Vegan Breastfeeding - my journey
Hi all! I just wanted to share my breastfeeding journey in case there are any other vegan mums to be who have been told that being vegan won’t nourish their baby enough.
My little guy was 7lb 4oz at birth, which is a pretty average size. He latched perfectly in hospital, but once we got home he really struggled. After a couple of very stressful days for both of us, I ended up switching to formula because he was hungry, I didn’t think I was producing enough milk, and we were also dealing with his poor latch.
At his two week check up, the health visitor told us he wasn’t gaining weight quickly enough and referred us to the infant feeding team. It was obviously pretty nerve racking, but I was really grateful for the support and attended our appointment when he was four weeks old.
The lady we saw from the infant feeding team was, quite honestly, FANTASTIC. After facing so much judgement during pregnancy because of my vegan diet, she wasn’t fazed by it at all and said she’d supported vegan breastfeeding mums before. She even went out of her way to check whether the NHS free multivitamins were vegan for me (they weren’t 🤣).
After two visits with the infant feeding team, and with both me and my little guy gradually figuring things out, we gained confidence and have been exclusively breastfeeding ever since.
He turned four months old today, and when I last weighed him two weeks ago, he was 18lb! ❤️
I just wanted to share our story for any expectant mums who have been told over and over again that being vegan while breastfeeding won’t provide their baby with enough nutrients. I heard it so many times, and this is just our experience, but my little guy is living proof that it isn’t automatically true.
Of course, everyone’s breastfeeding journey is different, and fed is always best. But I also think so many mums are told they have a low supply when actually they just haven’t had the right support. Genuine low supply is understood to be uncommon, and I’ve often seen the figure of around 5% mentioned.
If you are struggling, please don’t feel like you have to figure it all out on your own. If you’re in the UK, ask your health visitor, midwife or GP for a referral to your local infant feeding team. You can also contact:
National Breastfeeding Helpline: 0300 100 0212
La Leche League GB: 0345 120 2918
The Breastfeeding Network: breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk
Support really can make such a difference. ❤️👶🏼