Makes Milk with Emma Pickett: breastfeeding from the beginning to the end

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• Alexis' story - breastfeeding a baby with a cleft palate 21.07.2026 1sa 1dk

  Today I’m talking to the amazing Alexis White from Canterbury, New Zealand, about feeding her son Flynn. Her older daughter, Norah’s birth did not go to plan, but breastfeeding did, and Norah was breastfed until she weaned herself when Alexis was pregnant again. After a victorious home VBAC birth, early breastfeeding seemed normal, but by day six Flynn had lost 11.5% of his birth weight and then failed to gain despite frequent feeds. Alexis began pumping and syringe top-ups, and at three week...
• Naomi's story - breastfeeding grief with a 2nd journey 14.07.2026 1sa 6dk

  This week I’m speaking to Naomi Cappallo on Vancouver Island about feeding their two daughters, Clara (6) and Juniper (3), focusing on breastfeeding grief after a second journey that didn’t go as hoped. Naomi describes early pain with Clara, brief formula top-ups for early weight loss, and eventually breastfeeding through the pandemic until age two, using boundaries to reduce frequent toddler feeds. With Juniper, a very fast birth was followed by severe nipple pain, limited breastfeeding supp...
• Charlotte's story - a mastitis journey 07.07.2026 1sa 5dk

  This week I’m speaking to the lovely Charlotte Bowie from Oxfordshire, mum to nearly three-year-old Felix, about toddler breastfeeding, extreme sleep disruption (including split nights), and her struggle with repeated bouts of mastitis. Charlotte’s recurrent mastitis has spanned across nearly three years, including multiple antibiotic courses, a confirmed breast abscess drained via ultrasound-guided needle aspiration, and a later hospital admission with suspected sepsis. She also shares anxie...
• Jessica's story - inverted nipples, breastfeeding grief and finding solutions 30.06.2026 1sa 10dk

  This week I’m joined from Sydney in Australia, by midwife Jessica Baker to talk about breastfeeding her two daughters and the grief and mental health impact when feeding doesn’t go to plan. Jessica describes anticipating difficulty due to inverted nipples, having a home birth with Vada followed by special care admission, early nipple-shield use, severe engorgement, and missed support because staff assumed she was confident as a midwife. After a tongue and lip tie release with a laser, Vada’s ...
• The Bradford project - poems and stories 23.06.2026 57dk

  This week we’re celebrating the stories of the Bradford Project, a massive art, poetry and storytelling project led by artist Lisa Creagh in the Bradford area. Alongside Lisa, I’m joined by two participants, Aamta Waheed and Reena Kler, to talk about their breastfeeding experiences and how the project has helped them to understand their mothering journey. We’ll also hear poems from Hannah, Sonia and Sophie, and an extract from the Holding Time podcast, featuring Aisha. You can find out more a...
• Alice's story - diabetes, feeding in pregnancy and a self-weaning journey 16.06.2026 58dk

  This week I’m talking to Liverpool-based public health doctor Alice Lacey-Campbell about tandem feeding, breastfeeding an older child, and breastfeeding with type 1 diabetes. Alice shares how her nearly five-year-old, Asha, breastfeeds only occasionally now after a “false stop,” often for emotional regulation, and describes dry nursing through pregnancy when her milk dried up around nine weeks. We discuss why antenatal colostrum expression is recommended for diabetes, and Alice’s techniques. ...
• Emily's Story - OCD and breastfeeding as a midwife 09.06.2026 1sa 7dk

  This week, I’m joined by the lovely Emily, a Norfolk midwife and mother to Effie (8 months). We’re talking about breastfeeding alongside significant perinatal mental health challenges. Emily describes exclusively breastfeeding, co-sleeping safely, and introducing solids carefully due to anxiety, then shares how pregnancy and early postpartum intensified OCD, contamination fears, and intrusive thoughts, alongside existing anxiety, depression, PTSD and PMDD. She recounts a planned home birth co...
• Dating and breastfeeding 02.06.2026 1sa

  Dating while breastfeeding isn’t often talked about, so this week I’m joined by Frankie (29, Sheffield) and Anna (40, Lancashire) to talk about their experiences. They share candid ‘dating profiles’, then explore their breastfeeding lives and family situations: Anna recently weaned their five-year-old after nursing aversion began when their two-year-old was born, and they co-parent their youngest after two past relationships; Frankie is sole parent to her two-year-old, who breastfeeds frequen...
• Weaning and natural term breastfeeding Q&A with Carly from Seedpod Part 2 26.05.2026 55dk

  This week, we have the return of the brilliant Carly Facius, Midwife, IBCLC, Women's Circle Facilitator and Aware Parenting Mentor. She’s joining me to answer your questions about weaning and natural term breastfeeding in two back-to-back episodes. In part 2, we delve into question topics ranging from night weaning and bedtime routines to dealing with biting, hitting and kicking. To find a list of questions, please consult the transcript of this episode. You can find out more abou...
• Weaning and natural term breastfeeding Q&A with Carly from Seedpod Part 1 26.05.2026 1sa 2dk

  This week, we have the return of the brilliant Carly Facius, Midwife, IBCLC, Women's Circle Facilitator and Aware Parenting Mentor. She’s joining me to answer your questions about weaning and natural term breastfeeding in two back-to-back episodes. This is Part 1. We delve into question topics ranging from weaning a toddler while tandem feeding, coping with a distressed child at night, and what normal sleep even is! To find a list of questions, please consult the transcript of this epis...
• Jade's story - pregnant with HG and breastfeeding 19.05.2026 52dk

