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I distinctly remember the first time I saw a woman breastfeeding her baby. I must have
been around 12 or 13 years old. My mom and I were waiting in line at the grocery store,
and the woman in front of us was cradling her baby and had a blanket draped over her
shoulder and the baby. At first I thought the baby must be sleeping. But then I realized
she was nursing her baby. I was in awe. Don't get me wrong, I wasn't gawking or anything
crude like that. I just felt really happy for the baby. It would be a decade before I saw
another woman nursing her child in public.
Breastfeeding was always something I knew I would do for me and my child. It's cheap, it's
easily available and, most importantly, it is best for the baby. So, when I became
pregnant with our first child, my husband said to me, "You are going to breastfeed,
aren't you?" It kind of made me laugh to see how strongly he felt about it too!
Here's a guy who has never even changed a diaper before and he was very into the idea of
me breastfeeding our baby! I quickly reassured him that I would not have it any other way.
I read everything I could get my hands on about breastfeeding. I even attended a couple of
classes. I was so confident that all would end well, that I never even bought a can of
formula (I am a Leo, afterall! We are stubborn!). But, as always, I learned a lot more
from my own experience breastfeeding, and you will too. Here is what I learned from the
school of reality:
Labor and delivery are breastfeeding enemies
After a smooth pregnancy and 20 hours of labor (including three hours of pushing), my son
was finally born! Unfortunately, he had to be whisked to the nursery and there he stayed
overnight. The doctor was concerned that he might have inhaled meconium during the labor
and they needed to make sure his lungs were clear. So, the hospital handed me a pump and
told me to get going, and to do it every hour. My first experience with breastfeeding was
not what I had planned. Luckily, Kaleb turned out fine and 18 hours later I was nursing my
son for the first time. I was exhausted and scared, but he latched on and knew just what
to do! I was so proud!
Yes, it does hurt
One week later, I was crying in pain. Nursing my son hurt so badly I wanted to scream
(thinking about it now makes me cringe and wriggle in my seat!). I was exhausted, hurting,
and afraid I was doing something wrong or he wasn't getting enough milk. We went in for a
follow-up and was told that the pain I was feeling was because Kaleb was sucking his lower
lip in when he latched on. I was shown how to remedy the situation and sent on my way
(and, by the way, Kaleb has already gained almost a pound in two weeks, so my milk supply
was not a problem).
If you read all of the books, brochures and pamphlets on breastfeeding, you know that
"breastfeeding may be uncomfortable, but this usually subsides within six
weeks." I am here to tell you that this is not always the truth. In my situation,
this was a big, fat, hairy lie I wish I had never heard. It does hurt, and can hurt even
when you are doing it right and the baby's latched on, and the pain can last a lot longer
than six weeks. In my case, I was in pain for 12 weeks. Yep, for three long months, I
cringed when I nursed my son, and stuck to nursing pads (ouch!).
By the time we figured out the latchment problem, the damage had already been done to my
nipples. See, they don't tell you that part. I probably wouldn't have gone through all
that agony if I had Kaleb latched on correctly from the get go. Who knows? All I know is,
yes, my right breast did stop hurting in about six weeks, and the nipple healed by eight
weeks. The left side continued to hurt until the 12th week postpartum. I have a scar in
the center of my left nipple that looks like a mini Grand Canyon.
It does get better, and it is worth it
What got me through those months of pain was an extremely unhealthy amount of stubbornness
followed by a few tubes of lanolin. I highly recommend the lanolin for sore nipples. It
really got me through some tough times.
Eventually, the pain subsided, little by little everyday, until one day, it no longer hurt
to feed my son. I made it! I was home free! Now I could experience the joy of
breastfeeding! And I did. I was so proud of myself (and still am) for sticking with it. I
don't regret a single bit of it.
I nursed my son until he weaned himself at 14 months. I had planned on weaning him at a
year, but when we got there, I didn't have the heart, and I knew it wouldn't be long
before he stopped himself, because he was already reducing his nursings. So I hung in
there, through eight teeth (he rarely bit me) and kicking legs until he decided it was
time. I am thankful that I chose this route. There is something very peaceful and
comforting in letting the baby (or toddler) lead the way in weaning and it was all very
smooth.
There are annoyances along the way
I was very fortunate that I did not come across thrush or any infections. My hang up was
milk supply. I had too much! I needed nursing pads up through 15 months postpartum - one
month after Kaleb weaned himself! In the mornings while I was on maternity leave, I would
nurse Kaleb on my right side, and hold a pump up to my left side to collect all of the
milk I was leaking. I would collect 4 ounces every time I did this. No joke.
All in all, my breastfeeding experience was relatively smooth. For me, it was very
painful, but I know other women who never experienced the pain I did. Every woman's
different. Books cannot account for that.
Any woman preparing for breastfeeding for the first time should:
Follow what your heart and intuition is saying, because they are probably right.
Educate yourself as much as you can, but realize that you are learning general guidelines
that may or may not apply to you.
Find a local La Leche group and start attending meetings. Get a phone number of a mother
you can call for help when you need it.
Make sure your hospital and doctor will support your decision to breastfeed. Most do by
now.
Know that it may be a rough start, but it will get easier.
Know that you are giving your child the best nutrition you can - and you are reducing or
eliminating asthma, allergies, ear infections and possibly other chronic illnesses later
in life such as inflammatory bowel disorders, cancer and heart disease. You are giving
your child the best chance at health possible.
Most importantly, hang in there! Breastfeeding is hard. Formulas are still a ways away
from being as nutritional as breast milk.
And nothing compares to nursing your baby to sleep.
About the Author: Kristine runs http://www.MyMamaSaid.com, an online community with
tips, advice and support for all moms, and is so proud that her son, who was breastfed for
14 months, has never had an ear infection. You can reach her at mama@mymamasaid.com
Copyright 2000-01, Kristine Roberson
