From the moment I found out that I was going to be a mom, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed. I know how beneficial breastfeeding is for your baby and being that I am a nurse and have great immunity, I wanted to pass on all those beneficial antibodies to my baby.
I tried to do my research before Landon was born on the best ways and techniques for feeding a newborn. I read various articles and excerpts from my momma-to-be books, searched tons and tons of Pinterest articles on breastfeeding, and even asked a few mommy friends ‘the scoop’ and what worked for them. However to be honest, the best way I learned about the ‘how to’s on breastfeeding’ was by just doing it.
I found it stressful to become good at breastfeeding in the hospital. It isn’t something you just learn overnight, it takes time. Each nurse taught me a different technique and their way of doing things, which just ending up leaving me in more confusion than before. The hardest part for me was getting the baby to latch. It wasn’t as easy as 1-2-3, like I thought. It took a lot of patience, suffering through quite a bit of pain, and staying up long nights with baby.
I remember back to one specific night in the early weeks of breastfeeding. It was 2:30am and I came downstairs to feed the baby because my husband had work the next day. It took over an hour and a half of trying many different techniques to get him to latch. It just wasn’t working. The baby was very hungry and I was exhausted. I was about to give up. Was there something wrong with me? Why couldn’t he latch on? I felt helpless. This is the struggle of a new breastfeeding mom.
I had my precious little son three months ago and have been successfully breastfeeding him since. I will say that it has been a journey. We have had some easy days but many hard days in the beginning. One of the most truthful pieces of advice I received, was to give breastfeeding for two weeks before considering calling it quits (which wasn’t even an option for me). That golden number ‘two weeks’ was the amount of time it truly took baby and I to get the hang of what we were doing and what worked for each other. Being three months in now, I will say it was 100% worth it. Hang in there- it gets easier, I promise.
Thinking back from where I started to where I am now, I cannot help but feel a sense of accomplishment. It feels great to be able to provide for your baby and to be the one they turn to when they need sustenance. Having those little eyes stare back up and yours is priceless and makes my heart melt every time. No one said it was going to be easy but they did say it was going to be worth it.
So, I encourage all you mommas-to-be out there to give breastfeeding a try. What do you have to loose? All you have is something to gain. For those of you currently struggling, I ask you to hang in there for the ‘magical two’. You wouldn’t believe how easy it gets after this point. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! You are doing amazing things for your baby and his/her health. Go Mamma go!
Laura Duffy says
I had assumed that breastfeeding would come naturally and be easy since it’s, well, natural! But it’s not easy! It takes so much work and patience and can cause a lot of pain. But I agree that it’s so worth it, both for baby’s health and for bonding. Thanks for posting!
Vana says
Breastfeeding needs a lot of patience and effort, in the beginning at least,, but what finally you and your precious baby gain , worth it for sure! Breastfeeding is an amazing experience that all new mothers should try .