Katie, from Peterborough, is mum to Sam, who was born in lockdown. Here, she tells us how our infant feeding support line supported her when she was struggling, and how she now attends our online breastfeeding sessions.
“I found the almost constant feeding in the early weeks quite overwhelming and a strain mentally.
I was considering stopping breastfeeding
“I was considering stopping and completely switching to formula but I thought I would give expressing a try so my husband could help with just one feed a day.
“Everything online advised against giving a bottle so early, but I spoke to a breastfeeding counsellor on the infant feeding helpline who talked me through the possible options. They explained how to store breast milk safely and introduced me to the concept of paced bottle feeding which I didn’t know about.
“Being informed about how to introduce a bottle helped my partner to take part in feeding and gave me a small break every day, which helped me continue to breastfeed.
“A couple of months into parenthood in the pandemic I was feeling very lonely, so I emailed my local branch organiser who told me about the Facebook group and Zoom sessions.
“I’ve been taking part in these weekly ever since and the support and feeling of connection with other breastfeeding mums has been invaluable.’
Our infant feeding support line is open from 8am to midnight every day, including bank holidays. Call 0300 330 0700.
From breastfeeding drop-ins to coffee mornings, find out what activities are happening in your area on your local NCT branch Facebook page. Or, you can enter your postcode in the search field here.
