When my son was 8 weeks old he got bronchiolitus, and drank very little milk as a result. I didn’t consider how this would affect my milk supply, being so focused on him getting better. When he recovered, and I didn’t seem to have enough milk for him, I really panicked. It’s difficult to describe the level of desperation experienced as a Mom, when your baby is hungry NOW and your body doesn’t seem to be doing what it needs to satisfy him. I experienced this like a kind of performance anxiety, which no doubt only served to make things a whole lot worse. It was really important to me to breastfeed for the first year, and so when it had been suggested to me to ‘top-up’ with formula, I was very resistant. I had heard that doing so would most likely be the beginning of the end of breastfeeding as the whole system works on supply and demand.
Enter Wonder Woman Emma!! I’ll never forget the day she came to my house – it was POURING with rain, and I was equally pouring with tears. Emma, with her bright smile and absolute confidence that we would be able to turn the situation around, was the calming potion I needed. She introduced a regime of expressing to boost demand, got me onto Domperidone to bridge my supply issues, and MOST importantly gave me the support, encouragement and positivity (even when I only managed to express 5ml!) that was the real medicine.
My son is now 16 months and I am still breastfeeding, and so HUGELY grateful to Emma for seeing me through that dark time with professionalism and care.