The Feeding Couch

In this episode I’m joined by Raylea, a first-time mom to baby Ellie,who faced more challenges in her first week of motherhood than many of us can imagine. After a significant weight loss of 12% by day three, the stress began to mount. Ellie’s weight loss was compounded by jaundice and a diagnosis that would change Raylea’s feeding journey: known as Insufficient Glandular Tissue or underdevelopment of the breast and milk making tissue. What followed were days filled with stressful weigh-ins, supplement calculations, and a host of anxieties. Lucily in the midst of all the challenges—amid the fears, the grief, and the overwhelming responsibility—there was also incredible beauty. Raylea found hope in her sister in law’s donated breast milk and was surrounded by supportive midwives who were trained in breastfeeding support. Together, they embarked on a triumphant journey of long-term supply line breastfeeding.

For nine months, Raylea nourished her baby with a combination of donor milk, formula, and pure determination. We’ll talk about the real struggles—like the anxiety of traveling with formula milk, coping with the endless tubes and cleaning involved in using an supply line feeding device, and the ongoing challenges of dealing with unhealed perineal damage. We’ll also get real about the moments Raylea felt like she needed to quit breastfeeding, and the powerful realization that despite it all, she was breastfeeding her baby.

Raylea’s story is a testament to the strength and resilience of mothers everywhere. Whether you’re struggling with low milk supply, navigating the complexities of using formula, or dealing with the emotional toll of feeling like you’re not enough—this episode is for you. So grab a cup of tea, find that cozy spot, and get ready to be inspired by Raylea’s incredible journey.

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 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

In this episode I’m joined by Anja; a mum of three living in Coventry UK with a passion to advocate for women’s mental health, particularly around pregnancy and childbirth. Anya studied biomedical science at University, but her true calling has been in the charitable sector, where she’s spent years fundraising and providing vital admin support for local organizations.

Since the birth of her first baby, she’s been on a mission to ensure that women have the support they need to experience good mental health before, during, and after pregnancy. Her personal experiences have fueled this passion. Anya’s journey into motherhood began with a traumatic birth experience. Her first baby spent time in the special care baby unit, and despite her wishes, was given formula without her consent. She wasn’t able to hold her baby for the first 12 hours, and the start of her breastfeeding journey felt pressured and challenging. However, through determination, she transitioned from mix feeding in the hospital to exclusively breastfeeding at home. Even with complications around latch at six weeks, she successfully breastfed until her first child was 21 months old.

With her second baby, the experience was somewhat smoother—though still challenging. The birth was marginally less traumatic, and Anya was able to have that precious skin-to-skin contact right away. Her breastfeeding journey with her second child was simpler, and she continued until 28 months, stopping only when she became pregnant with her third due to suffering with terrible hyperemesis.

Anja’s third baby— was a beautiful, hands-off home birth, where everything seemed to fall into place. The baby latched immediately, and it’s been her simplest feeding journey so far. 

Anya’s story is one of resilience, learning, and growth. So, sit back, relax, and get  ready to be inspired by Anya’s incredible feeding journey.

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

In this episode I am joined by Sarah; a mum of soon-to-be three little ones (at the time of recording). She serves as the Head of Research and Education at a leading UK breast cancer charity. And in this episode we're focusing on Sarah's personal journey, navigating the complexities of motherhood and breastfeeding as an autistic woman.

We'll be exploring some deeply personal and impactful experiences, such as how current breastfeeding guidance can interact with compulsive behaviours and routine fixation, and how Sarah managed the challenges of dealing with infant reflux. We'll also discuss those moments when, despite all the advice, she decided to throw the rule book out the window and embrace bed-sharing with her little ones.

Sarah will share her experiences with breastfeeding during pregnancy, the physical effects it can have on the body, and the conversations she's had with healthcare professionals. We'll also touch on the pressure to make feeding and weaning decisions during pregnancy and the often-misunderstood practice of tandem breastfeeding. We'll explore the logistics of feeding babies of different ages, the social taboos that come with it, and the discomfort around the idea that it takes a 'super mum' to handle this.

Throughout it all, Sarah offers a deeply insightful look at the neurodivergent experience of breastfeeding— highlighting the unique ways in which autism for her, shaped her mothering journey. So, whether you're a pregnant, new mum, an advocate, or just curious about the intersection of neurodiversity and motherhood, this episode is for you. 

