Milk Project Update: August 2024

I have just returned from yet another epic road trip across the UK where I had the honour to connect with and photograph some more incredible families for this project. I am overflowing with so much love and gratitude for the connections and experiences this past weekend has brought me and I feel so blessed to have such a supportive family who encourage me to go out and make this project happen because I do always miss my own babies when I go on these road trips. I am very grateful to Kevin (my husband) who put together the best little care package for me while I was on the road filled with fruit, bars, snacks and chocolate, it really saw me through!

Besides the amazingness of this weekend now that I can look back on it, it was also incredibly challenging for me and a bit of an endurance challenge! Last week unfortunately I ended up with one of the worst migraines I’ve had in a while and it lasted from Wednesday to Friday and if I had listened to my body (which I usually always do) I would have cancelled my road trip but my mind and heart didn’t agree. First there was my hotel which was non-refundable and then there was the challenge of trying to rearrange a new date with 9 different families and the fact that I don’t have any free weekends coming up made me decide to just push on through and just do it. 

I had set the alarm for 4:30 Saturday morning and was in the car by 5:30. I had felt a lot better by this point but I still had a migraine hangover and I hadn’t eaten barely anything the day before or for breakfast so by the time I arrived at my first family in Cambridgeshire 3.5 hours later I think I probably was beginning to feel the effects of low blood sugar. By the time I arrived at my second family's house in Norwich I was really feeling unlike myself and felt faint, lightheaded, disoriented, tingly hands and feet and eyes and found it difficult to hold conversations. I was trying to push all these feelings aside and try to just act as normal as I could and to just try to override the discomfort which I managed to do pretty well.  But since I had such a crazy time schedule to keep and so much driving, I didn’t get a chance to pause, and I didn’t get to have as much time with each family so I was constantly on the go. By the time I got back into my car to head to my third family in Norfolk I was feeling really off and tried to push aside the inner thoughts that maybe I will need to cancel the rest of the day after all but after some deep breathing and internal focus i managed to continue. I tried to drink as much water as I possibly could, and ate loads of bananas, blueberries and oat bars which seemed to do the trick. I think part of the problem was that I was dehydrated because I couldn't drink while I was driving due to my water bottle being too big (something to sort out for next time!)  When I finally  arrived at my third family's home I made myself sit down and pause and drink lots and lots of water before I began the session and slowly but surely I started to feel better. It was the first time I’ve ever really experienced low blood sugar in such an intense way! I think the migraine hangover added to it as well.

I would like to say that the rest of the journey went smoothly but then I would be lying. So I'm someone who is pretty organised and is always on time and I feel I am really good at communicating these things especially in regards to this project. My next family was 4 hours away in Leeds and I had been feeling very apprehensive about this part of my day. I had been in communication with the wonderful family beforehand throughout the day and I told her I would let her know my ETA and that if I were to be way later than expected I’ll try to find a safe place to pull over to let her know. My ETA said 17:20. I arrived at 17:24. I was so pleased and proud of myself that I had made such a good time, I didn’t even stop for wee breaks! I did see that a message from her had popped in while I was driving but I was on the motorway and couldn’t read it. She also tried calling me just as I was pulling up to her house. I was pretty exhausted by the time I arrived and also felt a bit loopy after my crazy day. I knocked on her door so excited I had made such a good time only to look down at my phone and see a message from her asking if I was still coming and then in that moment I realised that the message of me leaving Norfolk never actually sent!! So this poor Mama had been in the complete dark wrangling two kids trying to figure out if I was actually coming or not! I was absolutely mortified! I have never had that happen to me before and I apologised profusely. She was infused with so much grace and dealt with the frustration so amazingly. We ended up having a really lovely session before I needed to rush off to my last family in Ilkley and then finally around 21:00 I arrived at my Premier Inn in Wigan where I pretty much instantly collapsed into bed. I don’t think I have ever been so excited for sleep as I was that night and after a video call with my family I went off to dreamland. 

SO after a very challenging first day I am happy to say that Sunday, my second day was much better and I was feeling much more like myself and because I wasn’t driving as far between families I also had a bit more time with everyone which always feels better (sessions I have in real life go so slowly in comparison to these marathon weekends sessions!).

 My Sunday morning began in North Wales which couldn’t have been a more perfect start to my day as I have always considered it to be one of my sacred places. From there I drove to Stoke on Trent then to Birmingham and finally down to Bath before the final drive home. I remember driving away from my last family on the road trip feeling so full of love for everyone I had met over the weekend and how as a whole my weekend felt like one giant hug. I really do love getting to have all of these beautiful human moments of connection with families I wouldn't normally get to connect with. It just feels so special to me. And to top it off I ended the day with the absolute best snuggles from my own family.

I had a personal goal of reaching 50 portraits by the end of August and after this last weekend I have reached 48 portraits! I’m so close and we are not quite at the end of August, so it’s possible that I could still reach that goal! Fingers crossed! 

This will be my last crazy road trip for the year but I will begin them again towards the end of May or beginning of June 2025.

However, I will still be working on this project through the autumn and winter although more than likely closer to Dorset and surrounding counties because I’m not a fan of driving in the dark!  However  if you do have a nursling who is aged 5, 6, 7 or 8 years old I will do everything I can to find a way to meet and include you in this project especially if your nursling is on the older side as I know how limited time is and how quickly sometimes a breastfeeding journey can end when you have older nurslings. 

Please share this project far and wide! And if you'd like to take part head over to the TAKE PART PAGE & fill out the form.