This week, I’m delighted to be joined by listener Sharnaé Storm from New Zealand. We’re talking about breastfeeding her three-year-old son Enzo. Sharnaé shares how night weaning and ending the bedtime feed happened gently through repeated “cuddles for sleep” affirmations, with breastfeeding temporarily increasing during illness (recent RSV). She describes early breastfeeding challenges, flat nipples, mixed opinions about possible tongue tie, and choosing to persevere with a nipple shield. Sharnaé also recounts Enzo’s hospitalisations for complex febrile seizures starting at 11 months, including ICU and a drug-induced coma, later seizures managed with medication, and how this shaped their vigilance and childcare choices. 

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week I’m talking to brilliant mum of two Clarisse Allen, from South London, about tandem feeding with a small age gap after Clarisse became pregnant when her first baby was six months old. Clarisse describes a four-hour first labour with a birth-before-arrival home birth, early breastfeeding that looked good on paper but felt hard due to worry about weight gain and latch pain, mastitis, and mixed advice about frequent feeding and bottles. Pregnancy brought nipple soreness and later reduced supply, but her daughter, Talia, continued nursing. Clarisse’s son, Zayn was born at home with a doula. His was a longer early labour, as a back-to-back baby, and his first newborn feed became an immediate tandem feed. We explore the realities of tandem feeding, co-sleeping, reflux, boundaries, night challenges, and the importance of intuition, selective information, and supportive help. 

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 

You can follow Clarisse on Instagram @‌the_sacral_moon

Breastfeeding: The dangerous obsession with the infant feeding interval https://www.unicef.org.uk/babyfriendly/breastfeeding-the-dangerous-obsession-with-the-infant-feeding-interval/ 

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week, I’m delighted to be joined by returning guest, the fabulous Kathryn Stagg IBCLC—also a musician, parent, and qualified neurodiversity coach—to discuss ADHD and breastfeeding. Kathryn explains ADHD subtypes, why the label can be misleading, common overlap with autism and other neurodivergences, and how diagnosis often follows identification in a child. She shares about her own assessment and how diagnosis improved self-awareness and self-forgiveness, alongside mixed experiences with medication. We explore how ADHD can help breastfeeding through antenatal hyperfocus and responsiveness, but can make difficulties like triple feeding, planning, and accessing support harder due to executive function challenges and rejection sensitivity dysphoria. Kathryn shares some practical support strategies,  and discusses some challenges with sensory sensitivities, breastfeeding aversion, app-related anxiety, and perimenopause effects.

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 

ADHD and Breastfeeding - The Breastfeeding Network https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/factsheet/adhd-and-breastfeeding/

You can follow Kathryn Stagg on her website https://kathrynstaggibclc.com/ or @‌kathrynstaggibclc on instagram

And thank you to FeedSpot for listing me as #7 in the top breastfeeding podcasts list https://podcast.feedspot.com/breastfeeding_podcasts/

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week, I’m welcoming Hannah Norris all the way from Melbourne, Australia, to talk about becoming a mother through IVF in her 40s and breastfeeding both her daughters. Hannah describes giving birth to her first baby, Twyla, in London during COVID: plans for a home birth changed, she advocated for herself when her platelets dropped, and she had a positive hospital birth despite limited access for her partner postnatally. Breastfeeding began smoothly but became difficult with engorgement, and Zoom support and education helped her push through, despite a stressful encounter with a midwife. Hannah later sought my help to gently wean Twyla around age three, ahead of long-haul travel where she used to rely on feeding. After Twyla was hospitalised with bacterial meningitis, Hannah decided to have a second child, using a remaining frozen embryo for an unmedicated transfer. She moved to Australia before the birth, but successfully negotiated a low intervention hospital birth for Maeve. SVT episodes led to a longer hospital stay, but they established breastfeeding well, and Maeve is thriving at four months.

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 

Cordelia Uys https://www.cordeliauys.co.uk/ 

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week’s guest is the inspiring Alexandra Baskerville, who is talking about breastfeeding after breast reduction surgery aged 19. Alexandra describes having very large breasts as a teen, choosing reduction surgery in 2010, and later becoming a mother at 34. Her daughter Connie’s birth was a home birth, and early feeding was complicated by Connie’s small size, slow weight gain, nipple pain, suspected tongue-tie, and the extra uncertainty of reduced milk-making capacity. An NHS lactation appointment left Alexandra feeling she had been told to stop, despite only giving small top-ups, so she sought private help from IBCLC and tongue-tie practitioner Polly Powell, who improved her pumping setup, offered support, and eventually arranged a tongue-tie procedure at around 10 weeks. Alexandra triple fed and pumped for months,  and although it took longer than expected for her full supply to come in, she stopped pumping around 10 months, and is continuing breastfeeding at nearly 14 months.

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 

BFAR - Breastfeeding After Breast and Nipple Surgeries https://www.bfar.org/index.shtml 

IBCLC Polly Powell is @‌pollythemidwife on Instagram and https://www.polly-powell.co.uk/ 

Plastic Surgery and Breastfeeding - Physician Guide to Breastfeeding https://physicianguidetobreastfeeding.org/surgery-and-breastfeeding/plastic-surgery/#breast-reductions 

Guidance on goats’ milk formula https://infantmilkinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Cows-and-goats-milk-protein-based-infant-formula_February-2025-1.pdf 

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week, I’m talking to Dr Natalie Ashburner, a Bedford-based child and adolescent psychiatrist, about breastfeeding her three-year-old Ruben and seven-month-old Dylan.. Natalie describes night weaning Ruben during her second trimester using a gradual approach with a weaning book, flexible boundaries, and partner support, and explains how bedtime and sleeping arrangements shifted, including moving Ruben to a new dinosaur-themed room. After Dylan’s birth and a hospital stay for heart-rate monitoring, Ruben’s feeding increased and Natalie’s aversion intensified. She managed through distraction and limiting feeds, before settling back to one morning feed. Natalie continues to feed both boys and will be returning to work later this year. She is a member of MiLC (Medics in Lactation Community) and a peer supporter.

