In this episode Zoe discusses with me how she had her first baby at 22 and really struggled with feeding. How she had to hand express for the first week and use nipple shields for first few months.

She tells her story of how no one listened when she was saying how painful breastfeeding was, despite having purple nipples and a baby who fed constantly, all the time, with hardly any breaks.

Eventually Zoe found out that her baby had a posterior tongue tie. She was only able to get it released when he was 6 months. Despite this she fed him until he was 4 years old.

During the COVID pandemic Zoe had her second baby. She tells of how she was really left to it on her own, despite having a seven year gap between babies and feeling like she had forgotten everything. Zoe is currently still breastfeeding her 3.5 year old little girl.

We also talk about milk blebs, dealing with a postpartum injury and navigating breastfeeding.

And Zoe tells us how this led to her setting up a women’s health hub in her hometown of Hartlepool, to make up for all the lost support that never returned after the pandemic.

It is inspirational to hear Zoe talk of what she has grown in this incredible hub.

Join me as I interview Zoe Gardiner is a research scientist, currently studying for her PhD, a full spectrum doula, and the founder of Postpartum Matters CIC - a non-profit committed to supporting women of all ages and stages whilst amplifying and highlighting real, honest postpartum stories, and an autistic mother to two.

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