Natural Nursery Blog » Breastfeeding

Look Where I am Featured!

Natural Nursery — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 12:27:14 +0000

I am very excited to be featured as a Mumpreneur on the Family Friendly Working site. It is such an honour to have been choosen, thank you Caroline and Antonia.

You can learn all about how we first set up and the inspiration behind our pro-breastfeeding stance here at The Natural Nursery.

And don’t forget, our special discount code for Breastfeeding Awareness Week – BAW2010 – which will give you 10% off all breastfeeding products such as breastpumps, sterilisers, pro-breastfeeding clothing, nursing pads and nursing bras.

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Customer Review – Medela Swing electric pump

Natural Nursery — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 14:29:28 +0000

As it is breastfeeding week this customer review for the Medela Swing Electric Pump is a perfect review for us to share with you:

We bought this pump in the first week of our baby’s life after he was diagnosed with severe jaundice. Because of his condition we had to top up after breastfeeding with formula- something we hadn’t intended to do! Once our sons condition had improved we were able to top up with expressed breast milk using this pump and I am now back to 100% breastfeeding. It was a complete life saver!
I would recommend this pump to anyone, its natural sucking rhythm and adjustable strength of suck is really gentle, even for a first time mum like me! I didn’t find it painful to use.

It’s easy to get started and can be battery powered or powered on mains electric. Most importantly it gave us the opportunity to feed our son in the way we wanted to against the odds.

Remeber as it is breastfeeding awareness week, we are offering 10% discount on all our breastfeeding related products. So go into the website and have a look www.naturalnursery.co.uk

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Customer Review – Widgey Nursing Pillow

Natural Nursery — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 14:47:11 +0000

This is a great review of a Widgey Nursing Pillow:

Having breastfed my first son without a proper nursing pillow, I wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about. But I knew that I needed a caesarean for my second son, and everyone I spoke to said that a nursing pillow was essential after a caesarean. Many other mums recommended the Widgey to me.
They were right. This is a wonderful product. It is lovely and firm and means that I don’t have to lean over to feed. It curves round my waist nicely without pressing down just the right amount of stuffing to make sure that it can curve round all different sizes of mums.

I’m pretty much recovered now, but I still use my Widgey because it makes feeding so much more comfortable and has stopped me getting backache this time around. and it has
I also use the pillow for propping up my son for sitting because he can’t quite sit up on his own yet. He loves this because he can see what we’re all doing and doesn’t get bored – especially useful when we’re all trying to get dressed in the morning.

We have the design with the cows and my youngest likes looking at the cows and smiling at them.
My toddler son also likes to use it to lounge on when sitting / lying on the floor.
All in all, a great buy and far more useful than I ever thought it would be when I first bought it. Great product.

Don’t forget our free postage offer on all standard UK orders, which ends on 20/06/10

Customer Review – Widgey Nursing Pillow is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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Medela Supplemental Nursing System.

Natural Nursery — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:59:27 +0000

This is another customer who has been kind enough to review a product for us, this time it was the Medela Supplemental Nursing System:

I bought an SNS when it was clear that I had nursing supply issues. I used it to give my son his supplement from 3 weeks, until we recently stopped supplementing at 8.5 months (we are still breastfeeding). I honestly don’t think I would still be breastfeeding if it wasn’t for the SNS. I found it easy to use and straight forward, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.

Medela Supplemental Nursing System. is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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My Breastfeeding Story

Natural Nursery — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:48:51 +0000

In celebration of Breastfeeding Awareness Week next week, I thought I would share my nursing story.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed – I had done lots of research and I knew that it was the best start for my baby and would provide additional health benefits for me too.

I had read that it was the most natural thing in the world and seen many friends and family nursing their babies and it seemed a wonderful experience for both mother and baby.

What I hadn’t expected was how difficult it would be to start.

My daughter simply didn’t want to nurse, she just wanted to sleep. For 4 days solid. No matter what the midwives did or said, she simply would not latch on.

I spent many miserable hours sitting in an over-heated hospital ward frantically pumping away and waking the poor protesting baby to try nursing her again or force spoonfuls of my laboriously produced colostrum into her fast shut mouth, all to no avail.

We must have been poked and pulled by a dozen different midwives, all very well meaning, but all telling me something different. In the end we were both so upset, tired and emotional that we just sat in our cubical and cried for 3 hours.

