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Makes Milk with Emma Pickett: breastfeeding from the beginning to the end
Makes Milk with Emma Pickett: breastfeeding from the beginning to the end
Author: Emma Pickett
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© 2026 Makes Milk with Emma Pickett: breastfeeding from the beginning to the end
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A companion to your infant feeding journey, this podcast explores how to get breastfeeding off to a good start (and how to end it) in a way that meets everyone's needs.
Emma Pickett has been a Board Certified Lactation Consultant since 2011. As an author (of 5 books), trainer, volunteer and breastfeeding counsellor, she has supported thousands of families to reach their infant feeding goals.
Breastfeeding/ chest feeding may be natural, but it isn't always easy for everyone. Hearing about other parent's experiences and getting information from lactation-obsessed experts can help.
143 Episodes
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I’ve got two amazing mums for you this week in a bumper episode about feeding five year olds. Natalie, in Cornwall, breastfeeds her 5-year-old daughter Georgia mainly at bedtime (and occasionally in the morning or when ill), and describes how continuing breastfeeding helped with starting school, bedtime regulation, co-sleeping, and meeting Georgia’s high attachment needs. She discusses societal pressure, comments Georgia received from her classmates, her own feelings about reclaiming her body...
This week, I’m pleased to be joined by Dr. Kelsey Bianca, an academic researcher and certified lactation counselor from Maryland, USA. Dr. Bianca shares her personal experience with breastfeeding and exclusive pumping, which inspired her PhD thesis - a qualitative study of women who exclusively expressed milk. She discusses her research work involving pumping, the decisions parents face, and her studies on children’s literature about breastfeeding. The conversation delves into practical aspec...
My guest this week is an impressive mother of four, Philippa Lomas. She is a single parent. She homeschools her two older children. She trained as an ABM breastfeeding counsellor. She volunteers to support new parents, and she does all this without sight, having been born blind. We’ll be talking about all that, but also her struggles with Insufficient Glandular Tissue (IGT). Philippa shares her experiences with breast augmentation surgery, multiple miscarriages, mental health challenges, supp...
This week’s guest is the amazing Lorah, from Leeds. Lorah is a mother of four, who found herself pregnant with her son, Luca, during her treatment for thyroid cancer. She shares her journey of breastfeeding her four children, who all had different challenges, and the emotional rollercoaster tied to her cancer treatment and weaning. She discusses her support systems and the difficult decision to delay treatment so that she could breastfeed Luca. Lorah highlights the emotional and physical stru...
Today’s guest is Emilia Kalyvides, a graphic designer and mum of two from North London. Emilia faced a lot of challenges with feeding her first child, including a tongue tie, extreme pain from her milk coming in, and a postnatal mental health crisis, which led her to choosing to bottle feed. She found out that she was pregnant with her daughter very quickly (they are just 16 months apart) and vowed that she would do things differently the second time around. After a lot of research and prepar...
This week I’m talking to the brilliant Emily, a farm vet from Bath, about her breastfeeding journey. Emily, who returned to work when her son Arty was six months old, shares the challenges and strategies she used to manage breastfeeding while on call and working with farm animals. We discuss the logistics of expressing milk, handling emergencies, and the adaptability of both mother and child. Emily also talks about her initial breastfeeding difficulties, and the support from her husband...
This week, I’m speaking to the brilliant Madeleine from Leeds about her experience breastfeeding her 4-year-old son, Peter. We discuss how Madeleine managed night weaning and setting boundaries, and how their day to day feeding is going now that Peter is at school. Madeleine shares her personal experiences, including the challenges of breastfeeding while working night shifts as a doctor and the essential support from her husband and online communities. Since starting their journey together, s...
Not sure where to begin? Start here for a quick guide to the show and the episodes that will suit you. This podcast is presented by Emma Pickett IBCLC, and produced by Emily Crosby Media.
This week I’m talking to two nursing mothers about their experience of nipple twiddling and broader 'nursing manners' issues that can arise during breastfeeding. Victoria shares her experience of overcoming twiddling with her son Arran, employing strategies like verbal communication, using alternatives, and creating a dedicated storybook to help him understand. Hannah, in the middle of similar challenges with her daughter Callie-Mae, has things to learn from Victoria’s experience. We emphasis...
This week, I’m speaking to the wonderful Stella and Michelle, about breastfeeding their 4 year old nurslings. They delve into the challenges, societal perceptions, and personal boundaries set throughout their journeys. Both emphasize the importance of following your instincts, setting limits, and maintaining emotional connections. They highlight the misconceptions around breastfeeding older children and offer valuable advice on dealing with judgemental relatives, starting school and breastfee...
