The Feeding Couch
I am a midwife and Lactation Consultant and over the years of working with many families I’ve seen such a variety of feeding journeys and I can tell you that not one of them is the same.
In our worId of perfect portrals of postpartum on social media I feel its time to shine a light on the real stories, raw, uncensored, challenging, triumphant and just plain real life.
Breastfeeding ain't black or white it's a pantone of colours and we need to talk more openly about what really goes on.
The Feeding Couch
Claire - Breastfeeding and expressing for her baby born at 29 weeks
Claire Summers joins me in this episode. Claire is the voice behind Claire’s Itchy Feet and Claire Summers Speaks. A seasoned travel influencer, yoga teacher, and a passionate advocate for conscious parenting and wellness. With over a decade of experience as a content creator, Claire blends her journey through motherhood, wellness practices, and adventures across the globe into inspiring narratives and practical advice.
In this episode Claire talks with me about her two experinces with breastfeeding but with a focus on her second baby who was born at 29 weeks premature.
Claire tells me about the pressure to start hand expressing, the fear, overwhlem and the courage needed to get through.
Claire talks about how providing milk for her baby at this time felt like the one thing only she could provide for him.
We discuss how Claire exclusively pumped for 6 weeks, how her baby’s tonuge tie was released when he was just 33 weeks corrected age and how that helped set them on their path to feeding at the breast.
And how when one person advocates for you, giving you the encouragement that “you can” go home breastfeeding your baby, it massively helped Claire power through all the other information being bombared at her, and she left the hospital exclusively breastfeeding.
We discuss how and why it is often the norm for most mothers of premature babies to be encouraged to start bottle feding in the hospital and told instead to get breastfeeding going once you’re back in the comfort of your own home, and why it is often not as ‘easy’ as it sounds.
As we recorded Claire’s little man was 3 months old and she was still experiencing the roller coaster ride of having a baby come into the world too soon. I am grateful to Claire for her open and honest talk with me.
Thank you for being with us today, thank you for taking the time to listen and share in this growing collective of stories.
LINKS:
Claire Summers Speaks
Claires Itchy Feet
Instagram
Get 10% off Katie's courses - use code POD10 at checkout
- Pregnant or in the first few weeks after birth: The Feeding Couch
- For health professionals and birth workers: Breastfeeding & Lactation: the fundamentals online course
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The information provided on this podcast does not, and is not intended to, constitute medical or legal advice; instead, all information available on this site are for general informational purposes only. The Feeding Couch podcast reserves the right to supplement, change or delete any information at any time.
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