Emma & Arwen
"Before Arwen arrived, I felt I had prepared as well as I could do for all of the potential breastfeeding problems. I had attended workshops, read extensively online and spoken to everyone about their experiences. I was pragmatic about it, and felt that if I did have any trouble I wouldn't be too bothered about having to bottle feed. Initially Arwen took to breastfeeding like a pro, but after one week inexplicably stopped latching. It was 48hrs of absolute hell - endless screaming (from both of us!), fear and frustration. Midwives tried their best but could not understand what was happening or why. Eventually I found an absolute hero in the form of a local lactation consultant, whose calm and reassuring manner plus huge wealth of experience solved the problem quickly, and now we are still breastfeeding at over a year old. I didn't realise how important breastfeeding was to me until I was faced with the reality of having to stop. It saddens me that the advantage of being able to access a highly trained lactation consultant is not something all women are fortunate enough to have."
Mother Nurture is an ongoing portrait series created to celebrate breastfeeding Mothers. If you would like to take part drop me a message at hello@sarahhailephoto.com