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 

Facebook group for the peer support arm of MiLC (for breastfeeding doctors): https://www.facebook.com/groups/480916214609440/ 

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

This week, I’m talking to the lovely Sophie from North London about feeding her two children, Sadie (7) and Zach (4½), and what aversion and older child weaning can look like. Sophie describes training with the Breastfeeding Network, from an in-person 12-week helper course to a rigorous six-month supporter course, and her plans for helpline and drop-in support. She shares Sadie’s breech birth by C-section, pain that began at six weeks, later support with latch and a posterior tongue-tie division, and a long period of feeding on one side. During pregnancy with Zach, Sophie developed intense breastfeeding aversion and emergency-weaned Sadie. Zach’s VBAC attempt ended in a C-section with some complications and COVID-related separation, but breastfeeding went smoothly. Zach’s feeding tapered gradually with the help of some boundaries set by Sophie. His last feed was just three weeks before our conversation.

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 

Breastfeeding Network https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/get-involved/train-to-be-a-registered-volunteer/

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

I’m so pleased to be joined by the brilliant Joanna Sargent IBCLC this week. Johanna will bring her expertise on using a supplemental nursing system (SNS), also called at-breast supplementation or supply line feeding. Joanna shares her personal experience of low supply and using an SNS from 10 days to six months, and we explore how an SNS can support milk production, avoid bottle preference, and reduce the unsustainable burden of triple feeding. Johanna describes how an SNS works, cleaning and flushing tubes, and practical troubleshooting such as managing flow rate, positioning the “straw,” and using a necklace to stop babies pulling tubing. We compare products and discuss using NG tubes and syringes as a low-cost trial option. This is a great episode for both parents who might need to try an SNS, but also listeners who work in infant feeding.

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 

You can find Johanna at 

https://www.instagram.com/milkandmotherhood?igsh=MTNxaGJqYjJ1ZmZ3ZQ==

And

https://milkandmotherhood.com

Her podcast is https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-latch-revolution/id1841874307

Her presentations are available at https://www.goldlearning.com/ce-library/all-lectures/at-breast-supplementation-devices-detail and https://www.babiesincommon.com/forprofessionals/exploring-supplemental-feeders-workshop (20th August 2026 workshop)

The Ardo SNS is available here https://www.ardomedical.co.uk/shop/p,233,supplemental-nursing-system-sns.html?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=19267684314&gbraid=0AAAAAD-Zrl7Ucv7LJJ7zq85tUN30amSFD&gclid=CjwKCAjwq6DQBhBVEiwA4ZD5XCuFaFZ5s8p1vyJPbdmJIcbc1Ywmcx98-PFRSPHv9W_iAT6cGzcFaxoCLrIQAvD_BwE

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

Today, I’m delighted to be joined by Katie and Daniella to talk about the experience of being an older mum. Daniella, 43 is a solo mum in Birmingham. She shares how her daughter Remi self-weaned gradually after daytime feeds ended around age 3–4, describing a comfort-led “symbolic” latch, continued co-sleeping, and not experiencing weaning blues; she also reflects on early challenges including severe tongue-tie, oversupply, recurrent mastitis, anxiety about working, and feeling unable to breastfeed in public as Remi got older. Katie, 41 in Suffolk, breastfeeds nearly two-year-old Monty frequently day and night. She discusses sleep changes alongside starting a 4:00 AM job, training as a holistic sleep coach, being a “motherless mother” after her mum died in 2020, and managing perimenopausal cycle-related rage, nipple soreness, and feeding aversion with supplements and support. 

Katie’s Instagram is @good_nights_kip and her website is www.goodnightskip.com 

Daniella’s Instagram is @‌daniellastaubphotographer and her website is www.daniellastaub.co.uk

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.

Today I’m talking to the amazing Alexis White from Canterbury, New Zealand, about feeding her son Flynn. Her older daughter, Norah’s birth did not go to plan, but breastfeeding did, and Norah was breastfed until she weaned herself when Alexis was pregnant again. After a victorious home VBAC birth, early breastfeeding seemed normal, but by day six Flynn had lost 11.5% of his birth weight and then failed to gain despite frequent feeds. Alexis began pumping and syringe top-ups, and at three weeks a lactation consultant identified a hard-to-spot cleft palate. Flynn was later also diagnosed with craniosynostosis. The cleft team told Alexis nutritive breastfeeding wasn’t possible, so she moved to a special cleft bottle while exclusively pumping for about a year, supported by a loaned pump, weigh-ins, and speech and hearing input, including grommets. After surgeries (craniosynostosis first, then cleft repair), Alexis slowly re-taught Flynn to breastfeed using babywearing, a nipple shield, and syringe/tube support. At 14 months he is fully breastfeeding, with ongoing monitoring of hearing and speech.

My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here -  The Story of Jessie's Milkies. In the UK, you can also buy it from The Children’s Bookshop in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark publishing.

You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to https://bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram  @emmapickettibclc or find out more on my website www.emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com 

Resources mentioned - 

UK Cleft Lip and Palate Breastfeeding Support Group on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CbAoTyibU/?mibextid=wwXIfr 

Cleft Lip and Palate Action (CLAPA) - For the UK cleft community https://clapa.com/ 

CleftNZ https://www.cleft.org.nz/ 

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.