Thank you for all your messages about your breastfeeding journeys! I thought it would be a good idea to share a few tips for mums planning to or currently breastfeeding (these tips come from all the lovely mamas that I’ve been chatting with this week): 1) find support groups/consultants that can offer personalised help based on your needs (in croydon we have breastfeeding cafes open daily for drop ins and run by lactation consultants. Speak to your health visitor/midwife/gp/Google to find support available in your area 2) don’t be afraid to ask but seek advice from experts in this area, eg lactation consultant, often a midwife or health visitor. A GP, a paediatrician or dietitian is not an expert in breastfeeding area! 3) remember that every child is different so don’t compare your journey to others (that’s so true, my both children breastfed completely different) 4) It shouldn’t hurt! If it does, it might be fixed by improving the latch (I didn’t know what I was doing wrong until a midwife literally showed me when she watched me nurse Amanda. No books or articles helped me when it came to practical support 😅) 5) Learn a few phrases that you can use to reject someone’s unhelpful advice in a polite but firm way: ‘ I appreciate your input, I’ll consider if it’s the right thing for my family’ or ‘thank you for offering advice, but I’m not looking for any suggestions right now. I just need to vent’ or ‘that’s something I need to discuss with a lactation expert but I appreciate your input’ What do you think? Would you add anything? . . . . #breastfeeding #wbw2022 #southlondonphotographer #newbornlondonphotographer #newbornphotographylondon #londonphotographer #bromleyphotographer #crystalpalacephotographer #londonmums #islingtonmums #hampsteadmums #londonfamilyphotographer #londonnewbornphotographer #londonbabyphotographer #southlondonmums #londonmums #northlondonfamilyphotographer #familyphotographerlondon #islingtonphotographer #londonfamilyphotography #kensingtonmums #londonlifestylephotographer #londonphotographer