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

This week, I’m speaking to the brilliant Jessica, a police officer in Stirling, Scotland, about combining breastfeeding with police work and shift patterns. Jessica shares life with her two daughters, Nora (nearly 10) and Harriet (nearly 2), describing responsive breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and how Harriet settles well for her father and grandmother when Jessica works rotating day shifts and back shifts finishing at 1am. They discuss Jessica’s earlier breastfeeding experience with Nora, which ended after a hospital admission and antibiotic treatment, and contrast it with Harriet’s birth, a home water birth followed by NICU admission for suspected infection. Jessica describes later tongue-tie issues resolved privately, returning to full-time frontline policing at 14 months without pumping, and reflects on managing risk, trauma, and the value of taking feeding and work transitions step by step. 
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, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and 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.

Today  I’m talking to the lovely Isabella from near Vienna, Austria, about breastfeeding her two sons, Jonathan (2½) and Valentin (1). Isabella describes generally good breastfeeding support and mixed feeding norms in Austria, and how her early postpartum pain settled with midwife help. She became pregnant unexpectedly when Jonathan was 10 months old while using natural family planning, and assumed she should wean. She made several attempts but didn’t feel committed to a process that was complicated by bottle refusal and a lack of weaning information. After hearing positive tandem-feeding stories from this podcast, she resumed breastfeeding late in pregnancy when Jonathan was distressed and ill, then tandem fed after Valentin’s birth. This time lactation started easily and she managed nights with family bed-sharing and support from her husband. Isabella eventually weaned Jonathan gradually at 2, starting with night weaning and dropping “set” feeds, while continuing to breastfeed Valentin to this day.

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, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 
Loving Comfort book in English (und auf Deutsch) https://www.juliedillemuth.com/loving-comfort 
This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week, I’m talking to the brilliant Sam Kennedy Christian from Herne Bay, Kent, about her breastfeeding journey while 29 weeks pregnant and feeding her three-year-old. We discuss gentle night weaning using a clock and flexibility during illness or distress, co-sleeping changes ahead of a new baby, and Sam’s previous tandem feeding experience when her eldest breastfed until six years old, including boundaries and supporting sibling feelings about fairness. Sam talks about pelvic girdle pain and nipple sensitivity in pregnancy. We also cover Sam’s work with Save the Children on formula marketing, volunteering with the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers, and her coaching work helping parents navigate breastfeeding alongside returning to paid work, flexible working, and shared parental leave.
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, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 
You can follow Sam on Instagram @‌thefloat.space

Resources mentioned - 
Breastfeeding at Work UK: Your Rights, Pumping Breaks & Employer Duties The Float Space https://www.thefloat.space/latest/breastfeeding-at-work-in-the-uk-your-rights-pumping-breaks-and-how-to-ask-for-proper-support
Tigers (2014 film) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tigers_(2014_film)
Baby Milk Action  https://www.babymilkaction.org/
AIMS https://www.aims.org.uk/journal/item/breastfeeding-politics-business
Maternity Action https://maternityaction.org.uk/

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

Today, I’m joined by the lovely Georgina Gregor from Devon to talk about her breastfeeding journeys with her two children, three-year-old Amaya and nine-month-old Lucas. Georgina recounts early breastfeeding pain, mastitis, hospital readmission for Amaya’s 13.7% weight loss, and a later tongue-tie diagnosis and release at 10 months linked to solids difficulties. Amaya’s disinterest in food and love of breastfeeding meant that her start with solids was slow, and Georgina had to carry on with patience. She shares weaning Amaya while pregnant: a significant supply drop around nine weeks, night weaning using the Booby Moon story, partner support, and a gradual daytime fade, alongside nausea and breastfeeding aversion in pregnancy. Lucas’s tongue tie was treated promptly. He is feeding on demand and co-sleeping with frequent night feeds. He is much more keen on food than his sister was at this age.
Georgina also discusses family pressure, helpful resources, and her new role as an infant feeding peer support volunteer.

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, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 
Resources mentioned - 
@‌drgreerkirshenbaum on Instagram
Charlotte Stirling-Reed https://www.srnutrition.co.uk/
plymouth-latchon.org.uk

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

This week, I’m honoured to be joined by Dr. Laura Thomas, a community pediatrician from Reading, La Leche League leader, and breastfeeding peer supporter, to talk about breastfeeding in pediatric palliative care. Laura explains her day-to-day work with neurodiversity and neurodisability, her training and her own breastfeeding experiences. We discuss Laura’s masters project using a questionnaire for palliative care and pediatric staff, which found breastfeeding is often not considered unless families request support, and that staff want simple guidance and signposting. We explore why breastfeeding and milk donation can matter at end of life and after bereavement, highlight resources like the Memory Milk Bank and Herts Milk Bank, and consider practical hospice support and future research into lactation supporters’ preparedness.
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, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 
Resources mentioned - 
The Milk Bank at Chester https://www.milkbankatchester.org.uk/donationafterloss/memorymilkgift/
The Human Milk Foundation https://humanmilkfoundation.org/hearts-milk-bank/donating-after-bereavement/
Breastfeeding the Brave https://breastfeedingthebrave.com/
Framework for Practice: Lactation and loss | British Association of Perinatal Medicine https://www.bapm.org/resources/lactation-and-loss-management-of-lactation-following-the-death-of-a-baby
Together for Short Lives: Children's Charities - Children Hospices https://www.togetherforshortlives.org.uk/

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