I had to return to work when babies were 5 months old, and I wanted to carry on breastfeeding. My eldest, (now 8), went onto solids at 14 weeks (WHO guidelines were different then), so I was only feeding about 4 times a day when he was 5 months old.

What do I need to know?
Breast milk is the best possible food for your baby.   It will build your babies immune system as well as giving them the best possible start in life.  It protects babies against ear infections, gastro-intestinal infections, chest infections, urine infections, childhood diabetes, eczema, obesity, asthma. Breastfeeding protects mums against ovarian cancer, breast cancer and weak bones later in life. (source: National Health Service, 2009).  What’s more breast milk is free, on tap and is always the right temperature. Breastfeeding is also great for bonding with …

As part of Breastfeeding Awareness Week you can visit Family Friendly Working every day for tips and advice from breastfeeding mum and founder of Mamascarf, Keira O’Mara. Keira writes, “I had the idea for Mamascarf when breastfeeding my first baby Sam. I was always trying to cover up but found that nothing did the job properly. Blankets, pashminas, muslins… He would get too hot, they would block my view of him, he would pull them off or I would have to take them down during the feed to latch him back …

Kirsten Baxter of Bellamama.co.uk, is on a mission to bring Breastfeeding back into fashion, and is backing the national breastfeeding week (NBAW) campaign this June to quash the stigmas modern mums so often relate to breastfeeding. She was inspired to create the online boutique after the birth of her second baby in 2007.

As well as the usual mix of articles, events, reviews and profiles, you’ll notice a breastfeeding theme this week on Family Friendly Working. I couldn’t let the event pass this blog by for many reasons. Breastfeeding is a big issue for new mums, and something many have to work out what do do about when they return to work. Breastfeeding has also led lots of mums to start businesses selling clothes, bras and breastfeeding accessories.  So, this week, watch out for tips and advice from mums and experts to help if …

If you’re self employed it can be hard to take a long break. I felt very privileged, though, that with my second baby I was able to build up work again gradually. Compared to the first time around when I was employed and had to go back to a full day, it was much easier to work for a couple of hours while J slept. This time, even though it is more of a juggle with three, I’m building things up again. I even took K with me to the Mumpreneur Conference …

If your maternity leave is ending, you may be wondering how to continue breastfeeding when you are back at work. Geraldine Miskin is a leading independent breastfeeding specialist, with her own private practice in Twickenham called The Let’s Breastfeed Practice. Geraldine’s aim is to empower mums with practical solutions. Here she gives her tips for going back to work with a spring in your step, whilst leaving a contented little one at home.

So, you work from home? And you have a baby? As if being “just” a mum isn’t hard enough, now you have to juggle emails, phone calls, design and manufacture work  and trips to the Post Office too!
Thankfully, I have been there – and I have a solution. You can wear your baby in a sling, get your work done quicker – and spend time with your baby while you do.
Your baby is happy; you are close by and can still attend to her every need without completely dropping your …

Most of my Twitter posts this week have been moaning about how hard it is to juggle half term and still heep my work under control. Today I decided to leave work, and concentrate on house and home. (OK, I’m still typing this because I have a spare hour while ds2 is asleep and dd and ds1 are playing on the pc).
It is clear that my problem is that I’m trying to do too much. I’m proud that I can multitask, but sometimes you just need to know when to …

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the last week’s Breastfeeding themed posts as much as I have enjoyed writing and editing them. In the past we have had themed mumpreneur profiles,  travel and eco mums for example, run over a month.  My ideas for the future could include a month of franchisees, a month of party planner profiles, with relevant articles and tips. Next year, I could theme a week around Real Nappy Week.
Do you prefer themes lasting a week or a month, and are there any themes you’d like to see on …