After 3 days, I discharged both of us, against doctors’ orders as she had lost some weight and wasn’t yet feeding, but I was getting increasing pressure to give a bottle and I knew that once we started down that route, it would be even harder to establish breastfeeding.

Almost as soon as we got home, my baby woke up and was hungry and I was able to latch her on. It wasn’t very easy and it was very painful but we were nursing!

It took several weeks and lots of support before we were both truly comfortable, (plus several packs of nipple shields and tubes of nipple cream) but we got through it and nursed until she self-weaned at 14 months.

My advice if you are facing similar issues:

Keep going, it WILL get easier but

GET HELP and I mean help from a lactation consultant not a midwife or health visitor. No disrespect to midwives and health visitors but I found the support and information from my lactation consultant to be invaluable.

Useful links to get help:
http://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/supporterline.html
http://www.nct.org.uk/info-centre/getting-help/helplines
http://www.laleche.org.uk/pages/about/helpline.htm
http://www.abm.me.uk/

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Hundreds of new products for the green family

Natural Nursery — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:40:43 +0000

Are you are looking for products for your green family? Thinking about using cloth nappies or buying the size above for your baby? Need some breastfeeding aids, a breast pump, cups to feed your baby without risking nipple confusion, new breastfeeding tops? Looking for some new toys and books to entertain your children? Some reusable shopping bags for a greener lifestyle?Well, you are the in the right place.

You will find hundreds of new products at Natural Nursery:

The Clearance sale is packed with bargains, organic baby clothing, natural baby care, reusable nappies, wooden toys, everything you need for your green family at a tiny price.

Award-winning natural skin care: Weleda baby products are so gentle, they can be used by the whole family.

The popular Calin Bleu baby sling is back in stock. The ideal baby wrap if you are using a baby sling for the time.

Shopping for a new baby gift? Find a selection of popular new baby gifts, toys, clothing, baby sling… There is something for everyone.

Carry your toddler comfortably with an Ergo baby carrier. Just because your baby is now a chunky toddler doesn’t mean that you can’t continue carrying him. The Ergo baby carrier and the accessories are designed to make your life easier.

Would you like to continue breastfeeding even when you are away from your baby or when you’re going back to work? The Lansinoh and Medela breast pumps and accessories will allow you to do just that.

Don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions, we’re here to help.

Hundreds of new products for the green family is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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Mothering Sunday Breastfeeding Pressie

Natural Nursery — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 08:41:05 +0000

If you know a new mother who needs some spoiling this Sunday, why not take a look at the beautiful Sublime Breastfeeding Bra from Bravado Nursing Bras.

This is the prettiest breastfeeding bra we have ever seen and will make any nursing mother feel special. It is right up there as a piece of gorgeous lingerie, yet it comes will excellent nursing features such as drop away cups for lots of skin to skin contact.

If you are unsure about sizing, rest assured that we are always happy to exchange sizes or why not buy the Seamless Nursing Bra instead? With its simple sizing and oh so comfortable fit, you can’t go wrong!

We dispatch every day using First Class Royal Mail and we have express delivery options available too.

Mothering Sunday Breastfeeding Pressie is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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Breastmilk Storage Bottles, reduced

Natural Nursery — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 13:48:57 +0000

Today’s top bargain in our stock taking clarance sale is a boon for any breastfeeding mother as we have reduced the price of the Lansinoh Breast Milk Storage Bottles to just £5.95 per set of 4, saving you £2.

The breastmilk storage bottles are made from food grade polypropylene, the preferred plastic for storing expressed breast milk and are Bisphenol-A Free.

You can view our full range of breastfeeding accessories and buy the reduced Lansinoh Breastmilk Bottles online now.

Breastmilk Storage Bottles, reduced is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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Why use a breastfeeding shawl?

Natural Nursery — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:35:20 +0000

Many breastfeeding mums are happy to breastfeed just about anywhere and in all circumstances. For them the very idea of a breastfeeding shawl is confusing. Why would you need one? “If my breastfeeding offends you, just put a blanket over your head” says a series of messages going around Facebook and other social networking websites. I write from Scotland mums have a legal right to breastfeed in public. In nearly 5 years of breastfeeding my children, I have breastfed in many places and never received a negative comment, only smiles and nods. Sometimes a giggle when the person sitting across from me didn’t realise there was a baby hiding in the sling, only the gurgling sound gave it away! One day, breastfeeding my two-year-old in an overcrowded train got the ticket inspector to find me a seat in first class.

