dads and partners, I’m once again joined by the brilliant Scott Mair.  In this part, we answer questions on natural term breastfeeding, dealing with comments from family members, where to go for advice, and sex and intimacy after birth. I’m grateful to Scott for joining me in some honest and open, and not always easy, conversations. Find out more from...

For this special Q&A session all about dads and partners, I’m delighted to be joined by Scott Mair. Scott is an ex-military dad of seven children, and one grandchild, who specialises in fathers’ mental health and inclusion. Who better to answer your questions about how dads can support breastfeeding, how non-feeding partners can form a bond with their babies, and how to overcome embarrassment...

Another candidate for the breastfeeding hall of fame, my guest this week is Metasha who has fed her seven children over 20 years! Unlike many of my guests, Metasha’s story isn’t one of enormous challenges and struggles. Her attitude to breastfeeding and parenting has been to go with the flow, and to respond to her family’s needs, although she does admit that she sometimes lost herself in that proc...

For too many people, the first time they think about breastfeeding is when they are pregnant with their first child. If we are to change this, and normalise breastfeeding in our societies, we need to start with how we talk to children about breasts and babies. That’s why I’m delighted to be joined this week by Emma Rosen, a breastfeeding counsellor and secondary school teacher, to talk about what...

Back in episode 21, we explored breastfeeding and diabetes with Lucy Lowe IBCLC, and I’m delighted to be joined this week by Beth, to talk about her personal experience of breastfeeding her two sons, Sage and Jago, with her type 1 diabetes. We talk about how Beth’s long-term health condition affected her pregnancies, births and breastfeeding. We also cover prematurity, VBAC, aversion and weaning d...

Trigger warning - Listeners who would prefer not to hear discussion of maternal suicide should skip from 44:48-46:00 minutes. This episode contains some conversational swearing. Francesca’s inspirational story is one of determination, positivity and courage. Led by attachment parenting philosophy, she tandem fed her twins, while also bringing up her 3 year old daughter, escaping a coercive relatio...

No one expects their motherhood journey to begin in the NICU, but that’s where Emma found herself, after the birth of her daughter Maya, by c-section due to placenta previa. At 35 weeks, Maya did not have a fully developed sucking reflex, and so they began a process of tube feeding, formula, pumping, and eventually breastfeeding. Emma’s determination shines through this story, especially as she fa...

This week’s episode has it all - feeding twins, c-sections (both emergency and elective), triple feeding, cross-nursing, tongue tie, vasospasms - but what comes across most from Emily and Ali’s story is their love and support for one another as they breastfeed together. Emily had her son Frankie just weeks before Ali’s twins, Suni and Kiri, were born, and they have fed together, often literally si...

Hypoplasia or IGT is not often spoken about, but there are estimates that up to 1 in 10 of us have insufficient breast tissue to exclusively breastfeed. Katie found out that she was one of those people when she sought help after her son, Ezra, lost 11% of his birth rate in a matter of days. The advice she received from midwives and health visitors was conflicting and confusing, leading to Katie mi...

This episode does contain discussion of miscarriage, stillbirth and infant death. This week, I’m speaking to Charlotte Mills, a midwife and IBCLC, whose third son, Robin, died before his birth at 20 weeks. Charlotte talks about losing Robin and her decision to continue lactating. She donated Robin’s milk to the Hearts Milk Bank where it went on to support premature and vulnerable babies. We talk a...

This week, I have the privilege of chatting with Ellie Warner, a hairdresser from Leeds, about her breastfeeding journey with her son, Ezra. Ellie initially knew little about breastfeeding but had an instinctual desire to do it. Ellie faced challenges, including gestational diabetes, a tongue-tie and torticollis, which eventually contributed to a breast abscess developing within weeks of Ezra’s bi...

This week, I’m talking to Eleanor Nightingale about her breastfeeding experience with Bell's Palsy. During the birth of her daughter Hattie, Eleanor had an emergency forceps delivery, extensive tearing and haemorrhage. Six days later, the left side of her face became paralysed and after a rushed trip to A&E fearing a stroke, Eleanor was diagnosed and treated for Bell’s Palsy. Eleanor face...

If there was a Breastfeeding Hall of Fame, my guest this week would certainly have a place. Laura has breastfed her three children, Beatrice, Joseph and Georgina, for 11 years and 3 months. She talks to me about the challenges she has overcome, including a traumatic NICU experience with her first child, her decision not to pump, the benefits of tandem feeding, and the emotional journey of weaning...

This week, I’m delighted to speak to Sam Petridis, a neonatal nurse and IBCLC, about her breastfeeding and neonatal care. She is Baby Friendly Initiative Lead for her hospital, so we discuss what that means, and what the UNICEF guidelines mean for breastfeeding. Sam explains the different levels of neonatal care (Levels 1, 2, and 3) and the importance of early breastfeeding and skin-to-skin contac...

This week, I’m delighted to be joined by Dr. Vicky Sibson, Director of the First Steps Nutrition Trust, to talk about the challenges and regulations surrounding infant formula marketing. Vicky explains the importance of the WHO Code, which aims to protect infant health by regulating the marketing of breast milk substitutes, and clarifies what infant formula companies should and shouldn’t be doing...

Louise’s story might be a difficult listen if you have suffered from depression, anxiety, or postnatal depression, but it is a story that she feels is helpful to share, and I am so grateful that she has.  Louise Chappell went into her pregnancy and birth excited and happy, but after her son Robin was born, anxiety and trauma surfaced, and she became fixated on her feelings of inadequacy over breas...

Sometimes our children can be our greatest teachers. That’s certainly what my guest this week, Bec, believes.  Although she was a midwife before she was a mother, Bec has learnt so much about mothering and herself since having Lily two and half years ago. Their journey began with a peaceful water birth at 42 weeks, but continued with vomiting and possible reflux, leading to breast refusal. Bec tal...

It’s a pleasure to have Molly Morgan back with me today, to answer your questions about starting nursery and breastfeeding.  You can find out more about Molly on Instagram at @molly_foxandthemoon and www.foxandthemoon.co.uk My new book, ‘ Supporting the Transition from Breastfeeding: a Guide to Weaning for Professionals, Supporters and Parents ’, is out now. You can get 10% off the book at the Jes...