Held Mothers

Held Mothers Emily Bohn | RN, RM, IBCLC. Holistic Private Midwife and Lactation Consultant. Melbourne South East.

Tonight I’m sharing the breastfeeding story of who shares parts of her first and second breastfeeding journey, highligh...
24/02/2026

Tonight I’m sharing the breastfeeding story of who shares parts of her first and second breastfeeding journey, highlighting how vastly different each feeding journey can be. Holly navigated positioning and attachment challenges due to very large breasts and was not able to breastfeed her first baby for as long as she had hoped to, but had a very different experience with her second baby which she attributes to receiving better support and advice, which ultimately lead to a totally different outcome in the longer term. A good reminder of how important the right support at the right time is. This is her story in her own words.

My name is Holly and I’m a mum to two beautiful boys aged 8 months and 2 years. I had my first son in 2023 and he was a tiny 2.8kg once born. I went into labour with him at 37+ 6 just as I was getting into bed for the night, with my waters breaking first and contractions then hitting hard and fast within 5 minutes. After being sent to a different hospital as mine had no room for me when I called to say I was in labour, and having two failed epidurals, I ended up having an emergency c-section as with each contraction baby’s heart rate started to decline. He was born at 8:50pm at exactly 38 weeks. We avoided NICU time but I wasn’t shown how to breastfeed him or given the opportunity to try until the following morning, so he was fed overnight via syringe with milk/ colostrum that the midwife expressed from me herself with her hands (not the most pleasant or dignifying experience!) which she then fed to baby. I wasn’t even the first person to feed my first baby. Cont in comments…

I’ve sent so many women to this post over the last couple of years so I’ve decided to pin it. 📌Mastitis is easy to treat...
09/02/2026

I’ve sent so many women to this post over the last couple of years so I’ve decided to pin it. 📌

Mastitis is easy to treat when you know how. With the correct management, it rarely requires antibiotics.

The key is identifying and addressing the root cause to prevent recurrence.

Birth is not just the moment a baby arrives.Birth is a doorway.A place where the veil thins,where a woman meets the edge...
23/12/2025

Birth is not just the moment a baby arrives.
Birth is a doorway.
A place where the veil thins,
where a woman meets the edge of herself
and remembers she is made of something ancient.

Birth is ceremony.
It is bones opening, spirit widening,
lineage pouring through her like light.
It is the moment she becomes both the vessel
and the creator.

There is a kind of power in birth that cannot be taught —
only witnessed.
A holy thunder that rises from the deepest place within us.
A knowing older than language,
older than time.

And when a woman births,
the world shifts.
Her voice strengthens.
Her boundaries sharpen.
Her love grows teeth and wings.
She emerges not as who she was,
but as who she has always been.

Birth is not the end of something.
It is the beginning of everything.

Repost via .shakti

I’m getting back into sharing breastfeeding stories so if you want to share yours, please reach out! Tonight I’m sharing...
22/09/2025

I’m getting back into sharing breastfeeding stories so if you want to share yours, please reach out! Tonight I’m sharing the breastfeeding story of with her second baby, Hazel. Elise discusses her experience with insufficient glandular tissue (IGT) which is a condition where the milk-making tissue in the breast doesn’t fully develop. IGT is estimated to impact approximately 1-5% of women. Here’s Elise’s story in her own words (she wrote this 2 years ago and is still breastfeeding her daughter today!).

My name is Elise and I had my second child, Hazel in late March this year. My son, Louis is 2 and a half and we had a tricky breastfeeding journey with low milk supply, scheduled feeds, triple feeding and complete loss of confidence on my behalf. Louis was mix fed, roughly half breastmilk and half formula. Despite the rocky start, we breastfed until 2 years and 3 months, a journey I’m very proud of.

After an unplanned C section with my first due to “failure to progress”, I was determined to do everything I could for a VBAC second time around. I planned a homebirth with private midwives, confident this was my best option for achieving my dream birth. At 40+5, my blood pressure spiked and I had to go on medication, which meant the homebirth was off the cards. We pushed against a repeat c section or induction at the hospital for 3 days but ultimately ended with an unplanned C section at 41+1. CONT IN COMMENTS.

