Lucy Mecklenburgh says she’s still breastfeeding baby Roman after persevering through ‘long tearful nights’
LUCY Mecklenburgh said that she's still breastfeeding baby Roman ahead of her son's first birthday.
The 29-year-old shared her breastfeeding journey with her fans as her little boy reaches the milestone age on Sunday.
The reality star explained that feeding had been a struggle as Roman has CMPA, meaning he has an allergy to the protein in cow's milk.
This meant that she had no other option and has continued to breastfeed for the past year, admitting it made her feel "proud".
The Essex beauty shared a sweet snap of her breastfeeding Roman, writing: "This Sunday Roman turns 1. This also marks 1 year of breastfeeding which to be completely honest with u I feel really proud of.
"No that's not me trying to put down women that chose not to or women that stopped earlier than me or women that weren't able to.
"Like everything in motherhood we are all on our own journeys with our own unique babies. I simply share my experiences."
Lucy explained that she was glad that she "persevered' through the "long tearful nights", despite Roman suffering from CMPA and posterior tongue tie at 10-weeks-old.
She added: "CMPA made me feel trapped. I was so relieved to have found the reason Roman was so unwell & unhappy but it also felt like a HUGE responsibility on me.
"I gave him 1oz of neocate amino acid formula as I wanted the reassurance that if I needed to there was an alternative way to feed him. He was soooo ill & I felt this overwhelming sense of pressure.
"I soon accepted I was going to attempt to get to 1 yr then he could slowly move onto a plant based milk. I built up a small milk stash in the freezer for emergencies & this straight away made me feel more relaxed.
"I quit pumping around 7months & breast feeding also became easier, more manageable & actually quite enjoyable!!"
Lucy said that she will not stop breastfeeding but will instead introduce unsweetened soya milk alternative here and there.
The TV star also said that she felt "helpless" in the early stages and would like to see more breastfeeding support available from the NHS.
Lucy explained: "One thing I would love to see is more available breastfeeding support from the NHS.
"I gave birth in an NHS hospital & couldn't fault the quality of care & kindness I received. When I went home I felt completely alone & helpless.
"Many tearful calls to my GP about bf & problems with Roman, but never really getting a definitive answer. Google became my new best friend usually at 3am!
She concluded "Many other countries have bf support groups, lactation consultant visits available from there healthcare system.
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"Even just general aftercare for mum I feel needs improvement. My 6 week GP check consisted of, 'Are u ok?' 'Yes', 'Ok you're signed off'."