Great UK news...

Today, I decided I'd publish another extract from the book in the form of the story of one of my UK contributors. Why? Because a) I'm still waiting on my next guest bloggers to hand their contributions in, b) I love the stories in the book, and c) I had a little bit of good news today, regarding distribution in the UK.

Looks like I'll soon have a retailer selling Breastfeeders Anonymous in the UK, meaning UK contributors and anyone who wants to buy the book will be able to so much easier. I'll post the news here as it comes to hand... don't wanna say too much more yet, until it's in the bag. WATCH THIS SPACE.

And until then, enjoy reading Sue from Merseyside's breastfeeding story below. And don't forget, I'm always on the lookout for stories, photos, breastfeeding news or new breastfeeding related products - if you can help with any of these, please email me at info@breastfeedersanonymous.com

Over to Sue...

I had problems with breastfeeding when I had Matthew. Where those who were bottle feeding would give their babies to the midwives to keep in the nursery and feed if they woke, I was told to sit in the nursery as my baby was two days old, hadn’t latched on, and was starving. I had a cup thrown at me and was told to hand milk myself. When I finally provided 15mls of my milk, they poured it onto his face and it spilled everywhere. They had the cheek to ask for more. You really do lose your dignity when you feed your baby; some hospital staff are so matter-of-fact that they just expect you to flop yourself out and get on with it. Hard for someone who has never even been topless on holiday before!

The third day I was in tears. A midwife sat with me for 45 minutes and explained everything about the shape of the nipple, how a baby sucks, how to latch them on and it all seemed to just click into place from then on. I stayed another night to make sure we were feeding well and then came home, where it was easy and seemed to work out well.

Mathew thrived on my milk and was really healthy and happy. I was so comfortable with breastfeeding and had so much that after about two months, I began to donate milk to the local hospital for premature babies. I breastfed Matthew for nine months and only stopped following a traumatic miscarriage in which I lost quads and required emergency surgery and a blood transfusion. I intended to feed him whilst pregnant, although I didn’t know anyone who had done it – my mum didn’t even try to feed me after struggling for 10 days with my older brother. I didn’t feel pressured to continue, but I’m really lazy and the thought of washing and sterilising all those bottles horrified me.

With my second baby, Scott, I fed easily and listened to my instinct, not hospital advice.
Breastfeeding was the nicest choice I’ve ever made and is so rewarding. Knowing that you are single handedly keeping your baby alive is something to be proud of.

Sue; Merseyside, U.K.