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

Can you breastfeed while taking ibuprofen? What about pseudoephedrine? Or even chemotherapy? The published advice on medications and breastfeeding isn’t always clear, so who do you turn to for advice? Laura Kearney is a clinical lead pharmacist for UKDILAS, an NHS service which provides evidence-based information and advice to healthcare professionals, and professionals and supporters who are work...

For those parents with babies in special care, or those wanting to maintain feeding with human milk while going through their own medical treatment, milk banks are a crucial service. Over the last few decades, they often have Gillian Weaver to thank for that. My guest this week, Gillian Weaver was president of the European Milk Bank Association from 2012 to 2015. She co-founded Hearts Milk Bank in...

There are many outdated perceptions and myths around Down syndrome, one being that ‘babies with Down syndrome can’t breastfeed.’ March 21st is World Down Syndrome day and this year’s theme is #EndTheStereotypes. Peer supporter Sarah Ojar, breastfeeding coordinator for the charity ‘Positive about Down Syndrome’, shares her experience of breastfeeding her son Zephy and working with other breastfeedi...

Today’s episode is a wide ranging discussion about all the things you can expect from the fourth trimester, those first few months with your new baby.  I’m joined by Lucy Webber IBCLC, a former midwife who went into private practice following the birth of her third child. Her new book, Breastfeeding and the Fourth Trimester, is out now. Lucy shares her wealth of experience and knowledge on hunger...

If you are breastfeeding, your breasts are going to be central to your success! Changes in breast health, from nipple damage and infection to breast cancer, can impact heavily your breastfeeding journey. In the most extreme cases, they can force a breastfeeding parent to stop nursing before they are ready. In this episode, I’m joined by Dr Justice Reilly, an IBCLC, medical doctor and expert in all...

Who are the ‘Great Pretenders’?  These are babies born between 34 and 38 plus 6 weeks. They might be multiples, pre-term babies, late pre-term babies or early term babies. Lactation Consultant Kathryn Stagg calls these babies the Great Pretenders. They might appear to be ‘full term’, but often struggle to establish breastfeeding because of their prematurity. In this episode, Kathryn helps me explo...

Weaning a two year old booby monster while pregnant with your second child is a challenge!  Rhea has breastfed her daughter Ilaria responsively for two years and they’ve found the weaning process tricky at times. In this episode, we talk about the emotional journey that they have been on together, and some new ideas that Rhea can perhaps use to ease the transition to being a mother to two in the c...

My new book, ‘Supporting the Transition from Breastfeeding: a Guide to Weaning for Professionals, Supporters and Parents’, is out today!  To celebrate, in this episode I’ll be answering more of your weaning questions from Instagram.  And exclusively for this episode, you can get 25% off the book at the Jessica Kingsley press website, that's uk.jkp.com. Add the code STBPR25 at checkout to get...

How will you remember your final feed? Are you happy to say goodbye to breastfeeding without an occasion, or would you like to mark the event in some way? In this episode, I talk to Lucy Cass about her weaning journey, and the Moon Day ritual that she celebrated when her daughter, Joy, weaned at 2 and a half.  Find out more about breastfeeding and chest feeding older babies and children in my book...

A difficult start doesn’t have to spell the end of your breastfeeding journey.  In this episode, I’m speaking to Emily Sanderson about how she overcame the struggle of an undiagnosed tongue tie and a 19% weight loss in the first few days of her daughter Elsie’s life. Although Emily was failed at several points in her hospital experience, thanks to having expressed lots of colostrum antenatally and...

I could have asked my guest this week, Dr Lyndsey Hookway, to talk about just about any aspect of breastfeeding. Lyndsey is an author and educator, a paediatric nurse, a health visitor and IBCLC and a researcher, and you might be most familiar with her work on sleep. But this time, we chose to talk about  her project, ‘Breastfeeding the Brave’, which focuses on breastfeeding medically complex infa...

Allergic reactions can be swift and frightening, but they can also be persistent and confusing. They are not only distressing for the baby, but also for their carers too, and the treatment often involves elimination diets for the nursing parent. This week I’ve got Kaya Thorpe IBCLC with me, who has personal and professional experience of coping with allergies in infants. Kaya explains what allergi...

