Testimonials
When my six-week postnatal care plan ended, the prospect of facing motherhood without clinical support became daunting, particularly amidst the challenges posed by COVID-19 and lockdowns. With only my loving partner by my side and a firm commitment to providing my baby with the best natural care possible, I felt the need for extra reassurance and support. A quick Google search led me to Shona. Her approach of conducting home visits immediately resonated with me.
During her visit, Shona not only introduced me to the concept of on-demand breastfeeding but also offered practical tips for finding comfortable nursing positions, all from the comfort of my own couch. She also provided guidance on when and how to utilise the pump to stimulate my milk supply. So many “haaaaa” moments during that first session, I can’t stop smiling just thinking about it.
Months later, as my daughter started daycare, Shona equipped me with strategies to facilitate a smooth transition and empowered me to advocate for my daughter's needs in discussions about bottle feeding with daycare educators. Even as I prepared to return to full-time work, Shona's unwavering guidance remained a constant source of support.
Shona's expertise goes beyond breastfeeding; she shows compassion, is kind, funny, and, most importantly, has a deep understanding of women from all walks of life and cultural backgrounds. She made me feel truly seen and understood. To this day, I continue to recommend her and her mums' groups to any colleagues or friends who are about to embark on this life changing parenting journey. I am forever grateful for Shona.
~ Emmanuelle~
"Just sending a quick message to say things are going well with Holly, I’ve even stopped wearing the silverettes which is such a big milestone in my breastfeeding journey!
You have helped me immensely, I don’t dread her next feed anymore. Breastfeeding without pain is something I didn’t think was on the cards for me. But here we are!
I really appreciated you pointing out the simple but effective position changes that were required to get a better latch, rather than an unnecessary referral to an osteo/physio/surgeon, which is what I got with another lactation consultant I saw before you.
Thank you so much, all the very best."
~ Victoria ~
"The boys have officially self weaned after 18 months of breastfeeding and it is making me reflect on the journey that we have been through. I can honestly say that I don't think I would have been able to breastfeed without your help. I wanted to say thank you so so much. I appreciate every little and big thing that you helped me with and being a constant supporter and cheering me on when it was hard. Thank you for sitting there and listen to me cry over all of the sleepless nights and uncertainty of being a first time mum. I don't think I can put into words just how much I appreciate your input into my life and helping me gain confidence as a first time mum. Especially with two premmie babies! Thank you so much x"
"The boys have officially self weaned after 18 months of breastfeeding and it is making me reflect on the journey that we have been through. I can honestly say that I don't think I would have been able to breastfeed without your help. I wanted to say thank you so so much. I appreciate every little and big thing that you helped me with and being a constant supporter and cheering me on when it was hard. Thank you for sitting there and listen to me cry over all of the sleepless nights and uncertainty of being a first time mum. I don't think I can put into words just how much I appreciate your input into my life and helping me gain confidence as a first time mum. Especially with two premmie babies! Thank you so much x"
~ Courtney ~
(Mum of premature twins)
"My daughter has just turned one! And I managed to breastfeed her and use the SNS for the entire year! It has certainly been a journey, and I reckon we have certainly hobbled along for much of that! But we made it. I am so thankful to you for helping with this breastfeeding journey. I am so so glad that I did it. I'll probably start weaning off breastfeeding soon, as there are medications and stuff that I really should go back on soon. But I'm stretching it out for as long as I can. If you ever see someone who has induced lactation or is using a Supplemental Nursing System or donor milk, feel free to put them in touch with me, as it is a tricky road and it is nice to hear of other people's experiences I think. Thank you truly, from the bottom of my heart for all your help. You're a blessing."
~ Anonymous ~
(Whose daughter was born via surrogacy.)
"I made it through 6 years, 10 months and 18 days of breastfeeding! Ended up tandem feeding with my second and she recently finished up. Thanks for your support Shona in the trying few early months with my first. We stopped just before her 4th birthday, then stopped a bit after my second's 4th birthday. I was definitely ready!"
~ Anonymous ~
(Mum-of-two)
"Without your support in the early days/months, I wouldn't have made it to where I did without your guidance. When Malia turned 5 months old, I pumped my last bottle of BM for her - although this came with mixed feelings, I was so proud of myself for what I achieved.