  Sometimes, our plans for feeding don’t work out. That’s what happened to my guest this week, Jade Feeney from north west London. Jade had hoped to tandem feed, but ended up weaning her eldest daughter during pregnancy due to hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). She shares a “dream” first breastfeeding experience with her eldest, later identifying cow’s milk protein intolerance when weaning solids, but when she conceived again when her daughter was 18 months and developed severe HG, she required escal...
• Jessica's story - a breastfeeding police officer 12.05.2026 52dk

  This week, I’m speaking to the brilliant Jessica, a police officer in Stirling, Scotland, about combining breastfeeding with police work and shift patterns. Jessica shares life with her two daughters, Nora (nearly 10) and Harriet (nearly 2), describing responsive breastfeeding, co-sleeping, and how Harriet settles well for her father and grandmother when Jessica works rotating day shifts and back shifts finishing at 1am. They discuss Jessica’s earlier breastfeeding experience with Nora, which...
• Isabella's story - tandem feeding and tandem weaning 05.05.2026 58dk

  Today I’m talking to the lovely Isabella from near Vienna, Austria, about breastfeeding her two sons, Jonathan (2½) and Valentin (1). Isabella describes generally good breastfeeding support and mixed feeding norms in Austria, and how her early postpartum pain settled with midwife help. She became pregnant unexpectedly when Jonathan was 10 months old while using natural family planning, and assumed she should wean. She made several attempts but didn’t feel committed to a process that was...
• Sam’s story - natural term feeding, tandem feeding and breastfeeding advocacy 28.04.2026 57dk

  This week, I’m talking to the brilliant Sam Kennedy Christian from Herne Bay, Kent, about her breastfeeding journey while 29 weeks pregnant and feeding her three-year-old. We discuss gentle night weaning using a clock and flexibility during illness or distress, co-sleeping changes ahead of a new baby, and Sam’s previous tandem feeding experience when her eldest breastfed until six years old, including boundaries and supporting sibling feelings about fairness. Sam talks about pelvic girdle pai...
• Georgina's story - slow to solids 21.04.2026 1sa

  Today, I’m joined by the lovely Georgina Gregor from Devon to talk about her breastfeeding journeys with her two children, three-year-old Amaya and nine-month-old Lucas. Georgina recounts early breastfeeding pain, mastitis, hospital readmission for Amaya’s 13.7% weight loss, and a later tongue-tie diagnosis and release at 10 months linked to solids difficulties. Amaya’s disinterest in food and love of breastfeeding meant that her start with solids was slow, and Georgina had to carry on with p...
• Breastfeeding in palliative care with Dr Laura Thomas 14.04.2026 53dk

  This week, I’m honoured to be joined by Dr. Laura Thomas, a community pediatrician from Reading, La Leche League leader, and breastfeeding peer supporter, to talk about breastfeeding in pediatric palliative care. Laura explains her day-to-day work with neurodiversity and neurodisability, her training and her own breastfeeding experiences. We discuss Laura’s masters project using a questionnaire for palliative care and pediatric staff, which found breastfeeding is often not considered unless f...
• Auden's story - a non-binary nursing journey 07.04.2026 1sa 10dk

  This week, I’m pleased to be joined by Auden Krauska, a non-binary parent of two originally from Wisconsin now living near Copenhagen, to talk about their nursing journeys and the complexities of lactation alongside gender dysphoria and healthcare systems. Auden describes binding, being misgendered, considering top surgery but delaying it to lactate, and stopping testosterone to conceive. Their first pregnancy involved hyperemesis, followed by a home birth, sidelying nursing, a newborn hospit...
• Emma's story - breastfeeding and being hospitalised 31.03.2026 1sa 7dk

  This week, I’m joined by the brilliant Emma Erskine-Fox, a Bristol-area lawyer, ABM peer supporter, and mother, to talk about breastfeeding her daughter Isabelle to nearly age four, including a gentle self-weaning ending. Emma describes being breastfed herself, antenatal education that helped normalise cluster feeding, an induced birth ending in an emergency caesarean, early latch and weight-loss difficulties resolved with midwife and IBCLC support, and some intense cluster feeding. She also ...
• Danielle's story - an IGT journey 24.03.2026 1sa 2dk

  This week, I’m welcoming Danielle Kyaligonza, who joins me from Uganda to talk about her breastfeeding journey with insufficient glandular tissue (IGT). Danielle describes a positive planned C-section birth in Cheshire, but on day five her baby Annie had lost 13% of birth weight and was later found to be severely dehydrated. This led to hospital admission, formula supplementation, and a traumatic start with pumping and limited breastfeeding support on a children’s ward. After weeks of triple ...
• Emily's story - 'bainne', allergies and an unplanned separation 17.03.2026 1sa 2dk

  This week I’m talking to the lovely Emily from Glasgow about breastfeeding her two-year-old son Finn alongside multiple IgE food allergies and an unplanned separation. Emily and Finn call breastfeeding “bainne” (Gaelic for milk) to avoid confusion because Finn is allergic to cow’s milk. We discuss Finn’s allergy protocols, EpiPen use, contact reactions, and attempts at the milk ladder that caused hives, plus ongoing plans around night weaning. Emily shares a difficult birth, severe early brea...