Alexandra's story - breastfeeding after reduction

This week’s guest is the inspiring Alexandra Baskerville, who is talking about breastfeeding after breast reduction surgery aged 19. Alexandra describes having very large breasts as a teen, choosing reduction surgery in 2010, and later becoming a mother at 34. Her daughter Connie’s birth was a home birth, and early feeding was complicated by Connie’s small size, slow weight gain, nipple pain, suspected tongue-tie, and the extra uncertainty of reduced milk-making capacity. An NHS lactation appointment left Alexandra feeling she had been told to stop, despite only giving small top-ups, so she sought private help from IBCLC and tongue-tie practitioner Polly Powell, who improved her pumping setup, offered support, and eventually arranged a tongue-tie procedure at around 10 weeks. Alexandra triple fed and pumped for months, and although it took longer than expected for her full supply to come in, she stopped pumping around 10 months, and is continuing breastfeeding at nearly 14 months.
My picture book on how breastfeeding journeys end, The Story of Jessie’s Milkies, is available from Amazon here - The Story of Jessie's Milkies (amzn.eu/d/iI3pQGo). In the UK, you can also buy it fromThe Children’s Bookshop (childrensbookshoplondon.com/product-page/jessi…) in Muswell Hill, London. Other book shops and libraries can source a copy from Ingram Spark (ingramspark.com) publishing.
You can also get 10% off my books on supporting breastfeeding beyond six months and supporting the transition from breastfeeding at the Jessica Kingsley press website, by going to bit.ly/JKPbooks and using the code MMPE10 at checkout.

Follow me on Instagram @emmapickettibclc (instagram.com/emmapickettibclc) or find out more on my website emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com
Resources mentioned -
BFAR - Breastfeeding After Breast and Nipple Surgeries bfar.org/index.shtml
IBCLC Polly Powell is @‌pollythemidwife (instagram.com/pollythemidwife) on Instagram and polly-powell.co.uk
Plastic Surgery and Breastfeeding - Physician Guide to Breastfeeding physicianguidetobreastfeeding.org/surgery-and-…
Guidance on goats’ milk formula infantmilkinfo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/…

This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC (emmapickettbreastfeedingsupport.com), and produced by Emily Crosby Media (emilycrosbymedia.com).