Nicola & Caleb (4 years)

"Breastfeeding my baby wasn’t something I ever thought twice about. My mother breastfed me and my 3 siblings, and I remember my youngest brother feeding. It has always been a natural part of motherhood in my eyes.

As soon as Caleb was born, on our bed at home, he started rooting for a nipple and we had a ‘golden evening’ of instinctive skin-to-skin and learning to feed together- he was a natural. The midwives asked if he’d ‘read the handbook’.

During the early weeks I had surges of hormonal/ emotional turbulence around breastfeeding- doubting myself, my supply, my lopsided breasts! My mothers support was intrinsic to my confidence, and my partner Damian’s active and emotional support has been consistently imperative. And later on the village of breastfeeding mums I met at mum’s yoga were equally as supportive. 

And I always knew the best thing to do was to just let Caleb feed, so he did. All the time! We were attached constantly, sitting at home or walking around with him wrapped up in a sling.

I didn’t know about natural term breastfeeding until more recently. Caleb never seemed to lose interest so we just carried on, listening to one another and for me, reminding myself that we know best. He is our son, he is closest to nature’s core than any of us. He is doing what is right for his body. Caleb is 4 and feeds morning, noon and night - it won’t go on forever, we will continue to enjoy our closeness through this bond until it ends naturally."