Breastfeeding Stories - Lucianne

This is Lucianne and her two gorgeous little girls Poppy and Daisy.

These are her words.

I liken breastfeeding to playing a hockey (I used to play!): You can know all the rules, know how to hold a stick and hit a ball but that doesn't mean you have the skills to go and play with the rest of your team without practicing together.  Both you and your baby are learning a new skill, it takes time and practice but once that happens it then feels like the most natural thing in the world!

My mom breastfed all 3 of us, my sister breastfed her 4 kids, so for me, when I was planning on having our kids, breastfeeding was just the way I was going to feed my babies, providing there were no issues.

My first born, Daisy, latched onto the breast straight after birth. I didn't have any major issues. I believed I had a low supply but later learned that wasn't the case. I really hated pumping but tried so hard. I fed her for 7 and a half months which I was really happy with. The hardest thing was weaning her but we got there eventually.

My second baby, Poppy was born at home and again, she latched on straight away. A couple of days in, I suffered with incredibly painful engorgement but with the support from my amazing midwife, Liz Halliday, and some homegrown cabbage leaves (they really do work!) from my mother-in-law, we managed to sort it out before it became mastitis. I only planned to breastfeed Poppy for the same amount of time as Daisy but I ended up feeding her until she was 1. As she is our last baby, I wanted to hold onto it for a little bit longer this time ! 

I could not have breastfed my babies without the support of my incredible husband @chugsey. He always said "you feed the baby & sleep, I feed you & do everything else"! I feel so lucky to have had him by my side & encouraging me every step of the way. I am so grateful for that.