I contacted Mo because I was finding it difficult to feed due to nipple pain, also because my newborn was so sleepy due to jaundice that we were struggling to wake her to feed so I was concerned she was losing too much weight. Mo advised me on how to improve Frankie’s latch when in cross cradle hold.
Mo also helped me master the laid back feeding position, that I was previously unable to do. This helped enormously as Frankie is a very big baby so laid back hold is much easier on my arms! I’m so glad I contacted Mo when I did. Her advice drastically improved my confidence to breast feed, and Frankie’s latch with it.
The session with Mo was brilliant, she’s very thorough, knowledgeable and personable. I also appreciated that she was willing to provide similarly excellent advice on other aspects of looking after a newborn, not just purely breast feeding. I would highly recommend booking a session with Mo. It got my breast feeding journey with Frankie off to the best possible start. Elle (July 2020)
I had few preconceived ideas about pregnancy, birth or being a mother but I was beyond certain that I wanted to breastfeed. We seemed to get off to a reasonable start. Our baby latched and sucked no problem, and if my milk was a bit late coming in it was probably down to a difficult birth and a high level of blood loss. Baby’s weight was fine and nobody seemed too concerned about the amount of formula milk we were going to have to phase out, or that all my attempts to express were abortive.
I contacted Mo on the recommendation of a friend when our daughter was five weeks old as she seemed to be taking an awful lot of formula and I wanted to check that everything was in order before I started trying to reduce it. Mo spent plenty of time with us and went over everything very thoroughly but was able to spot that, although both my daughter and I were doing everything we should have been doing, my supply was not above being a few drops. My baby was not swallowing at the breast because she had nothing to swallow.
Mo provided us with a plan and we made considerable attempts to encourage my supply. However, while this did have some limited impact, it didn’t get us to a point where I could give our daughter anything approaching a full feed. We had to top up with formula milk at every feed and with the extra time and stress involved feeding took over our lives. This eventually became unhealthy for all of us. At eleven weeks I began to concede that I was never going to have anything approaching a full breastmilk supply and that, although I was devastated and formula milk was not even a close second choice, it exists precisely to nourish babies who cannot be fed by their mothers. At fourteen weeks I gave up completely, and while this is still a source of sadness and regret for me our daughter is happy, extremely healthy and, so far, allergy free.
While Mo wasn’t able to get us past what seems likely to have been a fundamental failure of biology I am very glad that I got in touch. I am entirely certain that our daughter got as much breastmilk from me as she could possibly have had and that there was nothing more which could or should have been done.
WhileI’m still sad that it didn’t work out I know for sure that there’s nothing to feel guilty about. I have no complaints about the NHS midwives or Health Visitors but they do not have the time or resources to spot complex or unusual issues. I would advise anyone who is even slightly concerned to make an appointment as soon as possible. Louisa (February 2020)
I was absolutely sure I was at the end of my milk supply, but with help from Mo I restored it. I know the NHS tries to do its best, but my GP had missed signs of John being underweight and we had ended up in hospital, where I was told to dose 500ml of formula a day. It was horrible. Then we got Mo involved.
She made time especially to visit us just before her holiday when she found out how much we were struggling and immediately set us on a rescue plan and helped me (actually) figure out how to get pumping going and to be effective. I cannot put into words how relieved I was to have her expert guidance and how it changed our situation.
From the start Mo was confident we could repair the situation. Her guidance was detailed and clear, and in two months we had dropped to almost no formula at all. I’m still breastfeeding at month nine alongside solids and John doesn’t drink formula. Honestly, even if I hadn’t had any problems at all I really think that a visit from Mo would be so worthwhile, just to avoid all the basic mistakes that the health visitors don’t know about or haven’t experienced. I can’t really recommend her highly enough. Bonnie (January 2020)
I had planned to breastfeed my baby all along but like many women, my experience wasn’t straight forward. I had a c-section birth so my movement was hindered in the early weeks and I’d had lots of conflicting advice in hospital post-birth, about latching and positioning so found myself very stressed and worried about if my baby was getting enough milk.
