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In this episode Adrianna shares her story of feeding her daughter Eloise.From the first feed Adrianna felt as though something wasn’t quite right.  Eloise had trouble latching, and so Adrianna and her partner Jeroen bottle fed Eloise while they found help.  After many weeks of trying Eloise at the breast, getting second opinions, pumping around the clock and having a tongue tie snipped, Adrianna and Eloise achieved their breastfeeding goal and are still breastfeeding now with Eloise being a year old.Adrianna also speaks about her low supply as well as Raynauds syndrome and how incredibly painful that was for her.I love that Adrianna doesn’t shy away from the fact that breastfeeding her baby was something that was really important to her - you can hear it in her voice how much it means to her.  Thank you so much for sharing your story Adrianna.For more info on Raynauds check out this page (half way down): https://kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/nipple-blanching/

Wendy shares her story of breastfeeding then exclusively pumping for both of her children - Anderson (3) and Amelia (1).After the birth of her son Anderson, Wendy noticed that the feelings she was having around breastfeeding were not typical.  A conversation with a friend led Wendy to realise that she had breastfeeding aversion.  Wendy and her husband Andrew made the decision to exclusively pump and bottle feed Anderson until he was around 1 year old.  When Amelia was born, Wendy wasn’t sure if the same aversion would exist.  It did, but this time around Wendy and Andrew knew what their plan was if feeding at the breast wasn’t possible. Through all of this Wendy continually had to work on keeping her supply up.   Wendy’s low supply challenges led to her starting a new business which she launched a couple of months ago.  Mammas Milk Bar sells lactation blends and protein blends for pregnant mums, breastfeeding mums, and mums generally.  You can check her business out at www.mammasmilkbar.com or on instagram @mammasmilkbar .I could have talked to Wendy for ages, she had so much to share - we talked about practicing confinement, the importance of support networks, the benefits of exclusively pumping and more .Thank you Wendy for sharing your experience!If you’d like to read more about breastfeeding aversion there is some interesting information on the Kelly Mom website.

In this episode Bec reflects on feeding her two children George (who has just turned 4) and Sadie (who was 2 earlier this year).Bec and I don’t get into the nitty gritty of each and every challenge of hers, instead we talk about the bigger picture. How feeding made her feel, how it impacted her mental health, how she reflects on it now, and how it is okay to look back and say you didn’t love it regardless of the types of challenges you faced.  This is a great episode if you want to glimpse into what lies on the ‘other side’ of breastfeeding for some mamas - hindsight can be beautiful for some, but for others the rose tinting glasses aren’t always strong enough.Bec’s reflects on how challenging breastfeeding George was (tongue tie, painful latch, nipple shields, mastitis and anxiety).  She talks about the lonely times of feeding, how breastfeeding wasn’t this picture perfect image that she had in mind, and how it added another thing to be anxious about in early motherhood.With Sadie, things were different.  Bec talks about how the lack of tongue tie meant feeding was far more natural the second time around and it was easier for her.   She shares how Sadie weaned earlier, and that her and her husband Ben decided it was best for all to wean at that point rather than ‘battle through’.  We also talk about feeding two under two and the back to back pregnancy and breastfeeding journeys with no breaks in between.Thank you Bec for sharing this story with us.

This episode is for World Breastfeeding Week and as The Feeding Diaries supports the ‘fed is best’ message it is suitable for all listeners, regardless of how you feed your bub.Caitlyn (@_caitlyn_jane_), Jordyn (Kiwi Birth Tales Podcast @kiwibirthtales) and Renata (Lila Jasmine and Little Mash @lilajasminenutrition) join us to share their thoughts and reflections on breastfeeding.I also share a sneak peek of some up coming episodes, and share some thoughts of mine on World Breastfeeding Week.

In this episode Cree shares her experience of feeding her two sons Te Ariki and Ruairidh (Rory). Cree had her first son at 19 years old, back in 2011 (2 days before the Christchurch Earthquakes) and talks about the beautiful breastfeeding experience she had with him.   This period wasn’t without challenge, as Te Ariki had to return to hospital on the same day as the Christchurch earthquakes to be admitted to NICU.  Cree takes us through the challenges with feeding in NICU and during aftershocks, and fitting in as a 19 year old mama.Last year, Cree had her second son Ruairidh and breastfeeding was really difficult.  She openly admits that she went into birth feeling confident, and didn’t really question whether she would be able to breastfeed.  Cree takes us through the shock of finding that feeding Ruairidh was not as simple as she had imagined it would be.  She also talks about the difficulties she had due to not being able to walk during the postpartum period (following a medical mishap that occurred a few weeks before Ruairidh’s birth).  She also shares the support she had from her family and husband Jarren.Cree openly talks about the fact that, as a second time mum, there was an expectation (from both her and others) that she would simply be able to breastfeed without issue.  This was made even more difficult by the fact that Cree is a midwife and has a strong breastfeeding support practice as part of that, so the expectations were high.Cree is an amazing story teller, she is so upbeat and you can’t help but smile even as she talks about the really difficult parts of feeding and the postpartum period.**Trigger warning: this episode mentions the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and we also briefly discuss miscarriage and fertility issues at one point in the episode.

