The wonderful Amanda Marks first helped me when my first little girl was 17 months old, last December 2018.
She wouldn’t eat 3 meals a day properly as she had a very poor appetite due to large amounts of formula and was dependent on her bottle especially at bedtime and night time, so therefore did not sleep either. She was up till late and started her day early with no sleep pattern whatsoever.
After following Amanda’s Food and Sleep Programme with Gracie she now sleeps like a log all night and eats almost anything you give her especially fruit and vegetables!
So when I found out I was pregnant with my third baby, I approached Amanda to share the amazing news, and also requested to know more about her pre/post birth Breastfeeding Programme and support with her, as with my first two children the journeys with formula feeding were nightmares.
My first boy, who was exclusively formula fed, was very dependent on the bottle even when he didn’t require it and so I was forever feeding him and there was no structure or routine, so when I had my second baby I really did want to try breastfeeding. Unfortunately, there was no constructive advice for me or Gracie and the health visitor and midwives did not give me support, and I sadly stopped after 4 days when literally my milk would have been coming in and it’s such a misconception when mums feel they don’t have enough milk as Amanda has now taught me the understanding of breastmilk production and the 4th trimester but alas I went on to exclusively formula feeding.
What a mistake that was!!!!
Baby Gracie was diagnosed with reflux and was on so many medications as well as having to have Amino Acid based milk as she reacted so badly to the protein in cows milk, so all she did was cry and I found it so hard to bond. She had numerous viruses, hospital visits, sickness and a low immune system so it was so important for me to try once more with the next baby…
This time round having worked with Amanda for her Food and Sleep Programme, I really wanted to at least try her breastfeeding programme to satisfy my needs for No. 3 and seeing if it would work this time.
I firstly booked Amanda’s pre-birth consultation at her Clinic and received my Programme for after birth, learnt how to hand express my colostrum in case of needing to offer her in the very early days, we covered all growth spurts, skin to skin, the breastfed baby and why breast milk – unlike formula – is not just food, and a multitude of information on what to expect from birth to 12 weeks.
Once little Evie Rose was born, with the Platinum Package support in place Amanda and I worked very hard in those early weeks with the breastfeeding because I did have some ups and downs, but Amanda was always there to say “No Lisa, you CAN do this…” She only found answers of how it works and not how it doesn’t!!
Evie wouldn’t latch onto the breast at first so I had to use nipple shields, but I was determined not to give her formula.
Those early days passed and with a visit from Amanda she latched, no shields and we haven’t looked back. Her weight piled on and she has been and is the happiest contented baby.
I do have a medical condition and my health visitor advised, and then bullied me into practically stopping breastfeeding as it was apparently “too stressful” to continue, but once again the wonderful Amanda went to her various Doctor contacts and received conclusive medical advice to show that I could continue breastfeeding safely and proved it was still the best for Evie Rose and less stressful for me. And so the journey continued, and to this day little Evie Rose aged 20 weeks hasn’t had anything other than breast milk touch her lips.
She is the most content, healthy, non-windy, thriving and happy little girl I have ever known.
I just want to thank Amanda so much for everything she has done for my babies, and now – based on my own experiences – I will be able to drip-feed this to other mums and support her clients as her statistics of clients successfully breastfeeding just keeps growing.
Now I am looking forward to starting in 4 weeks her Food and Sleep Programme for babies from 6 months and on to the next chapter, whilst still being a breastfeeding mummy to Evie Rose.