I contacted Mo through a recommendation from a friend and she came to see me the next day. She found an exhausted, anxious and tearful new parent, at her wits end. The first thing Mo did was ask me to talk her through my feeding experience from birth to that point and that was so, so helpful. Just being able to talk through my experience helped me see why I’d become so confused and anxious and therefore why feeding had become such a worry for me. Once I’d been able to express this I felt calmer and was able to listen and learn from Mo about latching positions and knowledge about how my baby feeds and what to look for (both in hunger cues and what my baby was doing as she was feeding).
She helped me with a plan about how often to offer the breast and how often to pump and a decision process for whether to offer a top up of formula each feed cycle to ensure my baby was getting enough calories as breast feeding became established. Having a plan helped me immensely at a time when I felt too exhausted and anxious to be able to think straight. Following Mo’s plan, I was able to feed my baby mainly from the breast, in about six weeks. Feeding her then became more pleasurable and I felt proud of myself for sticking with it. I would whole heartedly recommend Mo if you need support and confidence with breast feeding – she knows what she’s talking about and she listens intently to what you want and need in those delicate early days. Nicola (October 2019)
I cannot recommend or thank Mo enough. She is an absolute – angel absent of wings – and without her I would not be breastfeeding my baby now! Despite staying in hospital for three days extra for breastfeeding help, and daily visits from the midwives and being seen at the feeding clinic I was really struggling to breastfeed my son Zach. He lost a lot of weight, was always hungry and crying and I was an emotional wreck.
Mo came within two days of me contacting her (while still on her holidays!). She stayed with me for hours while I broke down and she was so kind and empathetic, she was like an angel! She looked at the whole picture, listened to every little detail and gave advice tailored to me and my son. Going above and beyond she didn’t leave my house till I was feeling and feeding much better. She was then available on the phone for any questions or issues I had or just to be a friendly ear; I made the most of that I can tell you!
My son and I have overcome; 12% weight loss, tongue tie, dairy allergy, reflux and major anxiety. Without Mo I know for sure we wouldn’t have made it as far as we have. I can’t thank Mo enough and would recommend her to anyone who is struggling. Katharine (September 2019)
I was struggling with breastfeeding. It was painful and I could not supply enough milk. I was having to mix feed using formula. I found this emotionally distressing and demoralizing. Mo came to see me and helped me with a programme to improve my milk supply and establish a mixed feeding programme. Mo provided advice, support and guidance. As a result I was able to improve my supply to such an extent that I can now fully breastfeed. Mo’s knowledge and experience helped me understand my problem and she gave me the confidence and encouragement to keep going. Thanks Mo! Katie (June 2019)
I attended the NHS antenatal class and received much help from the midwives while in hospital, but I still didn’t have a clue what I was doing when it came to breastfeeding. About two weeks into our breastfeeding journey I found myself with mastitis and reached out to Mo, who made herself available immediately and was at my house within twenty-four hours. I needed help as soon as possible to relieve (and prevent) mastitis from returning. Mo was thorough in working with myself and my newborn, from watching a feed, to suggesting products and positions to try, and even sending videos via email to watch.
She stayed in contact in the weeks following as I had follow up questions for her, which was extremely helpful to a hormonal (and sleep deprived) first time mum. I’d highly recommend having Mo come for a visit as soon as possible, especially if you’re new to breastfeeding. My only regret is not meeting with her sooner! Thanks, Mo, for all your help. Rebecca (January 2019)
Mo’s support was tremendously helpful in my breastfeeding journey with my second baby. Although I had breastfed my first child, my confidence was shaken when my son was born. Despite my prior experience, Mo’s expert advice was invaluable. She helped me get through a number of breastfeeding issues such as wrong positioning and acid reflux. There were definitely times when I was ready to throw in the towel but through her kind and gentle guidance I persevered and my boy has now solely been breastfed for six months — and I intend to keep going for another six at least.
