糖心探花

The Parent and Family Network are pleased to share some stories from staff across the University and their experiences with breastfeeding. These stories were gathered as part of World Breastfeeding Week 2022, however we welcome any stories staff are willing to share at any point in time. We recognise that breastfeeding can be a challenging journey for some if not most, so we hope that those of you in the midst of your own journey find comfort and solace in the below. 

Beneath the stories you will be able to find links to breastfeeding support. 

Dr. Sarah Jewell, Parent and Family Network Committee Member:

I had my first child, Lizzy, during the pandemic. Whilst pregnant I was very keen to research as much about breastfeeding as I could, to be as informed as possible. With so many questions unanswered I decided, as academics tend to do, to start my own research project on the topic! I was very fortunate, along with my co-investigators, to secure funding from the Nuffield foundation to explore infant feeding decisions and return to work. My own breastfeeding journey was very bumpy. Despite a very difficult birth (a whole other story), it started off well and then became very difficult when my milk came in, and being in the middle of lockdown there was no face to face support available. I rang the Breastfeeding Network helpline and they were great, but they were not a replacement for much needed face to face support. I watched so many videos and tried so many positions, but my daughter was determined to latch her way it seemed. My health visitor was not helpful, and there was a lot of pressure on me to switch to formula which I strongly resisted, as my daughter was clearly gaining weight and her nappy output good (I’m extremely grateful to the Breastfeeding Network volunteer who put my mind at rest)! Due to sheer bloody mindedness I managed to push through the pain and discomfort and we're still going at 2 years!  It's hard, still uncomfortable but one of the most rewarding things I've ever done.

Emma Broomfield, Co-Chair of the Parent and Family Network:

For me, the road to establishing breastfeeding was challenging. My son struggled to get a good latch and I suffered with pain that never really subsided for the duration of the feed and would continue after It didn’t improve within the timeframe advised and I struggled to exclusively breastfeed. During this time, we substituted with a combination of formula and expressed milk, including breastfeeding where possible. Despite feeling certain before my son arrived that I would be happy no matter what feeding route we took, when he arrived, and I struggled to breastfeed I found that I was really upset and disappointed with how things were going – I knew it wasn’t possible for me to endure the pain that came when feeding.

Despite being in the thick of pandemic, we were lucky to have tons of support in various forms, and after se