Chapter 1: Give every child the best start in life

I'm Sophie, a single mother of a baby boy, under the age of one. We live in supported housing, and I need to be self-sufficient, so I am good at managing money. I am very cautious and before I had my baby, I did not have much self-confidence. The Family Nurse Programme was offered to me early in my pregnancy when I was not in the best place, but with the help of my nurse I was quickly able to find some stability and really think about my unborn baby. I'd always wanted to be a mother so now I could start to live out one of my dreams.

My baby was - and still is - my priority, I'd already had to make some big decisions about where I lived and who I saw but now I wanted to make sure I gave my baby the best start. My nurse set up a session on infant feeding, but I had already started to think about breastfeeding. I'd talked to some of the young mothers at a local group I was attending, and they'd said that they had tried to breast feed but given up and then later wished that they had kept going. I discovered why all the health professionals were promoting breastfeeding and I liked the idea of giving my baby a boost to his immune system. I remember my nurse saying that if my baby catches a bug then I am likely to catch it too as we would be very close and that I could make antibodies to the bug and then give these to my baby through my breast milk; this sounded amazing, being able to help protect him from illness. With my money head on I also liked the idea that it was free!

I had an amazing birth and the midwives helped me to initiate breastfeeding. My baby was - and is - beautiful and latched well but it was not plain sailing. I did become a little sore and my nurse helped with nipple cream but what made a massive difference was a breast pump which she hired for me from our local Children's Centre. Not only was I able to express and rest my nipple but, not feeling confident feeding in public, I eventually managed to express enough to give my milk via a bottle. I feel much more confident now and there are ways I have learnt to feed discretely.

I was asked what kept me going through the difficult uncomfortable times, and there were some of those. I only had to look at how the closeness of feeding was helping to soothe and comfort my baby, how he settled well to sleep and how content he was. I did not have anyone who I could ask to come and take over and help in these moments, especially at night and this worked. Yes, I was sore, but I was of the mindset that I was not going to stop, I kept the thought of my friends in my head who said they regretted stopping and I was determined to keep going.

My nurse visited and encouraged me and weighed my baby regularly. It was a relief to see that he was gaining weight steadily, this was further motivation and it was always good to know that my nurse was available on the other end of a text message when needed.

When I look at my baby boy I feel incredibly proud, we are so close, I feel I know him so well and understand even the smallest of his cues. I feel that breastfeeding has brought us together and helped me believe in myself that I can do things that are often challenging and succeed. It is so convenient, ready to go and always at the right temperature, I do believe that I have saved time as well as money! We've started weaning now onto solid foods but he still enjoys the comfort of feeds and I too treasure our time together feeding and our unique bond.

When asked what I would say to other young mothers-to-be rather making decisions about feeding their baby, I would say 'give it a go, you have nothing to lose. Do not feel pressured but you just might enjoy it as I am doing, one of the best decisions I have made'

Chapter 2: Enable children, girls and women to live their lives to their fullest