So why would you need a breastfeeding shawl?

Not everyone is comfortable breastfeeding in public and having a shawl to give yourself some privacy feels reassuring.

Even if you don’t mind breastfeeding in public, it may make some people around you more uncomfortable. Maybe you don’t mind, maybe you do and that’s fine too. If it helps make parents, grandparents, other relatives and friends more supportive of your breastfeeding then it may be worth it.

A breastfeeding shawl will also make breastfeeding more comfortable as it protects you from the cold. It allows you to see clearly how your baby is latched on while respecting your privacy. This might be important when your baby is a newborn and you need to check that the latch is optimal.

It also creates a quiet space for babies with less stimulation. Some babies are easily distracted by sounds and light, the breastfeeding shawl will help isolate them slightly from what’s going on around them.

Breastfeeding shawls are well designed and convenient to use to breastfeed your baby, whether you’re in the house or out and about.

What makes a breastfeeding shawl different from any other scarf is that it has a weight in one corner which will help the shawl stay in place. Your hands are free, you can rest, eat a biscuit, hold your baby, drink some water, read a book to your toddler…

A great present for a new mum.
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Breastfeeding in public, is it that difficult?

Natural Nursery — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:00:35 +0000

breastfeeding in public

“Excuse me madam, were you about to nurse your baby?” asked the waiter.
“Oh no, here we are!” I thought

I was in a restaurant with our families and my 2-month old son. Friends had told me stories of how nursing mothers had been harassed when they were breastfeeding in public and asked to leave or cover up. I was fully expecting a negative comment when the waiter continued:

“Would you like a more comfortable chair?” the waiter continued.
“Oh!….yes, thank-you”, I was dumbfounded.

After changing my chair, he brought me a complimentary decaffeinated coffee and some chocolates. Talk about VIP treatment!

Fay sent us this story when her little boy was 7 months old and still happily breastfed.

Breastfeeding a baby is hard work, it takes determination, patience and perseverance so such warm welcome and recognition of their commitment to their children is always very much appreciated. Every time someone smiled to me or offered me a seat while I was breastfeeding my babies, it warmed my heart and left me smiling for the rest of the day, no matter how tired I was.

So if you come across a breastfeeding mother, don’t sigh and turn your head straight away. Look at her in the eyes, smile then turn your head! She is not doing anything illegal, she is feeding her child the way nature intended, the way that guarantees the best start in life for her baby. What would you prefer in the bus? A screaming baby? Or a contented baby snuggled up against his mum? Most likely you’ve come across dozens of nursing mothers before and never noticed them.

In the name of my fellow nursing mothers, we thank you for your support.

Breastfeeding in public, is it that difficult? is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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Spotlight on Medela, supporting breastfeeding mothers since 1961

Natural Nursery — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 09:36:33 +0000

Medela

Before choosing the products to sell in Natural Nursery, we review dozens and dozens of products. We ask breastfeeding mums what they think of the products. Quality, easy of use, design, every aspect is carefully considered.

For breastfeeding mums, we have chosen to carry the Medela breastfeeding products. Medela has been a pioneer in supporting breastfeeding and serving mothers and babies since 1961. Medela actively promotes breastfeeding as the best form of nutrition for babies and young infants.

Breast milk provides baby with all the nutrients they need for the first six months of life and helps them to grow into healthy children. No other milk, food, drink or even water is required. The WHO recommends that children be breastfed at least until 2 year old.

Medela’s products are designed to support a mother’s desire to breastfeed her baby as she wishes. This means helping a mother maintain her milk supply when she is away from her baby either at birth or when she returns to work.

Their research has led to the development of breastfeeding aids that are physiologically correct and are easy to use, reliable and of a consistently high quality.

Extensive research on electric breastpump (University of Western Australia) has developed the 2-Phase Expression® technology (stimulation & expression), the only research-based breastpump that imitates the baby’s natural sucking rhythm, resulting in faster let-down, increased milk flow and reduced pumping time.

Medela is also the only manufacturer who continuously invests a significant share of its profits into medical research on breastfeeding.

The Medela breastfeeding pledge: “We pledge our dedication to breastfeeding as the best nutrition for babies and families. We further pledge that our breastfeeding accessory products and literature shall never be used to influence mothers to switch from breastfeeding to infant formula feeding or to promote artificial baby milk in any way.”

