Meeting of the Parliament 23 January 2024
Today’s debate focuses on the important topic of breastfeeding. Colleagues from all parties have recognised its importance in their speeches and have been sharing their vital personal experiences; indeed, we have just heard a very good speech in that regard. I, too, want talk about my personal experience, as bringing life into the world is one of the greatest experiences and joys, and I feel very lucky to have done so. It is a very exciting time but, as others have recognised, it can bring a whole host of challenges for many mothers, including breastfeeding.
As I said earlier, I breastfed my three children. It had its ups and downs: I lurched from euphoria to exasperation; I put a lot of pressure on myself and felt judged; and I felt the stigma of feeding in public, as some members have described. I worried all the time that my baby was hungry—I worried, too, that they had had too much.
I had mastitis, and very large refrigerated cabbage leaves became my best friends. I felt very awkward—[Interruption.] The Presiding Officer does not understand that, ladies—he is frowning. Presiding Officer, you buy a giant cabbage and put it in the fridge. Once it is cold, you peel off the leaves one by one and then you—well, I will leave it to your imagination what you do with those leaves next.
I struggled with learning the basic skill of breastfeeding and latching on. Some midwives and health visitors were helpful—some were not. Some of us have slightly forgotten to talk about the mother’s health today, but the fact is that, to succeed at breastfeeding, mothers must also look after themselves nutritionally and emotionally. They must be able to get plenty of rest, but that is sometimes not the reality.
By the time that I had cracked breastfeeding—and there were a lot of cracks—I had to return to work. Members will never believe this, but I went back to work when my eldest was 12 weeks old and my middle daughter 14 weeks old, so by the time that I had got to grips—