Breastfeeding in palliative care with Dr Laura Thomas

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 families request support, and that staff want simple guidance and signposting. We explore why breastfeeding and milk donation can matter at end of life and after bereavement, highlight resources like the Memory Milk Bank and Herts Milk Bank, and consider practical hospice support and future research into lactation supporters’ preparedness.
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 -
The Milk Bank at Chester milkbankatchester.org.uk/donationafterloss/mem…
The Human Milk Foundation humanmilkfoundation.org/hearts-milk-bank/donat…
Breastfeeding the Brave breastfeedingthebrave.com
Framework for Practice: Lactation and loss | British Association of Perinatal Medicine bapm.org/resources/lactation-and-loss-manageme…
Together for Short Lives: Children's Charities - Children Hospices togetherforshortlives.org.uk

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