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The best way to prepare for breastfeeding

Natural Nursery — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 08:00:47 +0000

Breastfeeding advice

New mums hear it over and over: ‘Breast is best‘. Yet few of us are familiar with breastfeeding before our baby is born. We might not have had other nursing mothers around us to learn from.

Trust yourself. Remember that nature has planned for women to feed their babies. The culture of artificial infant feeding is making natural feeding more difficult.

Here are a few suggestions to prepare yourself to breastfeed.

Learn. The more information you will have, the easier it will be to take in all the breastfeeding advice – often conflicting – you are given when your baby is born and make your own decisions with the help of health professionals if need be.

Talk about breastfeeding with your antenatal midwife. Make sure that she is supportive of breastfeeding and is trained to give you support and breastfeeding advice.

A supportive partner is essential for successful breastfeeding. Explain to your partner how he can support you, prepare snacks and drinks, pass you the baby, be supportive when you are encountering difficulties…

While you’re pregnant, make a list of all the breastfeeding resources available in your area. Should things not go smoothly at some point, it will be a lot easier to have their contact details handy so you can find breastfeeding advice quickly.

We hope you have found this article interesting. For more breastfeeding information, visit BreastfeedingNaturally.co.uk.
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When nipples shields can help breastfeeding

Natural Nursery — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 08:00:05 +0000

Using nipple shields can help breastfeeding

When my son was born, I was so happy and really looked forward to being a new mum. In hospital, breastfeeding went well. The nurses would help me latch my son on to me correctly.

When we arrived home, it became much harder as William couldn’t latch on correctly. I became very emotional and felt like a failure because I could not get him positioned.

My sister came over to help and brought some nipple shields. I found these a life saver and with these I could get my son to latch on and take my milk. Gradually I managed to wean my son off from the nipple shields. The nipple shields made breastfeeding in public difficult so I was glad to stop using them and start going out more often.

My son wouldn’t settle when he was lying down so I took him to see a cranial osteopath. She noticed that as he had a trapped shoulder from being delivered by ventouse. This might very well have been the underlying cause for the breastfeeding problems. After a few sessions she relieved his trapped nerve and he became a completely different baby.

William was now contented and would settle much more easily. I wish that I had taken him to Cranium Osteopath when he was only days old. It would have saved William and I a lot of stress and upset from the latching on issues.

William is now 11 months old, and I still breast feed him. I am so glad that I never gave up on trying to breast feed and feel this has helped the two of us share a close bond.

Please note: whilst nipple shields are an excellent way to protect sore and cracked nipples, if the symptoms persist we recommend that you consult your midwife or breastfeeding counsellor as incorrect positioning and/or latch are often the cause of soreness. Using nipple shields for prolonged periods of time can interfere with your milk supply and cause nipple confusion.

When nipples shields can help breastfeeding is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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Welcome the newest addition to the Natural Nursery Family: Breastfeeding Naturally

Natural Nursery — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 12:44:01 +0000

Breastfeeding Naturally supports nursing mothers

We would like to introduce the latest addition to the Natural Nursery Family, welcome to Breastfeeding Naturally.

We believe that breastfeeding is natural: all you need are breasts, a baby and tremendous support. Nursing mothers sometimes need more help. Breastfeeding Naturally offers carefully chosen products, breastfeeding information and great customer service.

From breast pumps, to aids for breastfeeding problems, nursing bras and breastfeeding pillows. We also stock easy to use baby slings. If someone else needs to feed your baby and you’re worried about nipple confusion, we stock feeders and feeding cups. We strongly believe that the benefits of breastfeeding are immense. Mums should be free to breast feed as long as they want, even after going back to work. We hope that you will find everything you need for successful breastfeeding (and stay comfortable too!)

You will also find information, breastfeeding tips and babywearing advice. Read other nursing mothers’ stories, including mums of twins or preemies. You will see that there is one theme that comes back over and over throughout the stories is how trying breastfeeding can be at times. It takes determination, knowledge and support. Prepare while you’re pregnant and tell your breastfeeding friends over and over: in many cases, it doesn’t have to be as hard. Get some help early on. Visit your local breastfeeding support groups, make a note of all the breastfeeding helplines that you can call for advice, support and to talk to another mum who is trained but has also been there.

