Michelle Tant

A friend said to me the other day how her own mother was pressurising her about her weight loss. My friend is 8 weeks post partum. The hurt I felt on her behalf cut me to the core. The one person who is supposed to be a guaranteed cheerleader is your mother. That doesn't stop once you become an adult. In fact if there was ever a time you need your mothers support and unconditional approval, its when you become a mother yourself. Mothering is hard! It's also joyful, rewarding, surprising, fulfilling and utterly mad. But it is also relentless, tiring, heart wrenching and complicated. Who doesn't need the occasional shoulder to lean or cry on? Mothers are uniquely placed to be supportive of other mothers. Who should know this but a mother? Our own mothers have 'been there and done that'... sometimes right, sometimes wrong but they have been there and they know that this mothering lark is not as black and white as the books would have us think. Now ...

Good quality, timely support is absolutely necessary to help mothers to have the breastfeeding experience that they want. We know that of mothers that stopped breastfeeding before 6 months, the vast majority wished that they had continued. The reasons they cite for stopping being pain and failure to thrive among others. Pain is so not necessary in breastfeeding. It's quite often unfortunately that a breastfeeding counsellor will be called to support a mother with cracked, sore and bleeding nips. You can't help feeling that earlier support may well have avoided the issue. Getting a great latch early on is key. Remember that a baby born after 34 weeks has the ability to breastfeed. Babies who are born and put onto their mothers tummies and 'left to it' will find their way and rather helpfully latch themselves on. They don't worry about mummy sitting bolt upright clutching them in a vice like grip and cradle hold, they simply want mummy to be relaxed and al...

Of late I've been wading my way through a number of things, returning to work at the housing association, my pet services business, looking after my family amongst other various bits of life. And I must say I am almost exhausted by it all. The other big thing I've been grappling with is the practicality of becoming a breastfeeding counsellor. Administration was something I hoped would be at a minimum in my chosen profession but here it is raising its ugly head again, it would seem that even person centred jobs are not exempt. The admin side has become such an elephant in the room that I've had to really evaluate my feelings about my new role and about the organization I do work for (I'm self employed and so am like a sub contractor!). There have been times even today where I've wanted to throw all my toys out of the pram, the baby out with the bath water, you think of a cliche and I'm already there. So if the stuff I'm so offended by is so offensiv...

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 ...