World Breastfeeding Week: Lizzi's Story

"The breastfeeding relationship is so special."

As one of our Infant Feeding Peer Supporters, Lizzi understands first-hand both the joys and the challenges of breastfeeding. After breastfeeding both of her children, she now supports other families on their own feeding journeys.

Lizzi’s breastfeeding journey started 6 years ago with her son, Charlie. Although initially struggling and in a lot of pain, support with positioning and attachment helped, and she was able to breastfeed for 7 months, which felt like a real achievement.

Now breastfeeding her daughter, Bonnie, Lizzi shared how her second experience has been both familiar and very different.

"I am currently breastfeeding my daughter, Bonnie, who is now 2 years and 3 months! My experience this time has been very different than with my first baby. Breastfeeding a toddler has brought a whole set of different challenges! I had mastitis when feeding both children and had a terrible time when my daughter turned one. I am a breastfeeding peer supporter with Home-Start, so I felt really silly and useless asking for help with feeding support. I felt like I was failing!"

"Fortunately, I did ask for help, and with support from Home-Start, I was able to use lymphatic massage techniques to alleviate early mastitis, and given reassurance and encouragement which helped me feel a lot better."

Lizzi says the experience reminded her that even with knowledge and experience, everyone can need support.

"It really brought home how hard it can be to experience difficulties with feeding – even though I know how to support other parents, it's still a really hard thing to deal with. Bonnie was in the teething phase and was biting me frequently, which was agony. It massively impacted my mental health. Support from Home-Start and the Tameside Integrated Feeding Team helped me get through this – without the support I would very likely have stopped breastfeeding, as the pain was debilitating."

"Everything is going great now with breastfeeding and I'm so proud of myself that I didn't stop and continued through the hard times; the breastfeeding relationship I have with my daughter is so special and I feel so blessed that I can still provide her with breast milk and the comfort she needs!"

Lizzi's story reminds us that asking for help is never a sign of failure. Whatever your experience, support is available, and no one has to navigate their feeding journey alone.

Supporting Families Every Step of the Way

At Home-Start HOST, our Infant Feeding Team provides compassionate, evidence-based, free support for families across Tameside and Oldham, whether you're preparing for your baby's arrival, overcoming feeding challenges, expressing milk, combination feeding or simply looking for reassurance.

Working alongside Tameside Family Hubs, and Oldham Best Start Family Hubs, as well as NHS colleagues and community partners, we help ensure parents can access the right support at the right time, so no family has to face those early challenges alone.

Throughout this World Breastfeeding Week, we're sharing real stories from local families to celebrate every feeding journey and highlight the importance of strengthening the support available to parents across our communities.

Whether you're feeding your first baby or your fourth, every journey is unique, and every family deserves support.