'I won't have another baby after breastfeeding trauma'

'I won't have another baby after breastfeeding trauma'Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The mothers said they were given differing advice by different health professionalsByRosie BluntBBC News, South EastPublished15 June 2026New mothers have shared their traumatic experiences of breastfeeding, saying there is a lack of support in the postnatal period. One woman said she will not have another baby because her early feeding experiences have affected her so much. Another said she was made to feel like a "milk-making machine" and negative experiences around feeding affected her bond with her baby. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust said it was working to ensure its advice and care was "clear, consistent and compassionate". University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation Trust said it was reviewing its care in order to improve.Image source, Jess NicholsonImage caption, Jess Nicholson had traumatic experiences breastfeeding her twin girlsJess Nicholson from Brighton gave birth to her twin girls by caesarean in September 2025 at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester. She said one of her babies went blue and almost suffocated when she tried to breastfeed her. "I remember thinking I've had these babies for five minutes and I've already almost killed one," said Jess. Jess said the ward was short-staffed, causing long waits when she rang the bell for assistance. "It would just be my husband and I and the girls trying to figure out how to keep these little babies alive without any support," she said."I know I won't have another kid, because I don't want to do that beginning bit again."Image source, Vicki RoseImage caption, Vicki Rose said she feels robbed of the newborn periodVicki Rose had her baby in February at Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury. She had an emergency caesarean after both she and her baby contracted an infection in labour. Her milk was delayed coming in and she was...