Fiona’s mission on milk

Mum is masterminding fun festival to support women who opt for breastfeeding

AROUND seven years ago, Fiona Tarantino-Poliri was at a family wedding, where she spotted a fellow guest breastfeeding her three-year-old.

“I remember thinking at the time it was a little weird,” she recalls. “She was a distant cousin, I didn’t know her very well, but I saw her again just recently, and told her – if I could go back in time to that day, I’d come over and give you a high five…..”

Fiona, from Lenzie, continues to breastfeed her daughter Meena, who is now two and a half.

“I get that people don’t understand that, I really do,” she acknowledges.

“We don’t live in a breastfeeding-friendly society – we don’t really live in a childfriendly society – and if you don’t see something happening around you, you just don’t understand it.”

Glasgow’s first ever breastfeeding festival takes place this weekend, and it is all down to Fiona’s determination and creativity.

Boobstock – the name is a play on Waynestock, the festival in the comedy movie Wayne’s World, of which Fiona is a huge fan – is supposed to be fun.

“It’s about celebrating the wonders of human milk and supporting parents and wee people,” she smiles.

“There is a lot of pressure on women to breastfeed and very little support for them when it doesn’t happen for them right away.

“I really struggled when Meena was born – a complicated labour, a forceps delivery and a big blood loss took its toll on us both.

“She was sleepy and finding it hard to latch on, and there was a delay in my milk production.

“So I used donor milk – from a local mum, a friend I trusted – and that made all the difference.”

Fiona adds: “Often, it is not the case that women cannot breastfeed, just that the support is not there when it is hard at first, and then they give up. Just give her a bottle, people say. But little steps do help.

“Understanding the difference donated milk to me made me want to give something back, so I started to donate my milk to the Glasgow Milk Bank.”

Fiona’s original plan was to donate leftover proceeds from Boobstock to the milk bank, run by One Milk Bank for Scotland, which provides screened, pasteurised human milk to babies who have no or limited access to their own mother’s milk.

But she admits the event is unlikely to make any money as she was unsuccessful in attracting funding.

“The event has cost more than I anticipated – I am just a mum who is passionate about breastfeeding, and the whole thing has been self funded,” she explains. “The

‘‘ We don’t live in a breastfeeding-friendly society

milk bank resource.

“You are given a medical and a blood test, they send you bottles and instructions and volunteers come back to pick up the milk. It is supereasy, and you know you are supporting another mum who is struggling. That means a lot.

“There is a lot of bad advice given to new mums, often from well-intentioned people, and it makes me angry.”

There is a misconception that the milk bank is just for premature babies, which is not the case, or that bottle milk is just as good, says Fiona.

“But formula milk can’t be compared to human milk, which is a living, constantly changing substance,” she adds.

“People need to know the facts so they can make an informed decision.”

Fiona is keen for Boobstock to be informative and accessible. is a fantastic