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

Welcome to today's episode. I'm honoured to introduce my dear friend Orlanda, whom I've had the privilege of supporting with lactation and breastfeeding when her daughter, Cassia, was born almost five years ago. Orlanda joins us on the feeding couch to share her deeply personal story. She is the Co-Founder of Narcissus London Cosmetics Company, an Ambassador for the Charity Widowed and Young (WAY), and a widowed mother living in London.

In this episode, Orlanda graciously opens up about her journey from pregnancy to feeding. At 20 weeks pregnant, while on holiday in France, Orlanda experienced a life-changing event: her partner Julian tragically passed away from a sudden heart attack. She reflects on how this loss impacted the remainder of her pregnancy and her experience feeding Cassia. Orlanda shares her challenging early weeks of breastfeeding, ultimately finding strength and triumph despite the chaos surrounding her.

We'll be discussing:  

- Coping with loss and trauma during pregnancy  

- The vital role of an amazing tribe of women who supported Orlanda during those months  

- The challenges of waiting seven days for her milk supply to come in and what was needed to sustain the first week  

- The surprising positive effect of a glass of champagne with fish and chips  

- Using nipple shields and a supply line device  

- The difficulty of breastfeeding in public and the importance of giving yourself permission to use formula and mix-feed  

- Orlanda's love for pumping milk  

- Her experience with the charity Widowed And Young (WAY) and the incredible support from other women who understood her situation  

This episode contains sensitive topics and may not be suitable for all listeners. Please listen at your own discretion.

LINKS:
Widowed and Young
Narcissus London Cosmetics
Instagram: 
@Narcissus.London
@WidowedandYoung
@OrlandaBryars

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

Leah is a first time mum who prepared extensively for labour, birth and breastfeeding through her pregnancy. She was dreaming of the first breastfeed in the birth suite and having the ‘golden hour’ together. However, when her daughter Hazel was born she had breathing difficulties and was taken to the special care nursery within 5 minutes of being born. 

Leah tells me her story from the firsts minutes after birth establishing a milk supply and getting Hazel to feed at the breast whilst still being in the special care nursery. She shares how the peadiatricians were insistent on using formula top-ups but thankfully she had really wonderful support from the midwives with getting breastfeeding up and going. Leah tells me how they transitioned on to breastfeeding by using a supply line. 

7 months later and Leah and Hazel are still breastfeeding. Leah shares with me how she sought support for breastfeeding positional challenges with larger breasts. Trying and not quite managing to get Hazel to take a bottle at 10 weeks of age and how  the bottle refusal that came can really impact on a sense of freedom as a new mum.

In this episode Leah brings up some real home truths and a beautiful story of overcoming challenges.

Join me on the couch for this lovely episode.   

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

Julia Neale is a mum of three, with two living children, and originally from the suburbs of Toronto, Canada. She now calls Switzerland, home. She is a former international primary school teacher, and is now a prenatal educator.

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

Susanne really enjoyed breastfeeding her two children.  She had made up her mind that she wanted to stop breastfeeding when her youngest was turning two, but she found herself with a difficult internal struggle. Susanne saw this as an opportunity for personal growth and she worked with a coach to dive deeper into all these mixed emotions. The coach provided a beautiful ending ritual and Susanne's closure of her breastfeeding journey became a very empowering experience, deepening the compassionate and loving connection with herself and her children.

 In this episode we delve deeper into:

- Breastfeeding in a country where this is appreciated and valued, supported by the government and supported by society.
 - Trying to fall pregnant again and being told by the doctor to stop breastfeeding. 
 - Breastfeeding and donating milk to the local hospital.
 - Night feeding until 2 years old. 
 - Working with a coach who helped Susanne look further into her thoughts such as: (not) being a good enough mum, does she trust her son will be OK when breastfeeding stops, does she love her children as much as they need, and can she choose to take her body back for herself? 
- How a wonderful ending ceremony helped Susanne feel rooted, stay fully present and not feeling any doubt about her decision to wean her son.

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

Kate is an endorsed midwife and IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) based in Australia. She is passionate about a no bull-s**t approach to feeding and motherhood, and ultimately supporting families to have their most empowered experience as they transition into parenthood. Kate has honestly shared her own feeding and motherhood struggles through her work in Milky Business. Most recently, this journeyed her through a cancer diagnosis early in her third pregnancy, managing tongue ties, expressing, weaning, cancer treatment and re-lactation. 

