So my little man and I have just reached an end of an era, or at least it feels that way. We have now stopped breastfeeding and I feel a bit emotional about it all. I’m sad to say that this part of being a mummy is now over. I am proud to say that I breastfed until just before his 2nd birthday. I never imagined that we would keep going for quite so long, but very happy that we did. In celebration of this, I thought I would share a published article I wrote last year about just some of our breastfeeding journey. Hope you enjoy reading x
Early on in my pregnancy, a decision my husband and I made together was that I would like to try to breastfeed our little bundle. It was important to me that he supported breastfeeding as I would undoubtedly need his help, and I wanted him to feel involved. I was anxious about feeding. How would I know if my baby was getting enough milk, would it hurt, and how would I feel about breastfeeding in public? Actually, the thought of breastfeeding in public worried me the most. At 32 weeks I went to a breastfeeding antenatal class. It was a friendly group and the support from the midwives and mums was fantastic. I left feeling reassured, informed and determined that I really wanted to succeed for my baby and myself.
My breasts grew quite significantly, much to my husband’s delight. I went to get measured a few times for the not-so-flattering maternity bras. I was paranoid about underwired bras as I read that they could block your milk ducts. Later on in pregnancy and post natal, breast- pads were definitely my friends.
After a difficult labour we finally met our beautiful 9lb baby boy. We had skin to skin contact, which I would love to say I remember clearly, but it was all hazy. When all had settled down and the room seemed more peaceful, the midwives asked if I wanted to feed my baby. I was exhausted, but wanted to try, so the midwives gently helped until he managed to latch on. It was all a bit clumsy, but after several attempts we got there! It was the most wonderful, strange feeling. My baby only had a little feed and nodded off.. something I discovered he loved to do!
The following days were very tiring and emotional. I was recovering from a long labour and getting used to this hungry little person that needed me and my breasts regularly, especially throughout the night. I had to use the nurse-call button to ask the midwives for assistance at 2am, as my baby just wasn’t settling. As soon as he fed, he almost immediately wanted more. I thought I must have been doing something wrong. I knew that breastfed babies weren’t full for long, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how often he wanted to feed. It turned out that he wasn’t latching on properly and I then had engorged breasts and bruised nipples. Ouch! Consequently he wasn’t getting enough milk and therefore was too tired to feed well.
Once home we had breastfeeding support numbers and of course were visited by the midwives. Unfortunately my baby boy lost more weight than he should have. I felt that I had failed my baby, I was devastated! We had some ready- made formula, just in case things didn’t work out. We used this to top up as well as breastfeeding and a combination of frozen expressed and “freshly squeezed” milk. It also meant that my husband could be involved. My baby was weighed again 24 hours later and had gained weight. He didn’t look back! It really helped to write down the times of his feeds and note which side, as it was easy to forget.
One of our first experiences of breastfeeding in public was at Tatton Park. We were on a walk when feeding time came. We parked the pram under a big tree, I covered myself with a cloth and fed my baby in the shade in a gentle breeze. It felt very earth-motherly. The wind actually blew the cloth off, but I didn’t mind too much. I decided that I was going to be confident feeding when out and about, after all, I was only providing for my baby and I would still use my tops or muslins to cover us.
There have been really tough times with blocked ducts (I can recommend to keep feeding and warm showers), sore nipples ( I can recommend Lansinoh cream) and broken breast pumps, (one of which was due to sleepy mummy putting the electronic bit in the sink!) bitten nipples, and times at stupid o’clock when I didn’t know whether I could carry on. But we did. We took it in stages, setting ourselves small goals like first wanting to get through the first days, then to 3 months, then to 6 months and then we carried on as it worked for us.
There is so much more I could write about our journey. We are still feeding, albeit starting to wean off. If my baby is a bit unwell or is teething and really wants comfort from me he will sneak in extra feeds. Breastfeeding might not be everyone’s choice of how to feed, but for me it has been a wonderful, special way for us to bond. It still makes me smile when he’s snuggled into me and his little hand holds onto my thumb, just like he did as a newborn.
I’ve just posted on my blog http://t.co/Che2LSZh3z Love you to have a read #breastfeeding #pregnancy #mummybloggers
What a lovely story of your breastfeeding journey. Well done for persevering with this even when it got difficult.
Thank you for linking up with the #WeekendBlogHop
Laura x x x
My Life As A Mummy recently posted…Silent Sunday – 25/05/2014
Thank you! There were some really tricky times and when I didn’t know I could carry on. Feel so sad for mums that want to and can’t breastfeed or that don’t receive support so give up sooner than they would like. Loved joining in with #WeekendBlogHop. If any mums would like any help on breastfeeding, happy to see if I can offer any advice
xx
Lovely post – I’ve just started breastfeeding – I was lucky mine latched on straight away and in his 3 weeks so far he loves it!
#MMWBH
I love it too -it feels like our special moments – but it is exhausting and demanding especially the current 4 hour night feeds…
I think I will start expressing sooner rather than later so my other half can help!
Thanks for sharing
YummyBlogger recently posted…Week 3 – 3rd week of being a mummy – sleepless nights!
Aww thank you. Glad you enjoyed reading and hope it helps if you need it! Yeah the night feeds and especially when they have a growth spurt are very tiring. I think I was nearly always saying “he must be having a growth spurt” I did express but not as often as I should have so hubby could share in the feeding. We didn’t really use a bottle and then when I did try a bottle again with the expressed milk, little man wasn’t interested and I think wondered what on earth I was trying to put in his mouth… he definitely wanted my boobs not a teat! I think the guideline is introduce a bottle around 5 weeks, but you know your baby and how well he’s feeding and whether to introduce. Good luck with it all and look forward to hearing your progress
x
I added my link http://t.co/vAXpYnc4fO to @SuperBusyMum #MMWB #pbloggers
I breastfed my son too till he is 2. I tried weaning few days after his brithday. So many things happened along the way too. I only breastfed him with my one breast as the other is not working.Looking back I dont know how we manage. It just came back to me upon reading your entry. Such a nice post about breastfeeding & motherhood. #mmwbh
Merlinda Little (@pixiedusk) recently posted…Gestational Diabetes
Hi Merlinda! Thank you for reading my blog post and for your nice comments. It is funny to look back and think despite the tiredness and discomfort at times, that we kept going for so long! I would never have imagined feeding him till he was 2, but then he wasn’t ready to stop before, so although we were only down to one feed maybe 1-2 days, he obviously still wanted for comfort or something. I am wondering if I have another little one, if I would be able to manage breastfeeding again. I hope so! Best wishes to you and you little monkey #mmwbh
Oh those breastfeeding days…something I can look back on fondly! Beautiful times spent feeding in the wee hours, nothing but you, the bubs and being together. Love it. Beautiful post hun, thanks so much for linking up #MMWBH xx
Super Busy Mum recently posted…Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Roleplay Review
Ahh thank you for having me at #MMWBH. Breastfeeding was a really special time. He is occasionally asking for some milk from me but can quickly distract him with a nice story instead!
Firstly, well done! What an amazing achievement! Thanks for sharing your post with #BFingDiaries. I think these honest stories about how challenging breastfeeding can be will make a difference to other Mums. A lot of Mums aren’t prepared for how demanding it is and can end up feeling like they have failed. I think your approach of small milestones is perfect
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Thank you and thanks too for hosting
If you had asked me early on, when my baby boy was days or weeks old I would never have dreamed that I would breastfeed for so long. Those early days can be so tough can’t they?! Hope you and your baby girl are doing well and feeding is getting easier in public
xx #BFingDiaries