Have you ever been in a situation where a friend is expecting, and (if you are already a parent) you unknowingly begin to give little tips and tricks? I think it’s that need to warn new parents about the reality behind the baby smiles – well it is for me anyway!

This week marks the end of National Breastfeeding Week. There is such a stigma still associated with breastfeeding, you wouldn’t believe this exists in the 21st Century. I am so proud of the Scottish Government to have used this week as a platform to launch the report on how to make Scotland a Breastfeeding Friendly country (https://www.gov.scot/publications/becoming-breastfeeding-friendly-scotland-report/pages/1/)

I want to just say a few things on this topic:

1. It can be difficult, but that mostly because as women, we don’t have confidence and knowledge about our bodies. Once you learn, you will be amazing at what your body can do.

2. If only we could have a measuring gauge built in to know if baby is drinking enough milk! Babies have tiny tummies, so they get full quickly, but hungry quickly too! Although it feels like you will be feeding all day, remember you are doing the best by your baby, and your body! It’s like the difference between pre-cooked and freshly made meals.

3. Did you know that breastfeeding can help your uterus and abdomen muscles to return back to ‘normal’ quicker? Your body responds well to breastfeeding

4. Fathers don’t have to be left out – as soon as baby is fed, hand them over to dad!

5. Afraid of saggy boobs? They will flop with age anyway. Just like we call our stretch marks tiger marks, this is an extension of the amazingness of our bodies – we create tiny humans, and we have everything those tiny people need to thrive during their most vulnerable, innocent and pure stage in the beginning of life.

6. There is a lot more support out there than we realise; in the age of social media, help is only a couple of taps away. One is the National Breastfeeding Helpline – 0300 100 0212

The main message: normalise talking about breastfeeding.

Even if you didn’t feed, be honest with yourself and still talk about it.

With education comes knowledge, with knowledge comes power

🤱🏽🤱🤱🏿✊🏽✊✊🏿