If you’re tandem nursing and wondering how your older child will ever wean when you are constantly feeding your baby, this is the episode for you! My guest this week is the lovely Lindsey Bouchard, a nurse from Massachusetts who has two daughters, Ada and Violet. Lindsey talks about her experience of oversupply and returning to work when Ada was just a few months old. She shares her experiences of night shifts, milk donation, and tandem nursing. When Violet was born six months ago, Ada gradua...
Merry Christmas to you, if you are celebrating this week. I hope you are surrounded by love and joy this holiday season. This episode, I’m speaking to two mums, Lara and Michelle, about their experiences breastfeeding their three year olds. Lara, from South London, has two children: Noor, aged 3, and Layla, who is a newborn. She is tandem feeding them both. Michelle, from Cumbria, has three boys. Her eldest is in his early twenties. Then she is tandem feeding her 3 year old and her near...
If ever there was someone who ticked all the boxes for breastfeeding challenges, it might be my guest this week. Florence East’s experience of feeding her son, Fred, includes a C-section birth, latching issues, nipple pain, and a diagnosis of tongue tie, which led to the use of nipple shields and eventually, exclusive pumping. She discusses her experiences with triple feeding, renting a hospital-grade pump, and using domperidone to increase milk supply. Despite numerous challenges...
This week, I’m joined by the brilliant Aisha Graham from Bristol. Aisha is mum to a nine-month-old daughter, and a five-year-old son, who her wife Lauren gave birth to. Our conversation delves into the dynamics of a same-sex family, co-nursing decisions, advocating for yourself and the importance of support during complex medical situations, including Aisha’s unexpected appendectomy shortly after childbirth which meant dealing with an emergency hospitalisation with an 11-day-old baby nursling...
My guest this week is the fabulous Beatrice Dane, a hypnobirthing instructor and breastfeeding supporter from Melton Mowbray. Bea discusses her early interest in motherhood, and her experiences breastfeeding her first child, Aria, to 4 years and 8 months, and her second child, Sam, who is still feeding today at 2. We touch on the challenges and triumphs of breastfeeding, the impact of family and professional support, and Bea's roles as a hypnobirthing teacher, breastfeeding support worker, an...
Today, I’m talking to the brilliant Caprice Fox, an educator and advocate from Bristol, about her experiences and advocacy work related to breastfeeding and inclusivity. We discuss the importance of representation and inclusive practices in breastfeeding campaigns and the damage of micro-agressions. Caprice shares her personal story and talks about her co-parenting journey with her wife, Holly. We also talk about her work with Black Mothers Matter and the importance of addressing systemic rac...
This week, I’m honoured to be joined by Amy Viniski, a breastfeeding peer supporter and mindful breastfeeding practitioner, to share her personal experiences with pregnancy loss while breastfeeding. Amy candidly shares the emotional and physical challenges she faced through multiple losses, including an ectopic pregnancy and miscarriages. We discuss the misconceptions surrounding breastfeeding and miscarriage risk, the importance of support, and balancing personal grief while continuing to ca...
This week I’m speaking to the lovely Gabby from Edinburgh about her experiences with tandem breastfeeding her two children, who are three and a half years and 10 months old. Gabby discusses the practicalities and challenges of her tandem feeding journey, including co-sleeping, night weaning, and dealing with her eldest child's sleep apnea. She shares her struggles with breastfeeding her younger child, who initially refused to latch due to her infection, and the steps she took, including seeki...
This week, I’m talking to the wonderful Caoimhe Whelan IBCLC, an Irish lactation consultant and author, about her specialist subject, primary low milk supply. Caoimhe shares her research on insufficient glandular tissue and its impact on breastfeeding mothers and families. We talk about antenatal and postnatal support, the complexities of diagnosing low milk supply, and the role of technology and galactagogues. You can find out more about Caoimhe on her website https://latch.ie/ and fin...
This week I’m talking to the fabulous Maryam, a doctor and mother from Manchester, about her breastfeeding journey. Despite initial struggles, including mixed advice, nipple shields, a tongue-tie, and pump issues, Maryam remained determined and successfully transitioned back from triple feeding to exclusive breastfeeding. We explore the emotional and physical challenges she faced, the role of family support, and the impact of her experiences on her professional perspective as a doctor. Maryam...



