Claire & Aneira (5 years 7 months)

Why do you want to be a part of this project?

"Breastfeeding older children needs to be visible and accessible to inspire and support women to feel seen and feel normalised. There is such an uphill struggle to keep breastfeeding through family and cultural norms, work, and accessing healthcare everyone has an opinion or a reason to not breastfeed and it's so destabilising to carry on regardless and it can feel isolating.

I feel like formula feeding is much more visible in advertising, bottle emojis this perceived need to have bottles and sterilisers and "emergency formula" at home to prepare for having a baby, dolls being supplied with bottle accessories as toys, it all undermines the power of breastfeeding and breastfeeding is so vital for maternal health, child health and development, the environment and fighting climate change.... We need to make breastfeeding more visible and shift the balance.

 We need to show women yes you can and you should breastfeed for as long as you choose. Yes you can breastfeed and work, yes you can breastfeed and access healthcare, yes you can breastfeed and drink alcohol, go out for the night, go away for a weekend. I want to be part of the change I want to see in the world and champion breastfeeding to natural term because it is just the best for my little girl. I can help when she's poorly or upset or very tired and help her to calm and who doesn't want that in their parenting arsenal???? "

Outtakes from my new Milk book project, about mother's breastfeeding beyond babyhood.