As a self-confessed TV addict, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to talk to Lauren Heeley, Senior Script Editor at Emmerdale, about representations of breastfeeding on TV. We begin with Lauren’s own story, a struggle to get help when an infection became an abscess just weeks after her daughter was born. Then at around 20 minutes, we discuss breastfeeding in some of our favourite, and not so favour...

This might not be the episode to listen to while you are eating your breakfast. We’re talking poo. We’re covering texture, colour, smell, frequency - all the questions you ever wanted to ask, but were afraid to ask. And who better to answer those questions than Charlotte Treitl, IBCLC and founder of the Baby Poo Gallery?  Charlotte and I discuss every aspect of poo from newborn to potty training,...

Parenting an unsettled baby can be distressing and frustrating, especially when you feel like your concerns are not being heard. My guest this week, Shel Banks IBCLC, is working to help parents to address their worries, calm their babies and ultimately calm them. In our conversation, we touch on colic, reflux and faltering growth, looking at what each term really means and how they can be addresse...

Can I still breastfeed with type 1 diabetes? What will happen to my baby now that I have gestational diabetes? In this episode, I’m talking to Lucy Lowe, an IBCLC specialising in working with diabetes in pregnancy. We talk about how gestational diabetes is diagnosed and treated, what steps you can take to prepare for breastfeeding a baby if you have any type of diabetes, and how to get more suppor...

Happy Christmas. I hope you’re having a lovely time, whether you’re celebrating with family and friends or tucked up at home.  In this short episode, I want to offer you a few words of encouragement if you’re having a challenging time, and to answer a few common questions about food and alcohol consumption. If you need more support with your breastfeeding at this time of year, you can call the Nat...

There aren’t many things in a little person’s life that they have control over. When you start to impose boundaries or limit their autonomy over breastfeeding, you can often find that some big feelings come out in response. This week, I’m joined by parenting mentor Shelley Clarke, to talk about how we can help our little people experience those big feelings safely, what learning we may need to do...

Many parents worry that they won’t make enough milk for their child to thrive, but oversupply is much less talked about. For families who experience it though, it can cause pain, worry and lots of stress. This week I’m joined by fellow IBCLC Alice Lucken to identify the signs of oversupply, its causes, and what you can do to ease it. We talk about pumping, positioning, block nursing and supplement...

Deborah’s story is a long one and it deserves to be. The story of her multiple losses helps us to understand why her breastfeeding journey with her son had the impact that it still does today. This may not be an easy listen for anyone who has experienced baby loss themselves but it’s also a story of hope and repair. It’s a valuable listen for anyone who works with new families and needs to better...

‘You’re not feeding him again are you?’ ‘I’m only saying this because I’m worried about you’ ‘Don’t you think she’s a bit old for that now?’  Unsupportive comments from family members can be hurtful and stressful for you and your child. In this episode, Raksha and Lauren share their stories of difficult relatives, and we share some tips for dealing with them. You can find more from me on this topi...

Returning to work and continuing to feed your little one can feel daunting. My guest this week, historian Genova Messiah, has been listening to the experiences of women returning to work from the 1950s onwards, and coupled with her own experience and training as a peer supporter, she couldn’t be a better person to talk to about how to work with your employer to get the best for them and your famil...

This week, I have the honour of talking to Dr Vicky Thomas, consultant paediatrician and gastroenterologist. She’s here to talk about how paediatricians support families in the UK, some of the reasons why somebody might go to see a paediatrician if they're a breastfeeding family, and we talk about lots of things doctory and infant feeding. Resources mentioned -   Breastfeeding for Doctors BOO...

This week we’re talking weaning as in starting food, rather than weaning from the breast. I’m joined by Cordelia Uys, an NCT breastfeeding counsellor who supports parents with introducing solids, to answer your questions about all things food.  You can hear more from Cordelia on her website https://www.cordeliauys.co.uk/ and follow here on instagram @‌cordeliauys. Questions answered in this episod...

Finding a way to effectively and comfortably feed your baby can sometimes feel like a challenge. Luckily, there are wonderful people like my guest, Maddie McMahon, who can help with all things positioning, attachment and so much more. In our wide-ranging conversation, we talk about Maddie’s charity, Maddie’s Miracle, why cross-cradle hold isn’t for everyone, alternative feeding positions, and whet...