In this special episode for Maternal Mental Health Awareness Week, host Vikki chats with lactation consultant Sally Rickard about the ups and downs of breastfeeding and early motherhood. Sally shares her personal and professional insights on common challenges like tongue-tie, milk supply issues, mastitis and the emotional strain these can bring. With kindness and clarity, Sally offers practical advice on latch, positioning, and mixed feeding, while reassuring parents that it’s okay to ask for help. This episode is a comforting reminder that you're not alone—and that support is always available. In this Episode: [00:00] Teaser Quote [02:04] Meet Sally Rickard, lactation consultant [03:02] Personal breastfeeding challenges [04:15] The reality of motherhood expectations [06:46] Navigating conflicting advice [07:50] The complexity of breastfeeding [09:32] Sally's own breastfeeding issues and birth experience [18:30] Sally’s journey to becoming a lactation consultant [25:55] Tongue-tie [30:22] Common issues with latch [33:24] Supply issues and solutions [38:19] Mixed feeding: a balanced approach [43:30] How to tell if you're baby is feeding well [45:11] Mastitis and blocked ducts [50:11] Soothing cracked and sore nipples [52:47] Final thoughts and resources Key Takeaways: Find out more about Sally Rickard and her breastfeeding expertise and support in South London through her website, Baby-thrive.com. I B C L C stands for International Board Certified Lactation Consultant. It's a globally recognised certification for professionals with specialist knowledge and skills in breastfeeding and lactation management. The N C T is the National Childbirth Trust, who offer antenatal classes where you can meet fellow parents in your area and learn more about looking after a baby.The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (E P D S) is a widely used screening tool to identify women who may be at risk of postpartum depression. It's a 10-item questionnaire that assesses symptoms like guilt, sleep disturbance, and low energy. Listen to 'Double Cancer Didn't Cause Depression, Giving Birth Did' (Blue MumDays S1 Ep1 with postnatal depression counsellor Liz Wise), to learn how a problem bonding with her daughter didn’t cause issues later in life. Liz’s daughter Emma talks beautifully about the close bond she has with her mum and how Liz’s experience of PND actually made her a better mum.The Lactation Consultants of Great Britain is a registered charity working to improve the health and wellbeing of families through advocacy and expert IBCLC breastfeeding care. A lactation consultant can help you with breastfeeding issues and advice. NHS guidance on tongue-tie, a condition where the skin under a baby’s tongue is shorter or tighter than normal, restricting movement. This can cause feeding difficulties like poor latch, frequent feeding, and slow weight gain, and may lead to nipple pain for breastfeeding parents. It can usually be treated with a simple procedure.Colostrum is the first breast milk your body makes. It contains antibodies which protect your baby from infection and helps their immune system to develop. NHS advice on colostrum harvesting here.Global Health Media’s video Is Your Baby Getting Enough Milk? shows signs to tell when your baby is feeding well. The section on sucking and swallowing is about 2 minutes from the beginning.Mastitis is a common condition that can affect breastfeeding individuals, causing breast inflammation and flu-like symptoms. It usually occurs on one breast, where a swollen area may feel hot and painful to touch. The area may become red but this can be harder to see if you have black or brown skin. This is often caused by problems with positioning and attachment.NHS advice on breastfeeding positioning and attachmentMother & Baby Magazine review of silver nipple cups. They can soothe and heal sore, cracked nipples caused by breastfeeding issues. Their natural antibacterial properties promote healing, reduce inflammation and protect against infection. The cups help maintain moisture and provide a gentle shield, allowing the skin to recover while still enabling breastfeeding.La Leche League offers friendly breastfeeding support from pregnancy onwards. Listen to my episode with Sarah Edge on 'Breastfeeding Trauma and Grief' (S3 Ep35 Blue MumDays) if you are struggling with breastfeeding. Know that you aren’t alone.The National Breastfeeding Helpline offers friendly, non-judgemental, independent breastfeeding support 24/7 within the UK. Call 0300 100 0212. Support is also available in Welsh, Polish, Bengali & Sylheti and for people who have hearing or speech impairments.Further independent advice and tips on breastfeeding can be found with the Breastfeeding Network.The Association of Breastfeeding Mothers is a group of trained volunteers dedicated to supporting breastfeeding mums and their families. Follow us: Instagram / Twitter / Facebook Group / bluemumdays@gmail.com Taking A Pause: Due to some sad family news, Blue MumDays is going on hiatus, so thank you for your patience while I take some time out. In the meantime, please feel free to listen to the many fantastic conversations I've had in the archive. If you enjoyed this episode, please share, rate and subscribe. It really does make the difference in helping others find it – which means helping more parents in need. You are not alone and will not feel this way forever. Links to Support: (please note we do not check or monitor them individually). 1. Acacia Family Support Pre and postnatal depression support for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic mums and dads. 0121 301 5990, help@acacia.org.uk. 2. Action on Postpartum Psychosis (APP) Moderated Forum, click here to find out more. Email: app@app-network.org / Tel: 020 3322 9900 3. AIMS for better birthing. helpline@aims.org.uk. This email will go to a group of AIMS volunteers and someone will respond as soon as possible. / Telephone: +44 (0) 300 365 0663 (leave message) 4. Andys Man Club A non-judgmental talking group for men. info@andysmanclub.co.uk 5. a href="https://apni.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer"...