Community midwives provide great information about the basics of breastfeeding but often lack the time to go through specific problems. After breastfeeding two children for over six months I can say for sure that every breastfeeding issue is an individual problem which is why Mo’s support was crucial to the success of my breastfeeding journey.
She visited me at home, gave me practical tips as to how to latch on my baby and followed up through emails and telephone calls. Apart from that, through her kind and gentle manner, she provided emotional support, which is, in my opinion crucial to the success of breastfeeding. To anyone who is debating whether to give up and simply switch to formula, I would say that spending money on a lactation consultant such as Mo is money well-spent. Sonja (July 2018)
Mo Brownlee is the only reason I managed to successfully breastfeed my son. If you are at all unsure about whether to contact her then do not hesitate! She is worth every penny!
I contacted Mo as I was experiencing difficulties in effectively breastfeeding my son. I was battling with a range of difficulties: sore nipples, poor latch, engorgement, fast let down and slow weight gain. I was desperate and Mo came to my rescue.
Mo visited us in our home and immediately reassured me. She listen to all my concerns and was sympathetic. She thoroughly assessed my son and very quickly put an action plan in place for me to follow. She spent hours with us and helped me through several feeding sessions from the beginning to the end. She made sure that I was happy with the plan we had put in place and emailed me lots of support materials and web links. I was really impressed with Mo’s extensive knowledge, experience, professionalism and, above all, her kind and understanding nature and approach. After our first session, Mo remained in contact through email and telephone and, for me, this was a critical part of the process. As a result of Mo’s support I was able to effectively breastfeed my son and enjoy the experience of breastfeeding. I would highly recommend Mo for breast feeding support. Emma (June 2018)
I contacted Mo over a weekend when my baby was just a week old. Mo responded straight away, which I really appreciated, and set up a meeting on the Monday. I had been struggling with a sleepy, slightly jaundiced baby, who had to be woken for feeding. Also my milk was slow to come in and I was exhausted with the feeding schedule the community midwife recommended. I was prepared for the switch to formula, however, using Mo’s suggestions for a feeding schedule, laid back position and tips to help increase my milk production, I gained the confidence to continue breastfeeding. Mo’s reassuring knowledge, non-judgemental advice and support have been invaluable to me and I would thoroughly recommend her to anyone having a problem, big or small, with breastfeeding. Aileen (May 2018)
Mo provides a fantastic service. As she came to my home, I was able to receive her help and advice in a relaxed and comfortable environment, rather than worrying about getting to an appointment on time with a young baby! Mo responded to my online booking very quickly and I therefore received the guidance and encouragement I needed as quickly as possible. Her visit left me with a lot more confidence when breastfeeding, as I was shown alternative feeding positions to help ease any discomfort I had been experiencing. I would definitely recommend her service to other mums. Erin (March 2018)
I was having problems getting my baby to latch properly, and was suffering with pain and almost two hourlong feeds. After 3 weeks of trying to figure things out and a lot of Googling, I reached out to Mo for help. I wish I’d got in touch with her from the start – she was able to quickly identify what the problem was and helped me to fix it. From that day things just got better.
Mo’s help has made all the difference and has meant that I’m able to exclusively breastfeed my baby. Feeds are now a nice bonding time with my baby rather than painful andanxiety inducing. Gemma (March 2018)
Your support in teaching Sienna how to latch was very valuable to me and I feel that you truly took the time to listen to my concerns and help us keep breastfeeding manageable at a time when without adequate support I would probably have given it up. I would like to thank you for your support and would be very happy to recommend you to anyone experiencing issues with feeding. Laeticia (February 2018)
I found Mo’s advice and support really helpful. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to others. Rebecca (February 2018)
Fantastic knowledge from a lovely lady. Having had ‘advice’ from community breastfeeding support workers, I didn’t find any specific or personal advice that improved my situation, so, getting advice from Mo relating specifically to my situation helped so much. Nicola (February 2018)
