About

Hey Mama!

If you would also like to know a little bit about me then please read on...

Despite having paid for private antenatal classes before giving birth to our eldest in 2018, my husband and I were still left feeling confused and anxious about the choices we were making after his birth. 
Pressure from health care professionals, advice from friends and family, and images of parenting learnt from media/TV, often left us feeling conflicted as they went against our natural parenting instincts. We lacked the confidence and time to trust in ourselves and do our research, which led to regrets later down the line.
When we had our second child in 2019, we had gained confidence having had one child already so were able to have more faith in our choices.
We had a rocky start with our son who was born 6 weeks premature, via an emergency C-section, with bilateral choanal atresia (blocking of the nasal airways). He was resuscitated at birth, spent 6 weeks in ICU, and underwent several corrective surgeries. For those 6 weeks and the following 4 weeks after we were discharged, he had plastic stents in his nasal passages which made breastfeeding a major challenge (when he latched the breast would cover the ends of the stents, so he was not able to breathe properly). 
Determined to provide him breastmilk I learnt to express (and became rather good at it!). This was given to him via a feeding tube in the hospital and via a bottle at home. I had every intention of transitioning from bottles of breastmilk to the breast, but this proved too much of a challenge for me. I didn’t reach out for help and didn’t know where to look. 
By the age of 6 months, we were giving our son formula because I was tired of expressing and putting huge pressure on myself to return my life to some sort of normality after a turbulent few months.
We never considered bedsharing because he was premature and, we honestly did not think that was even an option with a newborn, but when he reached one year old, we did discover Montessori style parenting and transitioned him from his cot (which he hated) to a floor bed. Best decision ever!
7 months later our daughter was born full-term via planned C-section (we researched VBAC births but decided a planned C-section was best for our family). The birth was a completely different experience; calm and joyous, with a much quicker recovery for me. 
She latched onto the breast as soon as she was passed to my chest and now 4 years later, she pretty much hasn’t left! We are still enjoying a wonderful breastfeeding journey and bedsharing (as do my husband and son … without the breastfeeding bit!).

Both of our children now attend a local school and we try to follow a gentle parenting approach in our everyday lives.
Before starting a family, I achieved a biology degree with honours in London in 2001. I then spent my first year after graduating working as a laboratory technician at Guy's and St Thomas' Hospital making Total Parenteral (TPN) IV bags for sick and premature babies. After this, I worked as a laboratory scientist and manager in vaccine evaluation and development for University College London – Great Ormond Street Hospital for 18 years. Here I gained extensive experience of scientific research and distinguishing fact from fiction. Follow this link to explore my UCL publications.
I am passionate about communicating to other parents and carers many of the things we as parents to two young children have discovered along the way that we wish we had known about before we had our firstborn. 
I am also a member of numerous baby and parenting groups/forums where I actively monitor the top questions and reassurances the members are asking for.
I set-up Informed is Best in January 2022 to produce a variety of media designed to help parents to make informed decisions for their child/ren supported by scientifically-backed research. I then set-up touched out mama in November 2022 to produce a range of products that are beneficial to fellow mums. I have now merged these brands so they both operate under the name, touched out mama.

In 2024, I completed the Association of Breastfeeding Mothers (ABM) Foundation Course in Breastfeeding Support.
And when I am not working or breastfeeding 😉 you will probably find me either doing Pilates or litter-picking in the New Forest! 
If you have any questions about me or my shop, please don't hesitate to get in touch!
Polly xx