In this episode Sarah tells us about feeding her son Hunter.  Hunter is now 6 years old, so I was quite intrigued when Sarah reached out saying she would like to share her story!  Sarah explains how throughout her feeding journey she felt let down by the health system.  When you hear her story you’ll hear so many moments where people could have stepped in to help Sarah when she was struggling to breastfeed, but instead she often got the advice to ‘keep trying, it will get better’.  Sarah started out breastfeeding Hunter and also expressed milk to bottle feed him, then ultimately transitioned fully to formula.  You can tell from Sarah’s story that she really wanted to breastfeed Hunter, but she also shares how special she found feeding Hunter whether it was by breast or bottle and how that was a special little bonding time for the two of them.Sarah and her partner Sean have reflected on their feeding experience, as well as Sarah’s traumatic birth, and Sarah says they have now come to terms with how it all went and are looking to grow their family.Sarah, you are an incredible women and mama.  Thank you so much for openly sharing your story with us all.** Trigger warning: This episode mentions traumatic birth.Resources mentioned in the intro:https://thespinoff.co.nz/parenting/24-11-2016/choosing-baby-formula-a-guide-for-new-zealand-parents/https://mykidslickthebowl.com/best-baby-formula-gold-or-standard/

In this episode Jenni talks about breastfeeding her son Theo, who has just turned one.After a peaceful home birth, breastfeeding started out well in the first 24 hours but Jenni found that over the next few days getting Theo to latch in a way that wasn’t painful became quite difficult.   She had help from her midwife, but ultimately found support in a breastfeeding peer support group.Jenni also talks about using nipple shields (and the conflicting views she heard about them),  low supply, and feeding in public.  She mentions how she still loves feeding Theo and that often it is the only ‘still’ moment she gets with him seeing as he is now a busy one year old!When it came to starting solids, Jenni and her husband Reuben chose to follow a book recommended by a friend.  She explains that she found having a single guide really valuable, both to justify their feeding choices to friends and family but also as a single point of info.It was so interesting talking to Jenni.  During our talk I felt that although she had faced challenges, she had experienced a positive feeding journey.  She explained to me that it is easy to talk about it in a positive light now, because those hard days are in the past, but during those early days (particularly the first 6 weeks) breastfeeding was really tough and something she had to work hard at.Thanks Jenni for sharing your story.

In episode 9 Sam is sharing the story of breastfeeding and later combination feeding her daughter Harriet.Sam had a low breast milk supply and explains how this impacted her, her partner Tim, and daughter Harriet.  The low supply challenges that Sam faced were something she had to constantly work on, and throughout the pre-solids feeding journey Harriet fed on a combination of breast milk directly from Sam and also breast milk from a bottle.  Sam was lucky to be the receiver of donor breast milk from a lovely friend who had a baby around the same time that Harriet was born.Adding to the challenge of increasing and maintaining supply, Sam had to undergo surgery at around 4 months postpartum. She talks about how she thought this would put an end to breastfeeding for her and Harriet.Following surgery came lockdown, and ultimately Sam and Tim introduced formula and solids to Harriet’s diet. At 9 months old Harriet is combination fed.Sam mentions the following books in her episode:Smart Mothering - by Natalie FlynnThe first 6 weeks - by Midwife CathThe Wonder Weeks bookThanks for sharing your story with us Sam, it was lovely to have you on the show!

Sarah joins us to talk about her breastfeeding and solid feeding journey with her son Asier.This episode covers a lot - from losing part of a nipple, suffering from a breast infection (oedema) to crying with joy from finally having a comfortable breastfeeding latch, and feeding when pregnant with baby #2.  Sarah talks about how during pregnancy she made a conscious decision to protect herself from hearing negative stories, and how ultimately this made the challenges she experienced when breastfeeding feel quite lonely.Sarah also talks about starting Asier on solids and noticing that he was intolerant to dairy, wheat, eggs and peanuts.  She explains that she has been able to reintroduce dairy and eggs (in a limited way), but peanuts and wheat will go to allergy testing in the coming months.It was so lovely having Sarah on the show, and it was really interesting to hear her perspective on how she will use what she learned with Asier when feeding baby #2.

Cat joins us to share her experience feeding her 5 month old Georgiana.   Cat had a plentiful supply and Georgiana was quick to latch after birth.   Unfortunately, that latch was a pretty powerful one and Cat had significant nipple damage early on.  She explains how she used gritted teeth, māmā bear bravery and nipple shields to get through the pain.  Cat also takes us through how she weaned Georgiana off nipple shields at 3 months - a good listen for others who are looking for weaning ideas.This is an overall positive breastfeeding journey - a tough start, with a happy outcome overall.   Cat, thanks for sharing your story, it was a pleasure!

Sarah joins us to share her breastfeeding experience, one that she hasn’t loved at times.  Her son Eddie is just over a year old, and Sarah explains that there were highs but also a lot of ‘neutrals’ and lows.After a challenging birth, and Eddie being taken to NICU due to inhaling meconium, Eddie ended up having a 9 day stay in NICU so Sarah had to learn to breastfeed on site.   There is a lot covered in this episode - initial tube feeding, using donor milk, the ‘test’ Sarah and Eddie had to pass before leave NICU, nipple shields, feeding with big breasts, the loving support from her husband and lots more.Thanks for sharing your experience Sarah.  It is really important to acknowledge that not everyone has a magical breastfeeding experience.  

