A few weeks ago I attended to bloggers brunch in Sydney where I got to meet with some amazing brands, including Medela. Whilst talking to the beautiful ladies on the Medela stand I got the opportunity to reflect on my own breastfeeding journey. Medela were proudly showcasing the most beautiful artworks created by students for Medela depicting what ‘Mother’s Milk Means’ to them. Firstly I wanted to share with you my favourite art piece:

This picture resonates with me as it is such an accurate description of how breastfeeding felt to me. For nine months my body grew my baby on the inside and for six months my body grew my baby on the outside. We were one.

Lets now talk about my breastfeeding experience with little Gemima Grace. Before having children I was determined that I would breastfeed. I didn’t have a back up plan and bottles and formula were not part of my ‘prepare for baby’ shopping list.

I had Gem at term, she was a big baby and came out hungry. Little did I know (I found out 10 weeks later) that I had retained placenta ( which required surgery) so my body didn’t naturally start lactating. The first three days of Gemima’s life she screamed for food and I had nothing to give her. On the third day the nurses started getting me to express/pump using the hospital grade Medela machine. This was my first experience with Medela. We also started toping Gem up with formula as even with all the pumping I still wasn’t producing any milk and I did not want to leave my baby hungry (thank god for formula). I was using the Medela machine every three hours everyday so I called my husband to organise one for home. He rushed off to baby bunting to buy the Medela Swing (it’s THE BEST) breast pump on the market so it would be ready for me when I got home.

After a week in hospital I took my baby home and kept up the breastfeeding, bottle feeding formula then expressed milk, then expressing regime every three hours for two weeks. Slowly over this time my milk increased and by week three I was finally able to just breastfeed, no bottle, no top ups,  just pure breasty goodness.

So for me the Medela breast pump meant I could continue my breastfeeding journey as I had always wanted. This meant the world to me as breastfeeding was important to me. I continued my breastfeeding journey until a Gemima was 14 months. Was it hard work? Yes, it sure was but so worth it in the end.

Medela supports women and communities in many ways. Their breastpumps really are the best of the market. They have an amazing recourses available to women and a blog you can join here that sends you regular information and support for your breastfeeding journey.

So what are my top tips to support women to breastfeed?

1) Be informed, there are lots of free information and help out there.

2) Be open with others about your breastfeeding journey, it’s normally to find it hard.

3) Be kind to yourself, breastfeeding sometimes isn’t easy.

Bec xx