Breastfeeding Naturally is a family-run business based in Exeter. Founded by Arabella Greatorex who breastfed her daughter and experienced breastfeeding problems at first, it aims to bring support to nursing mothers. It complies with the WHO International Code of Marketing for Breast Milk Substitutes.

Don’t hesitate to contact us, we are here to help.

Welcome the newest addition to the Natural Nursery Family: Breastfeeding Naturally is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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celebrate the launch of a new Site: Breastfeeding Naturally & win £100 gift voucher

Natural Nursery — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 08:38:11 +0000

breastfeeding

Help other mums breastfeed their babies and win a £100 gift voucher! We all take comfort in support from mums around us and knowing that other women have been there before us can make a big difference. Tell us your breastfeeding story and share it with other mums. If you can, send us a photo as well.

We look forward to sharing your experiences. Whether you found it easy or struggled, whether you stayed at home or went back to work and continued breastfeeding, whether you had support from your partner, travelled a lot, had older children to keep happy, breastfed your toddler… Share your stories.

Your breastfeeding stories will be published on our new website Breastfeeding Naturally. Breastfeeding Naturally will launch in a few weeks, bringing mums in the UK everything they need to breastfeed their babies successfully.

Send your stories to competition@naturalnursery.co.uk before November 7th. The winner will be drawn at random among the entries. To be entered, stories will be 150 words minimum and include a note to say you agree to see your story (and photo if applicable) published.

celebrate the launch of a new Site: Breastfeeding Naturally & win £100 gift voucher is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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Support The Mother magazine

Natural Nursery — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 15:12:48 +0000

The Mother Magazine

I discovered The Mother magazine after my little girl was born and read it cover to cover without stopping. I was amazed by the thought-provoking views on pregnancy, birthing, breastfeeding, education, home-education, vaccination…

In a world where so many things make us doubt our skills as mothers and parents, where we are supposed to listen to so-called experts, supported by studies which often contradict each other, The Mother magazine brings a refreshing view: trust your instinct as a woman, as a mother, as a parent… Trust that we can follow our instinct to birth our children freely, to breastfeed them as long as they need it, that home education is a real option, that natural parenting and organic living aren’t just dreams …

Each editorial, article, story, recipe pushed me to challenge my preconceived ideas, to think things through for my children and my family. I don’t live by everything the Mother Magazine advocates. My children were born at home and breastfed until they gave up when they were ready, they were carried about in baby slings. Now they are in school, we aren’t vegetarians but what I love about The Mother magazine is being challenged to think more about our choices and to know that there are alternatives that I might want to explore at some point.

The Mother Magazine is in danger of closing, get your subscription now! If you are a business, consider advertising as well, their readers are loyal customers.

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Help for Breastfeeding Mothers with Flat Nipples

Natural Nursery — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 21:07:20 +0000

LatchAssist for Flat Nipples

Breastfeeding is the best start in life for your baby but sometimes it can be hard to achieve a good latch if you are suffering from flat nipples or engorged breasts.

Both these are temporary conditions but can prevent you from breastfeeding comfortably.

Luckily, Lansinoh have launched the LatchAssist to help. The LatchAssist gently draws out the nipple, allowing your baby to correctly postion the nipple in their mouth, helping to create a good latch.

The LatchAssist has received very positive feedback from midwives and costs £7.95 from The Natural Nursery.

Help for Breastfeeding Mothers with Flat Nipples is a post from: Natural Nursery Blog

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Why Use Nipple Shields When Breastfeeding?

Natural Nursery — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:56:03 +0000

Luckily, most mothers don’t need to use nipple shields as they and their baby take to breastfeeding naturally.

For some mothers, however, nipple shields are a vital, if temporary, item to help them establish successful breastfeeding.

Nipple shields are used for protection if the nipple becomes sore or cracked. They slip on over the nipple and the baby sucks through them. As there is no direct contact between the nipple and the baby’s mouth, this can be less painful for the mother.

It is most important to realise that sore or cracked nipples are NOT the norm and are usually the result of a poor latch so it is vital that the mother receives support from a breastfeeding support worker, midwife or health visitor. The aim is always to move to breastfeeding without nipple shields as quickly as possible.

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Boobie Cartoons

Natural Nursery — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 21:19:51 +0000

I have only just come across the amazing Kate Evans – why didn’t someone tell me about her work sooner?

She has just published a new book call The Food of Love, featuring cartoons on the subjects of breastfeeding, co-sleeping and The Mama Sutra – weird and wonderful breastfeeding positions.

