Breastfeeding makes life easier - inspiring stories from real mums

All too often we hear stories about how difficult breastfeeding can be. And we know that it's not always straightforward. But we asked mums on BabyCentre if any of them had positive breastfeeding stories. Over the next few days, we're going to share some of their stories to inspire any other mums out there who might be feeling anxious about breastfeeding.

The two mums sharing stories today both found that breastfeeding makes live easier - and how expressing helps. 

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My daughter is 9 and a half weeks and I'm loving breastfeeding. I did find the first week tough, but so glad I kept going and my daughter has gained so much weight, sleeps really well and is very happy! I can't imagine how much of a faff it would be  to make up warm bottles for every feed! I do express from time to time so my husband can give a bottle and I can have a break, but that's all gone really well too, and she took to the bottles straight away. -- from Julia 

I am 28 years old and have 2 adorable girls. The first is 6 years old and I breastfed her until she was almost 3 years old which is not the norm here in Glasgow. I returned to work when Keia was 6 months and I expressed twice each day for her to have the next day and I continued to feed her from the breast the rest of the time.  When I found out I was expecting number 2 I was ecstatic and couldn't wait to breastfeed again and feel that closeness with my baby, Anna-Grace is now 5 weeks old and the breastfeeding is going well. Breastfeeding fits in perfectly with our life and getting out and about with the family. It's easy - all I need is a few nappies and we are good to go.  I have had such a positive experience of breastfeeding and the bond it has created between us. I feel that we are so close that I often say "our hearts beat in time with each other"  I wonder if it would have been like this if I had formula fed. -- Denise Forbes

If you have a positive breastfeeding story, please share it in the comments section below.

Bronze your bump - our new maternity tankini

Ah yes, the old 'do I cover up my bump or don't I debate'. With summer approaching and April holidays just around the corner, many of you pregnant mums might be contemplating a maternity swimwear purchase.

Obviously lying on a sun lounger in a bikini with the sun gently bronzing your bump would be lovely. But then you have to get up off the lounger and make your way to the poolside loo for the 5th time in a morning and you notice everyone's eyes following your naked bump as you try to inconspicuously drape your hands over it.

But what if you could have the best of both worlds? A top that you can lift up while you're tanning, and can roll down when you're not. Now you can, with our new maternity tankini.

 

The new style (954) pairs under-the-bump bikini bottoms with a longer-style tankini top featuring ruched sides that adjust to body changes during pregnancy. It also has an elasticated bra shelf for comfort and support.

It comes in slimming black or bright royal blue, both with fuchsia pink trimming, in sizes 12/14, 16/18 and 18/20.  It is available from a number of our retailers including www.fromheretomaternity.co.uk, www.envie4u.co.uk and www.everydaymaternity.com. 

And if you'd prefer an all in one swimsuit, we also have our maternity swimsuit style 952,  with sports style criss cross straps, making it perfect for mums who want to use swimming as exercise (purple and black in size 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20 and 22).

You can find a full list of our stockists here.

So dive in and kit yourself out in preparation for summer!

Do you stock our range? You've got 15 days left to enter our 25th anniversary competition!

This month we're celebrating our 25th anniversary. That's 25 years of making maternity and nursing lingerie, giving mums the comfort and support they need.

To thank all of the retailers who get our products out to mums, we're running a competition in which one of our stockists can win £250 worth of Emma-Jane products. To enter, simply send us a link to the Emma-Jane product page on your website. An independent consultant will view the pages and the stockist who they think most accurately reflects the Emma-Jane ethos of comfort, support and affordability will win a £250 prize to spend with us.

We've already received some great entries, with some of our retailers writing special blog posts about us and adding extra info onto their product pages. Here are two of the blog posts written about us recently:

Everyday Maternity
More 4 Mums

If you stock our products and like the idea of getting £250 worth of our products for free, then please post your link to your Emma-Jane page or blog post in the comments section below or on our Facebook page. Deadline for entries is 31 March.

Getting a good night's sleep

No-one tells you when you discover you're pregnant, that you're unlikely to get a full night of sleep long before the baby arrives. Sleeping with a bump is uncomfortable, particularly in that last trimester.

And while we can't help with the acid reflux or restless legs, we can make sure that what you wear to bed is mega comfortable. Our maternity PJs are designed to make you rest easy.

We recently sent a pair of our PJs to blogger Kelly, who writes at A Place of My Own. She is due to give birth soon and was in need of something comfortable to sleep in.

Read what she has to say about our PJs here - and here's an extract from her review:

"I love these so much. The fabric is soft, stretchy and oh so comfortable. The trousers go over the bump which is perfect for me as I find anything pressing under or on my bump very painful. The top is fitted and ruched at the side to accommodate my growing tummy. They are black with a pretty lace trim and look very nice indeed. They are so comfortable to sleep in."

Thanks Kelly - glad you liked them and best of luck with the rest of your pregnancy and of course the birth!

P.S. to all other pregnant and nursing mums, don't forget that you can still win one of 25 of our newest nursing bras. Just visit our Facebook page, Like us and you'll find all the details.

Happy birthday to us! Win one of 25 nursing bras

In March 1986, Emma-Jane was born. A small, perfectly formed little business making and selling nursing bras. Since those early days, we've grown. We've changed, updated and expanded our nursing bra range. We introduced maternity bras. We added nursing tops, maternity tights, maternity nightwear, maternity swimwear and a number of maternity and nursing accessories.

Today Emma-Jane products are sold throughout the world. They're synonymous with comfort, support and affordability. They're what real mums wear day in and day out.

And so now we've reached the grand old age of a quarter century. To celebrate, we've decided to give-away 25 of our newest nursing bra styles - style 361 - as shown below.

All you need to do to enter is:
1. Visit our Facebook page by clicking here. You should be taken straight through to the competition page, but if you're not, then look on the left hand side for the button called 'Competition'.
2. Once you're on the page, 'Like us'.
3. You will then get the details on how to enter. The details on how to enter will only be visible to fans.

So go on, enter and you could soon be getting an exceptionally comfortable nursing bra sent to you.