Meet the Mums: Lily
“I’ve definitely dropped all sort of snacks on my babies whilst feeding. Ooops.”
Breastfeeding, whilst not tidy, has always been a positive experience for mum-of-two Lily.
After successfully feeding daughter Honey, now three, until she was one, she now hopes for the same smooth journey with eleven-month-old son Stanley.
“Initially Honey and I really struggled with her latch. We tried every position going, believe me! Eventually we found that side-lying was a blessing and we never looked back. Honey breastfed until she was one and I’m hoping to do the same with Stanley but as always I’ll be led by him, as I was with my daughter.”
The 29-year-old agrees that there’s nothing quite like the closeness you develop with your baby when you breastfeed.
“The love, closeness and connection you build with your child is so important and has definitely been a big part of why I wanted to breastfeed initially and then again with my second baby.”
Wren dreams
Wren mum Lily is hoping to add a Wren Hands-Free Breast Pump to her toolkit soon as she progresses in her feeding journey with son Stanley.
“Unfortunately, at the moment, I’m not pumping because Stanley has decided that he won’t take any expressed milk which is frustrating but I’m keen to try again in the future as it would definitely give us some flexibility.”
Like a lot of us, Lily admits that finding herself again since becoming a mum has been a long and challenging journey.
“You go through a lot of changes both physically and mentally and for me it has been hard to come to terms with. It’s definitely the hardest part about being a mum, I find. However, loving my kids and watching them grow up to be these hilarious and beautiful characters is just the easiest and best thing in the world.”
A readily-available stash of snacks and drinks is an absolute MUST for breastfeeding, says the stay-at-home mum who has put her career on-hold until her little ones are older.
“You’ve got to make sure that you have a huge bottle of water and snacks nearby for feeding. Especially in the early weeks because the likelihood of getting nap-trapped is HIGH. Though I must confess that I have definitely dropped a variety of foods and snacks onto my child’s head whilst feeding.”
Motherhood, even for a pro like Lily, is still full of surprises.
“I’ve been amazed and surprised by how different each child is and throughout the parenting process how different everyone’s parenting style is, not that it is a bad thing at all to have different approaches.”
Mum-guilt gets to us all but Lily has found that she’s getting better at tackling it head on since becoming a second-time mum.
“I’m getting good at forgiving myself. Mum guilt is a real thing but this time around I’m doing better at realising it and acknowledging how well I’m doing which I a big step.”
For Lily, there are definitely a few things that could make life that little bit easier. A house that cleaned itself for starters! (Who doesn’t want one of those, am I right?)
“There needs to be less judgement pushed on to mums too, I think. There’s so much of it. Judgement about whether you choose to go back to work or not. Judgement about how you choose to feed your child, whether it be breast or formula feeding. It shouldn’t matter. Motherhood is tough but it’s a beautiful journey and we should all support each other and our choices, whether you’re a fellow parent or not.”
A steaming-hot bath featuring a rare still-hot cup of tea is likely where you’ll find Lily post-bedtime when she finally get some time to herself.
“Having that hour or so for grown-up life after the kids go to bed to catch up on a series or a movie is great and an uninterrupted bath is a total luxury these days!”
Read more real stories of Motherhood and postpartum in our Meet the Mums Section.
