Michelle Tant

Even before I had my first child, I was sure I would breastfeed. I didn't actually give it that much thought, other than to get measured up for a nursing bra a couple of weeks before the birth. I know, very prepared. My breastfeeding journey is another post for another day, but suffice to say, I knew that human milk was best for human babies. Knowing what I do now, I'm glad I had that determination, after all, I wouldn't be a breastfeeding counsellor without it. Turns out though that breastfeeding was far more amazing than I ever gave it first credit for... First Feed ~ Stabilizes babys blood sugar following birth and super lovely skin to skin contact for mother and baby. Don't underestimate the protective action of this one feed on babys gut. One Week ~ Breastmilk has helped to clear through the sticky black meconium and the uterus is contracting back to its normal size with BF help. Mum is guaranteed decent sofa time as she breastfeeds her newborn - you...

When my first born was a week old, I asked my health visitor what I could do about the frequent sick ups or 'possetting' and her advice? "Don't wear black!". To some people that might seem rather unhelpful and actually when she said it I kind of stared at her for a moment before allowing it to sink in that what she was actually saying was that the small amount of milk coming back after feeding wasn't a problem. It took my baby brain befuddled mind a few moments to appreciate the subtlety but we got there in the end. She quite skillfully (wierdly) gave me information and allayed fears without being patronizing. She didn't simply tell me not to worry. If there is one thing I find infuriating is being told not to worry about something. There's a couple of issues here. Number One. I'm a mum, I worry, that's my job. Number Two. By telling me not to worry you are dismissing my fears. Not cool. Number Three. Don't tell me what to d...

Today I received a long awaited confirmation... my portfolio passed and I am now a fully qualified, Licenced to practice NCT Breastfeeding Counsellor. Woot! *dances* I feel like this has taken a long long time but when I consider how much I've changed, how much I've learnt, the people I've met, the experiences lived through in that time, then the time was well worth it. In the mix I have become a mother of three and turned 30 (whether that bit is significant I don't know, LOL). So all this time I've been building up to this moment. My heart is to support mothers. I love people but I really do think that mothers are extraordinary. I also am in awe of women generally, but there is some other dimension, strength, inner fierce core in a mother that staggers me (incidentally whether she breastfeeds or not). I know its there because I feel it inside myself and I see it in them too. So, I digress (as usual)... what now? There are plenty of opportunities to get inv...

I am under no illusion that without the wonderful people who supported me in the early days, my breastfeeding journey and story might well have been different. However the most astonishing part of this is that the woman I accredit my first breastfeeding success with my first child has no children. Her ability to empathise with me and really support me despite never having experienced it is extraordinary. I still maintain my assertion that breastfeeding support is best coming from breastfeeding mothers but this lady broke the mold. She arrived at my door when my firstborn was 3 days old. I'd been crying my eyes out with pain and frustration and she sat down with me and didn't leave for 2 hours. By the time she left, my baby was latching on perfectly and had taken a good feed. I'm a (very very nearly) newly qualified breastfeeding counsellor. I couldn't have started the training unless I'd breastfed for a minimum of 6 months and I still think that is the ...

I returned to work Monday after nearly a year off on maternity leave. 11am found me expressing in the ladies. The not so glamorous side of the working breastfeeding mother. In the UK, businesses have no specific legal obligation to provide for breastfeeding mothers. However there are some slightly fluffier laws about the health and safety of the pregnant and breastfeeding mothers, though the latter part remains unclear as to whether that's only until the baby is 6 months old. It's the health and safety bit that had me pondering as I rinsed my pump out in the sink, precariously balancing my precious bottle on top of the hand towel dispenser seeing as the only other option was the floor... of the toilet. Unfortunately, pondering is as far as it will get because there is literally nowhere else in the building I could go to pump in private, so I'm just going to have to grin and bear it because I really do want to continue providing my daughter with breastmilk while I...

Today I am thankful. I have literally held my breath since September, the date 11th February hanging heavily over my head. The day we find out. I didn't realise that I've been walking round with a constriction around my chest, watching, waiting. Seeing symptoms where I now know there to be none. Because that is what worry does to you. That is what being a mother does to you. And I'm not generally a paranoid type. So I heard with my own ears. Saw with my own eyes that he is fine. My beautiful boy, the little boy that people keep saying to me 'has something about him' is in possession of a beautifully healthy heart. As if I didn't know... Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.9

So you've mastered breastfeeding at home and after the superhuman effort of childbirth, you deserve some retail therapy! Is your blood running cold at the thought of getting your boobs out at the cafe? Or are you well armed with the knowledge that you're doing the most amazing thing ever for your baby and what others think doesn't mean a bean? To be honest I don't think this subject is as simple as either of those responses. We've come a long way in that its now actually illegal in the UK to move on a breastfeeding mother so that's brilliant and not to mention long overdue. But I often find myself tying myself up in knots about it. You might well ask why as I am, I guess, a breastfeeding veteran with 3 exclusively breastfed babies under my belt. I've confidently fed all of them in public, inwardly daring anyone to challenge me... honestly there were times I'd be sat in a cafe almost spoiling for a fight. How wrong is that? I would sit sometimes...

There was a worrying press article today about the rise in cases of breast cancer. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12356489 The phrase 'breast cancer' is enough to send any woman into a freefall of anxiety whether or not she has risk factors for the disease. The risk factors are... *smoking *oral contraceptives *drinking alcohol every day *obesity *family history Of course the indiscriminate nature of cancer means that women with no apparent risk factors may develop it and a boatload of risk factors might never. The report says a startling 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. That seems high to me. The question I immediately asked of Google was how can I protect myself? What preventative measures can I take if any? One was thankfully in my doorstep. Breastfeeding can actually reduce the chance of breast cancer by up to 50%, which is almost unbelievable. You do need to breastfeed for 2 years to get the full 50%. Check out this site for the stats if you l...

10 days from now I'll be back in the world of employment.10 days from now I'll be leaving my children for 11 hours per day, 3 days per week. 10 days from now I'll be joining the army of women doing the same, every day. I've been sitting here, really thinking about how I feel about this. People ask me now with increasing regularity when I am returning to work. For some time I enjoyed saying "not until next year!", but now the time has come and I am counting the remainder of my maternity leave in days rather than months. My childcare is sorted, and might I say at this point that I am blessed with angelic in-laws without whom our lives would be very different (read, worse) so in that respect we are beyond blessed. My eldest is now at school, my middle child spends the afternoons at nursery and my daughter lives it up with cuddles galore at Grandma and Grandads. Perfect. When I left work last year to come onto maternity leave, there was a lot of uncertain...

I don’t have nearly enough time to go into all the ethical considerations for ethical living so I will first have a look at the Nestle Boycott, an issue close to my heart (well close to my boobs certainly), and then leave you with some facts and figures about the production of some of the everyday items in our lives. Beware though, learning some of them may well change the way you shop forever (and will most definitely change the way you look at those items). Have you heard of the Nestle Boycott? If not, allow me to enlighten you with some background text from The Rough Guide to Ethical Living (Duncan Clark, 2006). “Right back in the 1930s pioneering paediatrician Dr Cicely Williams published and spoke about the hazards of inappropriate bottle feeding (side note – i.e. over or under dilution, mixing with solids, making up with un-sterile water). But for much of the twentieth century the formula milk manufacturers – of which Nestle was and still is, the biggest – aggressively promoted ...