“The adrenaline rush after birth was just incredible... but then there’s the getting down the mountain. I sort of feel like breastfeeding is the bit of getting down the mountain”
Ella reflects on her surreal experience post-birth. How she felt disconnected, almost like a visitor in the hospital, because her focus quickly shifted from recovering herself to caring for her baby, who was in critical condition. While Ella acknowledges that childbirth is a brutal physical experience, her attention was consumed by her son's health, causing her own recovery to feel secondary. She recounts the bittersweet nature of her experience and highlights the difficulties she encountered with inconsistent advice.
"A lot of birth and those early postpartum days are a blur, but a lot of it is so vivid. Just like a smell will take me back... it’s quite cathartic in some ways because it reminds me of a time when we were just in this little bubble”
00:00 Introduction to the Holding Time Podcast
00:41 Ella's Birth Story
02:28 Challenges in Breastfeeding
04:01 Neonatal Unit Experience
17:56 Support and Mentorship in Breastfeeding
22:46 Reflections and Moving Forward
23:52 Conclusion and Acknowledgements
