Breastfeeding isn’t always easy and there will be times you face challenges. If you’re experiencing difficulties, it can feel very lonely.
Never ignore any issues you may have – talk to your health visitor, midwife, GP or breastfeeding specialist as soon as possible. It may well be a very simple fix or a quick bit of reassurance that everything is ok.
Tamsin Knott, a Medway midwife on Kent Ward, talks us through when things don't go to plan in the early days and how to protect your breastfeeding journey when things did not turn out the way you expected.
You can also visit our Challenges section. We’ve also put together a ‘Challenges’ playlist to help get you through some fairly common challenges – maybe baby is being fussy or feeding all the time or you might be worried your baby has a tongue tie. Join our Facebook page for more videos and the chance to ask questions to our local feeding experts.
Before baby arrives
Early days
- Breastfeeding after a c section
- If your baby arrives early or unwell
- How do I get my baby attached and feeding effectively?
- How can I tell if breastfeeding is going well
- Why am I finding it painful?
- Why is my baby feeding all the time?
- Breastfeeding challenges
- Baby blues
- Will I ever sleep again?
- What can partners or others do to help (instead of giving a bottle)
- Expressing milk
Challenges
What's next?
“Breastfeeding has been so important to me to try and give the best start to my son, although it has not been an easy ride due to his tongue tie. There have been days where I’ve sat and cried and struggled through the feeds, the demand of his feeding and the overwhelming sense of responsibility. The breastfeeding drop in’s have really helped to keep me going & to give me support and guidance to allow me to continue through our journey and learn together.”