 In this episode we discuss 

•  Being a midwife and ‘still’ getting shredded nipples. Finding out her baby had a posterior tongue tie and dealing with the lack of support in this area.  
• How feeding her second daughter was beautifully redemptive breastfeeding experience. 
•  In Kate’s words how “third time round was the ultimate shit show that we made sunshine out of”.  
•  Kate shares how whilst she was tandam feeding her two daughters she got a diagnosis of thyroid cancer in the first trimester of pregnancy number three. 
•  We delve in to dealing with cancer surgery, treatment and being told you can’t breastfeed. 
•  Kate discusses how coming to terms with the idea of not breastfeeding her last baby was a shattering embodiment and she was determined to find a way through. This is where Kate shares her story of re-lactation, pumping, storage of milk, finding high lipase in the expressed breast milk and realising she cannot use it, using donor expressed breast milk, feeding at the breast, the moments of absolute joy and getting to a point where she looks back exceptionally proud and with a full heart.  

Kate has gracefully shared her story, filed with insights and  warmth of heart. This episode will make you cry but it will also uplift you at the powers of the human mind, body and spirit. 

Find Kate on her IG page @milkybusiness
MilkyBusiness website  
Re-Lactation Guide

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

Ana is a 34 year old mama of two. Originally from Portugal, currently living in Austria with her German husband and their 2 kids: a fierce 4 year old girl and a 6 month old baby boy.
Ana breastfed her eldest for 2.5 years, something she didn't expect to do when she was pregnant.
Ana works in marketing in the tech industry but is using her maternity leave to focus on her baby and launching her new business as a postpartum doula in Vienna for expats families.

In this episode we discuss: 

• Sore nipples at the beginning but quickly got into a great breastfeeding rhythm
• Breastfeeding when they get teeth
• Things Ana was afraid of during her pregnancy which she thought might come up whilst breastfeeding.
• Being told that breastfeeding is bad for dental hygiene
• Weaning her daughter at 2 and a half
• We get to experience a feed live during the podcast! 
• Ana tells me how different both her babies were with breastfeeding 
• We discuss the benefits of bed sharing for breastfeeding and maternal sleep
• How Ana dealt with inflammatory mastitis
• And Ana shares with me how she and her partner navigated how he could bond with their children whilst they were breastfeeding. 

LINKS
Ana's website

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.

Born and raised in Perth, Australia, Johanna unexpectedly made Switzerland her home in 2010. Johanna has studied biomedical science, occupational therapy, English literature, philosophy and education… and yet tells me how nothing prepared her for the tumultuous early years of motherhood. 

Johanna shares with me her experiences of feeding her two boys, who are now twelve and nine years old, and how her own breastfeeding grief and mental health struggles throughout the perinatal period fueled her desire to make this time easier for others in a similar situation, and to provide the kind of support that she wished she had received. Joh went on and trained to become an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant and is now passionate about providing non-judgemental, evidence-based information alongside compassionate support with her practice Milk and Motherhood. She founded and runs Breastfeeding Mamas in Switzerland, the 3500 member English-Speaking breastfeeding support group, and started Switzerland’s first informal milk-sharing network, Human Milk 4 Human Babies. She is frequently invited to speak at international conferences on a variety of infant feeding and counseling topics, and recently finished writing the new education module for the European Society of Neonatologists. 

I am so thrilled to have Joh join me in this episode especially as she tells her story from a perspective of having lived through it, but now with several years in between to see her boys grow and develop, as well developing her knowledge much further into the rather fantastic Lactation consultant that I am proud to call my friend. 

Some of the themes we discuss in this episode are:

·      Dealing with low supply 

·      Triple feeding. 

·      How being in this new world of motherhood led, at the time, to deep grief, obsession, and social isolation

·      Navigating her second baby’s feeding journey with a deep fear of repeating the first experience. 

·      Aversion to  pumping or expression

·      Discovering the supply line feeding device to help with low milk supply 

·      Using donor milk

·      Eventually having a lovely breastfeeding experience, followed by breast aversion and weaning at 2.5y

LINKS:

Facebook: Milk and Motherhood 
Website

Send us Fan Mail

 Resources & Links

Get your FREE Milk Supply Confidence Kit

Feel calm, informed and confident about breastfeeding—whether you’re a parent or a professional.

 Download here

Online Courses by Katie James

– Pregnant or just had your baby? Start with The Feeding Couch

– A midwife, doula, or health professional? Join Breastfeeding & Lactation: The Fundamentals

Support the Show

If you’re loving the podcast, please leave a review 

🎶 Music by Joseph McDade

Disclaimer

The information in this podcast is for general educational purposes only and is not medical or legal advice. While we aim for accuracy, no guarantee is made that the content is error-free or up to date. Always seek guidance from a qualified health professional for individual concerns.

The Feeding Couch podcast accepts no liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on any of the content provided.