Meet the Mums: Georgie
“When my daughter was born, I thought I’d never breastfeed.”
For Georgie, back in 2020 when daughter Freya was born at 30 weeks, she was so unwell she thought she would never breastfeed.
“My very first experience of breastfeeding was in the NICU. Thankfully I was able to hand express colostrum whilst I was in ICU for her tube feeds which then meant I could go on to express my milk when it came in. Getting to the point of breastfeeding actually at the breast was both emotional and frustrating.”
Georgie says it was the only thing stopping Freya being discharged from the NICU but she just wasn’t getting any support
“I wanted to breastfeed and I’d read so much and watched no end of videos but it was completely different to actually feeding a premature baby. Until one day a really lovely nurse sat with me for an hour and watched me feed Freya and she finally latched successfully so we were able to be discharged. She was 4 weeks old, but really only 34 weeks gestation.”
Everything was different when son, Joshua, was born in 2023.
“He was full term and I got my VBAC and all I could think about was just pulling him up to my chest to feed and I got that. He latched right away and it was the most magical moment.”
After breastfeeding Freya for two years, Georgie plans to let Joshua take the reins and breastfeed for as long as he chooses.
“I wanted to breastfeed initially for the health benefits, I knew how important it was for newborns to get that initial colostrum and then I learned how amazing breast milk was and how it adapts to the ever-changing needs of our babies.”
She says her top tips for feeding are to “sit down, relax your shoulders and breathe” before feeding.
“We don’t realise how tense we are until we force ourselves to relax. Also, sit comfortably in a chair and make sure you get everything you need before you start the feed!”
It hasn’t been without its challenges for Georgie, a paramedic, who found the lack of support from her employers when returning to work as a breastfeeding mother really anxiety-inducing, as they couldn’t accommodate her expressing whilst out on the road.
“Prior to having children I was a bit of a workaholic and believed that having a baby wouldn’t change me. I was completely wrong. As soon as I had my daughter, my career was no longer the priority and I couldn’t bear thinking about leaving her and returning to work. I had to have therapy to enable me to leave her as I struggled with PTSD following her birth. When my son was born though, I felt a bit more prepared for the emotional pull.”
Mum guilt is the hardest thing to navigate when it comes to motherhood, she says. “I feel like no matter how much I do with the children I could always be doing more. The easiest thing is putting the children before myself.”
Fitness- fanatic Georgie says her superpower is being able to breastfeed whilst walking. Something she has to do regularly with Joshua to keep up with big sister Freya.
“Fitness has always been a big part of my life and I go to the gym to switch off. I found a gym that I can take my son to so I can still feed him. He loves coming with me and kicking around on a mat and watching me.”
In those moments of quiet, you’ll find Georgie curled up with a hot coffee - drunk in absolute silence, of course!