As you know, I struggled with low supply from the get go and had to mix feed her due to slow weight gain. From the bottom of my heart, I want to thank you for making me feel proud of my achievements along the way regardless of what they looked like. Your encouragement kept me going, even when I felt like giving up.
My beautiful little girl and I hope that others share their experience after your support, to demonstrate your guidance is truly tailored to each individual Mumma; it's not a one size fits all approach and I really loved that about you! Each journey is unique.
Lastly, I wanted you to know that at each one of my girls' check ups, the public health nurse knew exactly who you were when I mentioned that you were supporting me on my BF journey. They had nothing but great things to say about you, so I guess it goes without saying - you're an amazing lactation consultant in our community. Thank you!!!"
~ Marcey ~
"I've surrendered to 70% bottle feeds and the breast for comfort and a snack - and pumping, when I can.
It was very helpful to see you and also helped with the mum guilts of not 100% breast feeding and accepting that some breast time is my success with it all. (That I wasn't just giving up).
Thank you for everything."
~ Carly ~
(Who struggled with milk supply due to major breast surgery)
"I cannot recommend Shona enough if you are having any sort of feeding troubles! My 6 month old had bitten (punctured) my nipple and I pushed through with great pain for 3 weeks. Everyone I consulted with was telling me
to stop feeding or to push through. I truly didn't want to give up but I was in soo much pain. I booked into Shona
and she was a breath of fresh air!! She guided me through how to heal my nipple, as well as supply the comfort and nutrition my baby needed. I am so grateful for Shona’s support, including the following seven days checking in and giving advice which was a life saver too .
Thank you soo soo much, I will be forever grateful!"
~ Anonymous ~
"It has been a long time and I just wanted to send a quick email to let you know how Cole is doing, and to thank you again for your endless support while we were in NICU, and afterwards.
Cole settled almost overnight at about 13 weeks. I'm 100% convinced what you said about secondary lactose intolerance was correct for him.. he went from screaming constantly to the happiest baby I know in an instant. He's just gone 7 months now and is still the smiliest, most jovial baby. He is an absolute joy.
He is still breastfed, which I'm so proud of, and he absolutely loves food too. For his first 6 months he remained exclusively breastfed, other than the calories he was given in NICU. I also stopped all top ups early on, and just put him on my boob!
We are a long way from our breastfeeding journey being over, but as Cole is my last child I am looking back and know for certain things would not have turned out so well with our feeding if not for you. I am endlessly grateful for the time you took to listen to me, and guide me with compassion without coddling me. The hospital here gave me plenty of resources but I knew intuitively I wanted to 'see' you again and I'm so glad I did.
Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for helping me feed both my boys the way I'd always hoped I could.
I am forever grateful."
~ Georgie ~
"Just a quick message to express my gratitude for all you have done for me this year. I will forever be in debt to you for the rest of my life, you helped pull me out of the fog that was constant pain for months. Never did I think I'd be able to breastfeed my baby for 6+months! I know you change so many women's lives, but I just wanted to thank you for changing mine."
~ Anonymous ~
"Hi Shona, I wanted to give you a little update and thank you again for all of your support over our breastfeeding journey.
It has been a month now since Flynn last breastfed. I decided the time was finally right for both of us to wean completely. As you know, we were down to that last feed before bed. He needed a little gentle encouragement so we prepped him for weeks prior to starting any attempts to wean and had lots of big conversations about it.
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Overall it was a calm and connected experience and I'm so grateful to you for setting us up on this journey. Flynn is so happy, loving and inquisitive. We have such a beautiful relationship and I believe it was your support at the very beginning when things were really tough that helped me to gain the confidence to be the kind of parent I wanted to be.
Flynn is 3 in 2 weeks time so we're only at the beginning of a lifetime of parenting but I'm confident our first couple of years together have given us a beautiful foundation.
Thank you again. I will forever be grateful for you and hope you are happy and well."
