Episode 10 Breastfeeding Trauma with Amberley Harris

Breastfeeding trauma is often overlooked. It can represent a continuation of traumatic birth, come up as a new trauma in and of itself, or it can trigger previous abuse or unpleasant associations and memories with our own bodies.

With my first baby I really struggled. I managed to exclusively pump, but after 6-7 months I’d had enough. With my second baby, we’re about to hit 18 months of breastfeeding, and I have to pinch myself.

Today I interview my breastfeeding angel, Amberley Harris. Amberley is a breastfeeding consultant and registered Midwife. She absolutely changed my life.

In this episode, Amberley and I unpack some of the major differences between my first and second breastfeeding experiences and how breastfeeding can represent a continuation of traumatic birth.

Breastfeeding can trigger huge feelings of failure, shame, self-doubt, guilt, and crushing sense of bodily autonomy.

In today’s episode we cover:

· Common breastfeeding myths and negative story-telling handed down through families

· Self-fulfilling prophecies and the language that’s used (e.g., having ‘flat nipples’, or being pale = definite nipple damage)

· How we can teach birthing people about the ways in which certain interventions (medications, scalp clips, c-section) may impact breastfeeding

· Empowerment that can come from learning to express antenatally

· How we can encourage birthing people to make a breastfeeding plan rather than waiting to get help if things get difficult

· How less than 5 percent of women actually have insufficient milk supply (due to insufficient glandular tissue). There are SO many other factors contributing to difficulties with breastfeeding

· What’s a “normal” amount of pain with breastfeeding? How do we measure it? What happens to us when we’re told “but the latch looks ok”

· How you can help at that first feed. Skills for calming Mum and baby

· The benefits of time and patience. The breast crawl is replicable for months. If the first time doesn’t work out, there’s still time to encourage babies to use their instincts

· The idea that ‘her success is not your failure’. Talking positively about breastfeeding while being mindful that one person’s celebration can trigger someone else’s shame

· How I used the ‘4P’ analysis to put together a breastfeeding history and find the predisposing, protective, perpetuating and protective factors.

You can see the handout I used about applying the ‘4 P’ analysis to my breastfeeding history on the website www.doctorerin.com.au/podcast

Amberley Harris

https://www.maternal-instincts.com.au/

Diabetes and Antenatal Milk Expressing

http://www.adips-somanz.org/assets/2017-ADIPS-SOMANZ-presentations/Della-Forster-diabetes-and-antenatal-milk-expressing-DAME-a-multicentre-randomised-controlled-trial-abs-7.pdf

Jenna Kutcher’s podcast

https://podcast.jennakutcher.com/

There’s also a chapter on breastfeeding trauma in the book Traumatic Childbirth

https://www.amazon.com.au/Traumatic-Childbirth-Cheryl-Tatano-Beck/dp/0415678102/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=traumatic+childbirth&qid=1556599603&s=gateway&sr=8-2