Date published: 8 April 2026
After a problem free pregnancy, Beth was looking forward to the first weeks with partner Emma and their newborn son Kit.
They felt breastfeeding would give Kit the best start in life and as a midwife, Beth assumed it would be straight forward.
“I felt like an expert when I was pregnant with so much support and information around me. I went from feeling really confident to thinking ‘this is just so hard’.”
Like one in ten UK babies, Kit was born with a tongue tie, where the skin connecting the tongue to the bottom of the mouth is tighter than usual. He was fed with a syringe for his first nine days until surgery to correct it and he seemed to have no problem latching on when Beth started breastfeeding. But despite feeding constantly, he gained little weight.
“It was a shock. I knew I needed help.”
Beth knows now she hadn’t been producing enough milk. “It was a vicious circle. Kit was burning calories by constantly trying to feed.
“When everything is new and you’re sleep deprived, it’s hard to know what to do for the best.”
Beth’s health visitor referred her to our Infant Feeding team in Sefton.
Lactation (breastfeeding) consultant Colette Palin created a plan that made sure Kit was getting enough food while working on increasing Beth’s milk supply. This included supplementary formula milk while Beth continued to breast feed, expressing milk in between. Colette also supported Beth to position Kit and recognise the signs that feeding was going well.
Beth says, “We saw a difference straight away. He gained weight and was much more content. It was hard but so worth it. A real labour of love.
“Colette helped us do what was best for our family. I never felt pushed in any direction.”
Emma owns a café and has signed up to the Breastfeeding Friendly Scheme, helping parents feel more confident when they are out with their baby.
Beth says, “I felt so guilty when I was struggling and I’m grateful for the help I’ve had. It’s a lovely thing to be able to do for him. I’d like to keep going until I go back to work."
“If you want to breast feed, persevere - with the right help, you’re setting yourself up for success. Above all, be kind to yourself.
- Find out information about breastfeeding before your baby is born
- Keep your baby close and learn their cues for feeding – like fidgeting or finger sucking
- Keep having skin to skin contact. This releases hormones crucial for breastfeeding
- Breastfeed your baby whenever and wherever - you cannot overfeed a breastfed baby
- If you decide or are advised to bottle feed your breastfed baby with expressed or formula milk, a health professional will always support your goals
- Take care of yourself. Ask for help if you need a break.
Nature’s superfood
Providing all the nutrition a baby needs, breastfed babies have a lower risk of infection. Breastfeeding can protect mums against breast and ovarian cancer.
More babies are being breastfed across Merseyside, up by 30 percent in areas like Bootle.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life. However, midwife Vicky Graham from Sefton Infant Feeding team says, “We don’t want mums to feel it’s all or nothing. If your baby is having any breast milk at all alongside being bottle fed, they will benefit.”