~ Kate ~
"I reached out to Shona when I believed that my breast feeding journey was coming to end. My 6-week-old baby was not putting on weight and I was being told a different reason each time I saw a different person – including that my breast implants were impacting breastfeeding, that my baby couldn’t suck properly, that my latch was bad and that my baby would just not be able to be breast fed. The moment I met Shona I knew she was the person for us. She gave me back the confidence that had been crushed and gave me advice and help to improve my latch and positioning of baby. I instantly fed better and fell back in love with breastfeeding. In the two weeks I saw Shona my baby put on 450g. This was the most she had gained in a fortnight since birth. I no longer have anxiety or stress with breastfeeding. Saying that Shona was a life saver is an understatement. I love the support she provided via phone with any questions that I had. I cannot recommend Shona highly enough and wish I had seen her sooner."
~ Bianca ~
"I can honestly say that if I hadn't met Shona I highly doubt I would still be breastfeeding my baby today. I was so close to giving up and now I am so glad that I persevered and got the help that I needed.
I also loved the fact that Shona could come to my house (the comfort of my own home) where my daughter was
in her own environment. It meant I didn't have to try and get out of the house with a newborn. I felt comfortable to
feed her whilst Shona supported and guided me through how I was attaching her and gently advised on ways to assist with her feeding.
Sometimes it all feels too much but if you can seek the right help from the start it will make for a very happy mummy and an even happier, content baby. I am so thankful that I met Shona. I can highly recommend her to any new mum."
~ Renee ~
"Shona really was a lifesaver. She set the wheels in motion to get the lip and tongue tie that she picked up sorted out which immediately fixed his latch. She then worked closely with me to try and get my supply back up. She was always available for a chat and to check on me and she provided that positivity I needed when it all seemed too hard. Her knowledge and enthusiasm is just what I needed. I can't recommend her highly enough and urge anyone having any sort of issues to get in touch with her."
~ Sarah ~
"Shona is a true professional and genuinely wants to see mothers and babies enjoying the close relationship that breastfeeding affords them. I would recommend Shona to anyone struggling to breastfeed their child. She got us off on the right foot and I am forever grateful."
~ The Lansom Family ~
"Ben is 9 weeks old now and I am finally breastfeeding only. It has been like that for the last two weeks and Ben is doing great. He put on 600gms during that period (300gms each week). Even the child health nurse was very impressed, considering that I have breast implants (with the surgery involving repositioning the nipples). I can only thank you for this. I am sure that if it wasn't because of you it would not have happened. I don't even know how to thank you enough. Thanks, thanks, thanks."
~ Andreia ~
"By six weeks I had had enough of expressing and decided I really needed help and needed someone to come to my home as it was just too hard to visit an external location when you have a crying baby wanting food…
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Shona talked me though the baby-led attachment process and she explained the natural way a baby uses his instincts to find the nipple and we tried the method. WOW, my nipple was still damaged but when my baby latched on it didn’t hurt at all. It was the best feeling to finally be able to enjoy breastfeeding after more than 6 weeks of pain, expressing and sleepless nights. I just wished I had called Shona right from the beginning, she was a life saver.
Thank you Shona, I now absolutely love being able to bond and give my little guy the best start in life!
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Update from Odette...Hi Shona, Just wanted to say thank you for the great start to my little boy's life, without your help I don't believe he would have had such a healthy start. He's one today and has his first cold (at daycare now :-) ), can't beat the benefits of BF that's for sure. Thanks again x"
~ Odette ~
(who had early breastfeeding issues and had been exclusively expressing)
"Shona was an absolute blessing to me and my family after the birth of my first born. I had a lot of trouble with attachment and supply and was feeling very overwhelmed, made worse by a case of the baby blues and anxiety with the looming fear of my husband going back to work.
As a last-ditch attempt before giving up, I got in contact with Shona. It was without a doubt the best thing I have ever done; I immediately felt calmer, more relaxed and like I knew help had arrived when she walked through my door. Her professionalism, her understanding, her abundance of knowledge and most of all her true passion and desire to help was unbelievable!
After just a few moments of Shona being with me, my boy had latched on for the first time. It was truly a magical and emotional moment, which almost never happened but for Shona’s assistance. Shona’s continuous support and caring has been amazing, so much so, that words are not enough to describe the thanks I have for her. Thank you, Shona for everything you have done."