Baby-Thrive breastfeeding support by Sally Rickard Lactation Consultant

I reached out to Sally a few days after my baby was born as we were having a few problems feeding. Sally came round the same day and was absolutely amazing. I felt no pressure, she was very assuring and focused on what I wanted to do and was incredibly helpful. Sally also followed up multiple times following out visit and felt like I could also reach out to her with any questions. I have recommended Sally to a few friends and know that those who have used her also have nothing but great things to say!

We contacted Sally before the birth of our second baby after a traumatic experience of trying to breastfeed our son. We had a very reassuring and helpful session with her where she gave us great advice to avoid some of the mistakes we made the first time around. We had a follow up with Sally a few weeks after our daughter arrived. Sally was wonderful at reassuring me through some of the fear that I’d carried through from my first experience. She identified my daughter’s tongue tie and provided compressive information on our choices to deal with it. She put us in touch with an excellent tongue tie nurse and stayed close through the process of having it rectified. I’m very grateful to Sally. We are three months in to our breast feeding journey with my daughter and it is a completely different experience this time around. I’m very grateful to Sally for her knowledge and kindness.

We contacted Sally when our baby girl was 6 days old as I was really struggling with breastfeeding and as she’d lost weight the midwives has already suggested topping up with formula. I wanted to try and make breastfeeding work and Sally was so kind and encouraging - she helped with positioning and latch, suggested renting a proper pump and helped with the timings and frequency of that, as well as recommending a tongue tie expert as our baby also had one. Over the next 2 weeks Sally was on hand via WhatsApp to help with any questions I had and it really helped me get through that first intense period of feeding. My baby is now 10 months old and we’ve had a lovely journey with breastfeeding since that tricky first month. I would definitely recommend Sally if you’re struggling with breastfeeding.

I had a session with Sally before my baby arrived and then was in contact with her a few hours after giving birth as the hospital was pressuring me to give formula very soon after the birth. I then asked Sally to visit me 2 days after my baby was born to help with latching, feeding positions and all the other questions I had. At each of these moments Sally was invaluable at getting my breast feeding journey off to a good start and helped me advocate for myself in the hospital - feeding has been going brilliantly and it’s been great to be able to WhatsApp Sally with any questions. Definitely recommend her services!

I will be forever thankful for Sally’s support! We had a home visit the first night at home with our first baby and her advice, compassion and practical help with breastfeeding positions was invaluable. We’ve since had other visits and support via WhatsApp which has had a huge positive impact on my experience with breastfeeding. Without her support & encouragement I would have found it much harder to continue!

I contacted Sally when my daughter was five days old – she'd lost a bit of birth weight and the midwives had suggested topping up with formula, but I really want to give breastfeeding a good go. Sally visited us at home and was such a calm and reassuring presence – she checked my daughter's latch, talked us through different feeding positions and generally gave me confidence when I was just starting out as a mother. I've since kept in touch with Sally via WhatsApp and have booked a couple of follow-up sessions – one after a bad bout of mastitis and another on planning my return to work. Sally is my go-to for thoughtful advice grounded in research and data; she's an incredible resource to new mothers and a huge part of the reason we've been able to reach six months of exclusive breastfeeding.

I received one to one support from Sally during the early days of breastfeeding. I was finding it really stressful and difficult but Sally’s support and advice made breastfeeding seem possible for me and my baby. Her practical advice was invaluable and she continued to provide support and encouragement the weeks after. I cannot recommend her highly enough for any new mum struggling to breastfeed.

I contacted Sally when my son was around five days old after he lost a lot of weight and we couldn’t quite get the hang of breastfeeding. I was ready to give up!Sally was able to come on very short notice and spent two hours with me watching him latch, showing me feeding techniques and also explaining how to increase my supply via pumping.That visit with Sally gave me the confidence to trust in the process and be patient. Now my son is now four months old, breastfeeding is easy and I actually enjoy it!Sally was available after her visit via WhatsApp to answer any questions, give a much needed confidence boost at times I felt like abandoning breast feeding and she would also check in with me if I hadn’t messaged her.I would 100% recommend if you feel breast feeding isn’t working out for you and you want to continue with it.

I will be eternally grateful that I booked a consultation with Sally during those early weeks with a newborn. She is everything you could hope for at such a vulnerable time: calm, caring, knowledgable, non-judgmental, professional. While focusing on breastfeeding, she also offers holistic help with all aspects of parenthood, and I learnt many invaluable things from our sessions. She does not give blanket advice, and instead thinks carefully about each issue and the way it personally affects her client. A striking thing about Sally is that she is really well-grounded in a huge range of articles, books and research, and does not just rely on her own (very extensive) experience. The follow-up care is truly excellent, and all in all she has been an integral part of my breastfeeding and motherhood journey.

Sally is a kind, warm-hearted professional. She delivers support in a gentle, reassuring way and is very knowledgeable about breastfeeding and lactation.What I liked most was the continued follow-up and genuine interest in my baby and how we were getting on. Sally also offered continued advice video tutorials and text support after our initial consultation.I have recommended her to a number of my friends as I found her support invaluable.