In this episode, Ainslee shares her experience breastfeeding her 10 month old son, Arthur.  Ainslee was diagnosed with hyperemesis gravidarum during her pregnancy (a condition that is characterised by severe nausea, vomiting, weight loss, and dehydration).  This lead to on-going treatments throughout the pregnancy, including hospital stays.  Ainslee explains that going in to birth her biggest fear was not anything to do with birth, but whether she would have enough energy to produce breast milk for her baby.After a challenging birth, Ainslee shares that it took some time to establish breastfeeding.  She faced quite a few challenges, including tongue and lip tie, changes in supply and mastitis.  Despite this, Ainslee and Arthur are still breastfeeding today and Ainslee pumps so that Arthur can be bottle fed by her husband Cam while she is at work.Thank you Ainslee for telling your story, it can't have been easy to share some of these memories. I'm so happy for you that you were able to breastfeed as you had planned and hoped, after facing such a challenging pregnancy and tough birth.

In this episode Kelsey shares her story about feeding her daughter Billie.  On one hand this is a really positive breastfeeding story and on the other hand an extremely challenging solids feeding journey.  Breastfeeding has been relatively natural for Kelsey and Billie, a great latch, healthy supply (perhaps too healthy!) and a really strong and positive feeding bond from early on. It wasn’t all rainbows - there have been some challenges (Billie was retrieved to NICU the day after they were discharged from hospital, so Kelsey essentially learnt to breastfeed while Billie was in NICU), but overall Kelsey draws on the positives.When it came to solids, Kelsey and her husband Chris were shocked to find that Billie has anaphylaxis reactions to a number of foods.  It is really eye opening hearing Kelsey talk about this - how they found out, what this has meant for mealtimes in their family, and how it has impacted other aspects of their life.If you're keen to skip straight to the solids journey head to the middle of the episode around 31 minutes in.**This episode does cover some tough topics - please listen out for a list of trigger warnings in the intro.

In this episode Silvia shares her experience of mix feeding (aka combination feeding) her son Isaac.  Silvia started out breastfeeding Izzy, but grew concerned on day 2 when he struggled to establish a latch over a 6 hour period.   At that point, Silvia asked for formula and from there went on a mixed feeding journey until Izzy was 6 months old.  Silvia also shares how her and Luke have introduced Izzy to solids, including allowing treat foods and letting him feed himself.  There are some great resources that Silvia shares in the episode:https://kellymom.com/https://www.facebook.com/breastfeedingnz/https://themilkmeg.com/

In this episode Kate shares her experience formula feeding her daughter Cleo.  Kate went into motherhood open minded about how she, and partner Tony, would feed Cleo.   After a traumatic birth experience, Kate spent the following days in hospital and birth care trying to establish breastfeeding with Cleo.   Kate talks about how a birth care staff, who could sense the pressure breastfeeding was putting on Kate, suggested she take 24 hours “off” breastfeeding and allow her body to rest and heal.  It was during that rest period that Kate, with the support of Tony, made the decision to formula feed Cleo.It was really interesting to hear how Kate processed this choice.  She had a really positive experience bottle feeding Cleo and talks about the highs the experience gave her.  Kate also shares a wee bit about how Cleo was introduced to solids.I loved recording this episode - in a world where parents are often judged for choices they make it is so nice to hear from someone who had a truly positive bottle feeding experience from the start and throughout.

In this episode Chloe tells us all about feeding her 9 month old son, Teddy.   Teddy is breastfed and started solids at 6 months old. There were some challenges for Chloe, husband Ben, and Teddy in the first few weeks of Teddy’s life.  This included establishing a latch (and use of nipple shields), overcoming a sleepy feeder (due to jaundice in the early days), and the feeling of pressure to feed (especially while in post birth care).  Chloe also touches on the start of their solids journey.Overall Chloe speaks positively about breastfeeding, and she is quick to share the highs alongside the challenges her family experienced. Chloe is a great story teller, I hope you enjoy hearing from her as much as I enjoyed recording this episode!

This trailer is an introduction to The Feeding Diaries podcast - a place where you can listen to stories about feeding babies, as told by parents and caregivers. I tell you a little bit more about what you can expect from the amazing parents and caregivers who are sharing their stories in season 1.   I’ll also tell you a wee bit about me and where the idea of this podcast came from.In season 1 you’ll hear from bottle feeding parents, first time breast feeders, mix feeders and more.  I’ll talk to parents who have babies with allergies, tricky feeders, and babies who just can’t get enough of solids.  There will be positive stories as well as stories that are riddled with highs and lows.This podcast has been created for new and expectant parents (and anyone else who fancies a listen!).   By sharing a wide range of unique feeding stories, I hope that this podcast increases awareness about the triumphs and challenges new parents can face when feeding their babies in the first 12 months of life.