I’m bringing back breastfeeding stories so please reach out if you would like to share your story! Today I’m sharing the...
21/09/2025

I’m bringing back breastfeeding stories so please reach out if you would like to share your story! Today I’m sharing the breastfeeding story of with her second baby, Hazel. Elise shares her experience with IGT (insufficient glandular tissue) and how she navigated milk supply challenges. Here’s her story in her own words (she wrote this back in 2023).

My name is Elise and I had my second child, Hazel in late March this year. My son, Louis is 2 and a half and we had a tricky breastfeeding journey with low milk supply, scheduled feeds, triple feeding and complete loss of confidence on my behalf. Louis was mix fed, roughly half breastmilk and half formula. Despite the rocky start, we breastfed until 2 years and 3 months, a journey I’m very proud of.

After an unplanned C section with my first due to “failure to progress”, I was determined to do everything I could for a VBAC second time around. I planned a homebirth with private midwives, confident this was my best option for achieving my dream birth. At 40+5, my blood pressure spiked and I had to go on medication, which meant the homebirth was off the cards. We pushed against a repeat c section or induction at the hospital for 3 days but ultimately ended with an unplanned C section at 41+1. CONT IN COMMENTS.

HOMEBIRTH 🏡I’ve shared this information a few times now, but here’s an update with the latest statistics from the AIHW M...
21/09/2025

HOMEBIRTH 🏡

I’ve shared this information a few times now, but here’s an update with the latest statistics from the AIHW Mothers and Babies report. *spoiler alert* hospital birth statistics are getting worse. We have now officially tipped the scale toward being more likely than not to have a surgical birth, statistically speaking, just by setting foot in an Australian hospital to have your baby.

This post should provide you with a brief summary of the evidence for homebirth in comparison to hospital birth, as well as research/resources that you can go and look at yourself. I believe it’s incredibly important that women who are planning to birth within the Australian maternity care system are aware of this data, and therefore I will continue to share it.

BOTTLE FEEDING MATTERS 🤎🍼Different content to my usual, but there is so much work to be done in the bottle feeding space...
18/05/2025

BOTTLE FEEDING MATTERS 🤎🍼

Different content to my usual, but there is so much work to be done in the bottle feeding space. Unfortunately, when families find themselves bottle feeding for whatever reason, the support is basically non-existent! This is such a shame as there is so much that can be done to support families who are bottle feeding. I’m a lactation consultant, and I offer bottle feeding consultations as well as breastfeeding consultations, because everyone deserves support when feeding their babies.

Video via

I love this photo so much, twinnies receiving all of their nourishment from their placentas after birth 🥰📷 via
29/07/2024

I love this photo so much, twinnies receiving all of their nourishment from their placentas after birth 🥰

📷 via

Instead of saying “I’ll breastfeed if I can” - implement these strategies to set yourself up for successful breastfeedin...
28/07/2024

Instead of saying “I’ll breastfeed if I can” - implement these strategies to set yourself up for successful breastfeeding!

Breastfeeding is a learned skill, so it’s probably wise to prepare for it as much as you can BEFORE you start - plus It’s hard to take in lots of new information when you’re in the newborn haze, sleep deprived, overwhelmed and recovering from birth.

Don’t rely on hospital staff to teach you what you need to know about breastfeeding, they have limited time/skills to support you with breastfeeding and you go home in a flash! To achieve your goals you are likely to need ongoing breastfeeding advice and support.

Make sure you have a postpartum plan in place that covers feeding, as well as care for the newborn mother 🌸

This is private midwifery care 🫶🏼I offer shared care with all local hospitals, which means most of your pregnancy appoin...
01/07/2024

This is private midwifery care 🫶🏼

I offer shared care with all local hospitals, which means most of your pregnancy appointments are with your private midwife (me!), and a couple are with your chosen hospital. I offer long appointments in the comfort of your home, where we have plenty of time to go deep into all things pregnancy, birth and postpartum!

Instead of sitting in a hospital waiting room to see someone for 20 minutes (or less) who has no idea who you are, private midwifery offers indivualised, holistic care that is unmatched! Plus you get the added bonus of 6 weeks of care postpartum - instead of just one or two visits in the first week after birth (which is the norm in standard models of care).

Pictured here is my gorgeous client Nikki in full bloom, who recently gave birth to her second son 🥰

Reach out if you’d like to know more!

Reshari
30/06/2024

Reshari

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Melbourne, VIC

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