Blog - welcome to the inside of my mind!

A blog for Juno magazine

A blog for the Honest Mum website 

A blog for the All 4 Maternity website 

A blog for the WellDoing website

A blog for Cambridge Breastfeeding Alliance 

A blog for Unicef UK Baby Friendly 

A blog for KellyMom

An article for the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers magazine 

An article for the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers magazine 

 A guest blog for 1000 days

Let babies be in charge of how much they eat – it could help them stay a healthy weight

Research into pregnancy, birth and infant care is historically underfunded – and women are paying the price

Sleep-training and babies: why ‘crying it out’ is best avoided

Breastfeeding can help tackle climate crisis but it’s on governments, not mums to save the world

Six ways the world has empowered and enabled breastfeeding

Breastfeeding support cuts are leaving unpaid volunteers to fill the role of public health

Some baby care books are giving advice that goes against safe infant care guidelines

Women face enough barriers to breastfeeding — incorrect medication advice should not be one of them

Breastfeeding isn’t just about the baby – women’s bodies matter too

Ten things women worry about when breastfeeding – expert advice

Breastfeeding is good for mothers’ mental health – but those who struggle need support

Giving your baby solid food early won’t help them sleep better

Breastfeeding is not ‘easy’ – stop telling new mothers that it is

Does breastfeeding really belong on the school curriculum?

Baby bottle propping isn’t just dangerous – it’s a sign of a broken society

When should you worry about your child’s attachment to comfort items?

Are baby advice books making mothers depressed and anxious?

Breastfeeding: five ways it can be encouraged responsibly

Does spoon-feeding really make babies overweight?

Why getting babies into strict routines isn’t all it’s cracked up to be

Childhood obesity plan forgets about babies and toddlers

Traumatic breastfeeding experiences are the reason we must continue to promote it

Breastfeeding older children might be uncommon – but that doesn’t make it wrong

Social media is putting pregnant women under pressure to look perfect

Yes, support for breastfeeding can mean someone to sit and help you latch your baby on – but it also means acceptance, a better environment to feed in, and investing in infrastructure to make it easier

Case studies show that using small amounts of DHM instead of formula reduces hospital stay and supports breastfeeding, by feeling like a bridge for mums to establishing their own supply.

We have a long history of not being very supportive of breastfeeding and breastfeeding mothers at all. But like many challenges, the start of it – the earliest weeks – often feel the toughest.

Mothering the mother is a phrase often heard during pregnancy and birth. Look after the mother, care for her, support her emotional needs ... and she will feel more empowered to grow, birth and care for her baby. A phrase (and actions) that makes so much sense and is seen in many cultures across the world.

But what if there was a different way? What if babies didn't need a timetable and special foods and books seemingly complicating what parents have been doing for thousands of years? Well it's already here, having quietly crept into the baby feeding world around ten years ago and gathering speed and tens of thousands of followers ever since.

Just when you feel you've got the hang of giving your baby milk feeds, suddenly everyone becomes an expert on introducing solid foods. Alongside the questions of what you're going to give and how, a particular favourite topic is when your baby will start.

The reason we critically need men to add their voice to the debate is their very notable absence from it. Breastfeeding works best when women feel supported by those around her and that includes men; potentially her partner but also her father, her brother, her friends... their attitudes matter.

Although breastfeeding might be natural, that doesn't mean it is always straightforward. Lots of natural things take practice such as crawling, walking, learning to talk. Likewise, learning how to latch your baby on, recognising those subtle feeding cues and generally feeling more confident in what you are doing can take time.

Moving your baby onto a solid diet is an important stage, yes. But it's not the rush and precision exercise many will lead you to think it is. In the midst of all the conflicting advice you will likely get, here are 10 evidence based things to think about that will help you make the best choice for you and your baby - and stop you getting too overwhelmed in the process.

One of the most common questions asked around sleep is whether giving a baby solid foods will help them sleep through the night. The idea that introducing solids to a baby early, or giving a baby more food, especially before bed will help them sleep is certainly appealing, but sadly a myth

Deciding when and how to introduce babies to solid foods can be overwhelming for parents. But aside from timing and amount, could how babies are introduced to solid foods also make a difference to their health?

The bill is NOT about restricting formula sales, but instead providing parents who use formula with better information about its content. If parents wish to buy a car they can refer to independent comparisons of products on the market but the same information does not exist for feeding their babies

Good quality education about breastfeeding - both for mothers and all staff who support them - is also a critical step. Our high use of formula milk in the 70s, 80s and 90s meant that we have lost a generation of breastfeeding knowledge.

Breastfeeding is sold to pregnant women as straightforward, easy and rewarding but many do not find that description matches their experience. But the reason for this difficulty should rarely be to do with breastfeeding itself, but instead because society in the UK is not set up to support women to breastfeed

Being a new parent can be one of the biggest, scariest responsibilities you will ever take on. Growing a whole new tiny person and keeping them alive can be anxiety inducing even for the most laid back. Am I holding them ok? Why are they crying? Am I doing any of this right?

Rather than caring for our new mothers after the birth, helping them recover and care for their new baby, we devalue, isolate and pressurize them to get their 'lives back'. In pain, frustrated, exhausted, isolated and feeling utterly unsupported, formula seems the obvious choice.