This is a new little series I am starting all about other Mama's breastfeeding stories. There is something special about hearing someone else's testament of their nursing journey. I have learned first hand that it is not as easy and as natural as one would think. There are so many factors that can go into successful breastfeeding and I think everyone can learn from these mom's trials and tribulations. Reading these stories, you can either appreciate the smooth road you have had, give you faith that with commitment and support, you can push through the tough times, or open your eyes that it can be difficult, but I'll tell you now... that's ok. Good things don't always come easy.
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I am so happy to have Kristel from the blog Glowing Light. Her little family is stylish, sweet and she writes with heart. Kristel's breastfeeding story is one of perseverance and faith.
{How stinkin' cute is her little man Liam?}
My name is Kristel and I am so happy to be here on Milk-friendly. I'm a twenty-something year old wife and mama living in Denver, CO but originally from Miami, FL (I know, polar opposites). I blog over at Glowing Light and wanted to share my breastfeeding story because my son and I have been on quite a journey and I wanted to encourage other mamas out there.
Growing up I never thought much about breastfeeding...in fact, I never thought much about parenting at all. I thought it would be something I might do...someday...if the opportunity came up. Well, I fell in love and got married and it didn't take long for baby fever to hit. Two and a half years into our marriage my husband I found ourselves expecting our first baby, a son we would name Liam. I immediately began doing all kinds of research on raising babies. It didn't take long for me to decide that I would be breastfeeding. Isn't that how all mothers do it? I had never seen anyone breastfeed in my life but surely that was the way to go. I admit that I was very nervous at first. Would it be weird to breastfeed? Would I be able to do it anywhere? How long should I breastfeed? Should we introduce bottles at all? Should I stock up on formula just in case? As my pregnancy progressed I found myself becoming excited about breastfeeding. I asked questions, looked at blogs, bought a couple nursing bras and pretended that formula didn't even exist. I was ready. Or so I thought.
My son was born on August 5th, 2011. It was a fast and furious delivery and he was out in the world less than five hours from when I felt my first contraction. I was happy to have had such a great labor because I knew it would help our breastfeeding relationship. He was immediately placed on my chest after delivery and he latched on like a champ. In fact, the whole time I was in the hospital I did not experience any problems with breastfeeding. Even the lactation consultant was impressed and sent me home with high hopes for a bright breastfeeding future. That's when the problems began.
Growing up I never thought much about breastfeeding...in fact, I never thought much about parenting at all. I thought it would be something I might do...someday...if the opportunity came up. Well, I fell in love and got married and it didn't take long for baby fever to hit. Two and a half years into our marriage my husband I found ourselves expecting our first baby, a son we would name Liam. I immediately began doing all kinds of research on raising babies. It didn't take long for me to decide that I would be breastfeeding. Isn't that how all mothers do it? I had never seen anyone breastfeed in my life but surely that was the way to go. I admit that I was very nervous at first. Would it be weird to breastfeed? Would I be able to do it anywhere? How long should I breastfeed? Should we introduce bottles at all? Should I stock up on formula just in case? As my pregnancy progressed I found myself becoming excited about breastfeeding. I asked questions, looked at blogs, bought a couple nursing bras and pretended that formula didn't even exist. I was ready. Or so I thought.
My son was born on August 5th, 2011. It was a fast and furious delivery and he was out in the world less than five hours from when I felt my first contraction. I was happy to have had such a great labor because I knew it would help our breastfeeding relationship. He was immediately placed on my chest after delivery and he latched on like a champ. In fact, the whole time I was in the hospital I did not experience any problems with breastfeeding. Even the lactation consultant was impressed and sent me home with high hopes for a bright breastfeeding future. That's when the problems began.
It didn't take long for the pain to take over. It was so bad that I dreaded every feeding time. My mother stayed with us when we first came home from the hospital. She would come to me with a crying baby and say, "I think he's hungry," and I would cringe at the thought. I couldn't even take a shower without wincing in pain at the water hitting my chest. I tried lanolin, gel pads, squirting breast milk on my nipples. I went back to the hospital to talk to the lactation consultants. I talked to my midwives. I attended a breastfeeding support group at a local baby store. I asked friends about their experiences. Nothing seemed to be working and I was beginning to feel desperate. I continued to breastfeed because I was determined to make it work. I kept thinking, "after four weeks it'll be fine...after six weeks it won't hurt anymore...after the two-month mark everything will fall into place..." I watched these milestones come and go and still I was dealing with pain every time Liam would latch on. When he was around three months old I started thinking about formula. I had originally wanted to go one year with breastfeeding but I was beginning to doubt I could do it. I decided to scale back my goal to six months. Six months of exclusive breastfeeding...then I would quit. I felt terrible. As much as I hated the pain of breastfeeding, I was still passionate about it. I still believed breastfeeding was the best gift I could give my son and I still loved the intimacy and bond that existed between us. It was true that the pain had lessened over the months, but not enough. I was already mourning the end of our breastfeeding relationship. I didn't make sense in my head. He was gaining weight, he was happy, why was this so difficult for me?
Then, all of a sudden, at around four months, the pain subsided. I could shower without shielding myself. I could nurse my son without giving it a second thought. I no longer needed nursing pads or creams. It was working. We were breastfeeding successfully and without pain. I'm not sure what happened. He was still nursing the same amount. He was still latching the same way he always had. I guess everyone is just different and some people need more time to adjust than others. There is no magic number of weeks for breastfeeding to work out. Some mothers never feel pain or experience complications with nursing their babies. Some moms get over it in a few days. Some moms take four weeks. And some, like me, take four months. It is what it is. I'm just happy that I stuck with it. I'm happy that I had such a good support system. My husband, family, and friends always encouraged me to keep at it.
Now Liam is six months old and we are definitely not weaning yet. I see no reason why we can't continue to nurse up to his first birthday and beyond. I feel extremely thankful that we have overcome our issues and cultivated a fantastic breastfeeding bond. I always tell new moms and moms-to-be that breastfeeding may be the most difficult thing they have ever attempted, but that they shouldn't give up right away because it's also one of the most rewarding experiences they will get with their baby.
Thank you so much Kristel!!
Make sure to stop on over to Kristel's blog Glowing Light and show her some love :)
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