By Aimee Vivian

Four weeks after giving birth, I was lying in a hospital bed questioning if I would ever get to see my daughter grow up.

What had got me there was a series of failings that now motivate me to call on medical professionals, politicians and those with influence to do better for women’s health.

Post birth, I struggled to get my daughter Charli to latch. She had a tongue tie, and I had a huge oversupply, which meant I was suffering from constant engorgement. The advice was different every time I saw a professional and eventually, as warned, I developed symptoms of mastitis.

I had gone to see my GP and to be completely honest, it was not a pleasant experience at all. I felt shamed by the fact that Charli couldn’t latch and that we were pumping, not breastfeeding. I know my body - after 10 years of tests to diagnose my coeliac disease, I’ve learnt to understand what feels right and what doesn’t.

The GP, who was a woman, was very adamant that it was just breast engorgement and it was simply because she couldn't latch, and the best thing I could do was get her on the boob.

No matter what I said to her, that was her only response. We've all heard many stories of women's health concerns being ignored, and in the back of my mind, I kept thinking of Louise Thompson, who has done amazing things to raise awareness about........

© LBC