This book will make a wonderful gift for new mothers and will entertain partners and friends too. You can see previews of the book on Kate’s website at http://www.thefoodoflove.org/index.htm

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What I wish I’d known when I was pregnant

Lisa Cole — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:06:29 +0000

Here are some answers to questions I get asked by pregnant friends on a regular basis – they are based on my experiences though, and may be glaringly obvious to some people, but they were not to me! Please feel free to add to this list of useful tips in the comments section.

Clothes
Come in sizes according to weight and don’t last very long at all in the beginning. You will need a slightly larger size if you use real nappies. Some babygros have integral gloves that fold back – very useful for babies that want to scratch their faces off. Things that fasten at the front are easier than things that go over heads. All socks are sacrificial; they don’t stay on feet for long so I prefer things with feet for colder weather.
Nappies
Cloth nappies rock and I like the smell of the Weleda nappy cream which is brilliant stuff. It is a good idea to research nappies, and there are some helpful tips on this blog.

www.naturalnurseryblog.co.uk/how-easy-are-cloth-nappies-to-use

www.naturalnurseryblog.co.uk/why-use-cloth-nappies

Toys
My child at 3 month liked noisy things, mirrors and things he could hold with his tiny fingers. Brightly coloured board books are good too. If you buy anything musical remember that you will have to listen to it too.

Feeding
I used a pump to express milk and I pumped in the morning while feeding after the small had triggered off the let down reflex. Thinking milky thoughts of waterfalls made the milk come out faster! My son never took to a bottle but he would use a sippy cup. Pumping was just in case of emergencies. I boiled cups and the pump to sterilise them, it’s not a hassle and I don’t think the sterilising equipment is really necessary, though it may make life a bit easier. I have read that the sterilising solution can increase the risk of thrush.
Sleeping
I had a Moses basket for small but didn’t like it ‘cos I had to peer in to check his breathing. I bought a cot because it seemed to be the thing to do but in the end decided that I am a fan of co-sleeping. There are guidelines for safe co-sleeping that are well worth looking at. Grobags are brilliant and my small sleept much longer when I got one.

Bathing
I think a bath thermometer is vital, what’s warm to me is boiling for the small. We shared the bath and he loved it. You also need a soft sponge and ducks!

I hope some of these hints are useful, I found it daunting and confusing trying to work out what I needed and what was clutter and I hope my tips can help you.

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Breastmilk and Growth Spurts

Lisa Cole — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 21:04:17 +0000

One of the most common worries for a breastfeeding mum is her milk supply. Here are some reassuring words and helpful tips to help you carry on breastfeeding through a growth spurt.

First of all – DON’T PANIC! One of the things that can slow down milk is stress, so try to relax as much as possible – easy to say I know but it is important.

If your baby is nursing more than usual and you are worried that they are not getting enough milk they might be going through a growth spurt. This generally happens between 4-6 weeks and again between 4-6 months. When my son was at this stage I felt like I never stopped breastfeeding and it was exhausting, but it was worth it. As long as your baby is getting bigger and producing wet nappies you should have no need to worry. What the baby is doing is changing the calorific value of your milk to suit them better as they go through different growing stages, once through the growth spurt they tend to feed less often and sometimes have been known to sleep longer, though I think that is a myth, my son still thinks sleep is for the weak! If you formula feed through a growth spurt you will be telling your body to produce less milk and your body will not be triggered to change the nutritional value of your own milk to suit your baby.

Drink gallons of water – It helped me to have a small bottle of water everywhere I was likely to breastfeed, because as soon as I settled down I would become incredibly thirsty.

Change your position – It is very easy to settle into one breastfeeding hold but you will probably feel more comfortable in the long run if you change your position occasionally so that you drain all your milk ducts.

Forget the ironing – This time with your baby will not last forever, revel in your super power to give them the best start in life and let the housework slide. You are burning off about 500 calories a day by breastfeeding so you need rest, and possibly chocolate!

Support your system – Oats are supposed to be very good for helping you produce milk – they are also a good supply of iron and there is something very comforting about a bowl of porridge. Welcome World Breastfeeding Support Tea is made by a specialist birth and herbal healing company. The tea comes in a packet that has enough for 40 servings and there is a a free advice line to call if you have any concerns.

If you are still worried about your milk supply there are lots of free breastfeeding helplines who can give telephone advice or tell you about the nearest breastfeeding support group.

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