"A safe place to land throughout a complex feeding journey"

My daughter and I have been supported to varying degrees for the past 9+ months by the Breast Feeding Centre (BFC) of WA. While pregnant, I was gently and regularly cautioned on the difficulty of breastfeeding by midwifes and other Mums. Many of whom mentioned the availability of support through the BFC.

Little did I know the BFC would ultimately play a pivotal role in the well-being of my daughter and I during our first year. Our breastfeeding journey was off to a less-than-ideal start as we were separated shortly after birth (my daughter was sent to NICU and I required surgery), we recovered on separate wards during the first few days of her life and I was eventually discharged from hospital while my daughter remained in the care of KEMH and was later transferred to Perth Children’s Hospital. During this time while I attempted to initiate breastfeeding, I received conflicting rapid fire advice from well-intentioned Midwifes, Nurses, Doctors, Chemists and Lactation Consultants. I was bewildered, overwhelmed, exhausted and felt over touched and frustrated as I am sure many mothers do.

With a heavy heart I decided to hold off attempting to latch my daughter while she was in hospital. Every time I attempted to breastfeed my daughter in those early days it felt like a vicious cycle of fight and a failure ending in tears of frustration from us both– as I was unable to be with her 24/7, I opted to focus on exclusively pumping to bring in and protect my supply. Ultimately, I just wanted to soak up as much of the precious and limited time I had with her until she was able to come home.

My first contact with the BFC was a frantic, stressed and teary phone call, to arrange to loan a breast pump and schedule an in-person appointment, in preparation for my daughter’s discharge from hospital. From my first contact with BFC staff, I felt reassured, safe and heard. At the end of the call I could breathe easy, knowing help was at hand.

I attended my first in-person appointment with BFC at 7.30am on a cold, dark morning in Autumn. I was exhausted, fragile and bleeding, having slammed my finger in the car door getting to the appointment. I was welcomed in, offered a warm drink and quickly band aided up by the lovely woman at the front desk – and essentially the tone was set.

My daughter’s feeding journey has been far from linear – like with many babies. But we have been thrown some extra curve balls which has included surgery, multiple emergency hospital admissions to PCH and the placement of a nasogastric tube to address the feeding issues which emerged over time. Myra and the staff at the BFC have supported us with every twist and turn in a multitude of ways including helping my daughter to initially latch, accept breastmilk from a bottle, identify strategies and routines to help me continue to pump and maintain my supply, monitor my daughter’s weight and feeding patterns, connect with and coordinate with our community and specialist supports at PCH. Never mind the emotional support, reassurance and encouragement woven throughout every mode of contact whether its phone, text or in-person.

In amongst the stress and worries of having a baby who has struggled to and hated feeding from her first days in the world, we have been supported by a multitude of professionals – each with their own perspective, specialty and set of guidelines to work within. As a parent in the middle of traumatic and deeply distressing circumstances, having to repeat myself, my story, fear and worries regularly – only to be offered conflicting advice was exhausting and often upsetting.

BFC staff, specifically Myra and Sharon provided myself and my family with a safe place to land at various points, including some of our darkest and most difficult days. Their service and support has been empowering, continuous, deeply trauma informed, compassionate, based in evidence and an absolute treasure trove of knowledge and experience. It is obvious that they are passionate about the service they provide and that they care deeply and genuinely about the women and babies in their care. 

Under their guidance and support I have grown into a more confident parent, have been better placed to advocate for myself and my daughter, been able to navigate complex systems, gained a better understanding of what it means/looks like to be a breastfeeding mother and most importantly keep my baby fed, growing and thriving.

Our feeding journey is still very much a work in progress – with much of the focus being placed on the transition to solids and building lifelong feeding skills (beyond the bottle), so we aren’t frequent flyers at the BFC anymore. That said, we still regularly find ourselves drawing on the gems of wisdom and words of encouragement that Myra and her team have shared with us. I am continuing to exclusively pump breastmilk to keep my daughter fed, growing and happy – so when the time comes, I will be in touch with the BFC again for support with the next big step – weaning!