I’ve seen a few breastfeeding stories recently describing how hard breastfeeding is, how the mother battled on despite all the complications that they or the baby had. My story isn’t like that, I had no traumatic experience, my breastfeeding journey has been long but relatively easy. I applaude all those women who battled on and continued to feed despite all of the difficulties, I’m lucky to have had an easier time than most.
When my eldest was born in 2011, the midwives at the hospital half heartedly showed me how to latch him on, he managed to sort of latch on and get a little milk and we were sent home that evening. I found it difficult to get him to latch when home, putting it down to my large breasts, but he didn’t wake very often that evening to feed so I wrongly assumed he wasn’t hungry (turns out he was probably sleepy as he was so hungry!). The following morning I spoke to the midwife who came out to visit us, she watched me try and latch O on and then showed me the rugby hold, from then on it was plain sailing. He fed wonderfully! All I had needed was that little support to latch him properly, in a position that suited him, I know if another midwife had come out who wasn’t as supportive of breastfeeding my story could have been very different.
O fed a lot, just short 5-10 minute intervals, but even at 9 months he would feed a good 20 or so times during the day and at night (we ended out co-sleeping otherwise I would have been exhausted!). I knew something wasn’t right, but it never occurred to me that it could be supply, he always seemed to get a lot of milk out, I would see it dripping out the side of his little cute mouth as he gazed up with his big blue eyes. He did however have a lot of wind and his bottom was often noisy! I spoke a lot to a dietician friend with a similar aged baby and decided to try taking dairy and gluten out of his diet and mine to see if that helped him. His constant feeding at night reduced from 20+ wakings to 4 or so, which was much more copeable. We continued like this for until 18 months at which point I became pregnant with his little brother!
I was quite happy with how things were going, I fed O to sleep every night, it was very easy. He also fed several times during the day. Unfortunately during my second pregnancy I started having feeding aversion and really couldn’t stand feeding O, I was determined to keep on going for as long as possible, but I can’t describe how excruciatingly irritating it was to have him feeding, I just wanted to push him away. I ended out cutting all but his night time feeds away as the pregnancy continued. By the time I got to 6 months he had one feed to sleep at night and then just cuddles when he woke during the night. At 7 months pregnant he told me there was no milk and could he have cuddles instead. I felt so guilty at cutting back his feeds, maybe a I would still have had milk, but then maybe it would still have run out at the end of the pregnancy, who knows. Anyway, at 2 years and 2 months O had his last feed and I cried knowing there was unlikely to be anymore for him.
Two months later his little brother was born, he latched on without a problem within a few minutes of being born. He feeds like a pro, wakes 3-4 times at night (sometimes less, but as he is teething just now we get extra wakings), I feed him at night lying down in bed (as we have since he was born) and then we sleep beside each other (we attached O’s old cot to our bed by taking one side off and screwing the other 3 sides on). I find co-sleeping so much easier, with O we initially had him in a proper cot and had to keep getting up, that was hard work as he would wake as soon as you tried to put him down, whereas A feeds, rolls over and goes back to sleep on his tummy.
With a toddler and a newborn we have breastfed everywhere around our little town, on walls halfway up residential streets, in parks, standing on paths in the rain while I played puddle jumping games with the toddler, sitting on grass verges while the toddler throws stones in puddles, in toddler groups, at the Dr’s, at a Model Rail event at the SECC, on trains, buses and just about anywhere we’ve been (babies feed a lot and we didn’t stay at home much!). I’ve never had a bad comment while public feeding, everyone has been so kind and supportive, smiled at me, commented on how nice the weather is, I’ve been lucky!
A is still feeding well at almost 14 months, with no intention of stopping, which I’m pleased about, I hope he feeds for as long he wants and doesn’t have to stop because there is no milk left for him! Long may our breast deeding journey continue!
J x
Lissa says
Beautiful post, Jenny xx
Morna piper says
It’s nice to see a positive breast feeding story 🙂 I think it is a lot about perception, how we describe our experience. I would say I found breast feeding easy and was one of the lucky ones but I did find cluster feeding and frequent night awakenings difficult to deal with. I can definitely sympathise and to some extent empathise with those who have problems. I think it is a shame it is often the horror stories that get shared.
Jenny Eaves says
Yes, I feel quite lucky to have an easy journey, but totally empathise with those who do have a hard time, some women are really tough! But I o want others to know that it’s not always hard either. 🙂 x
Jenny Eaves says
Thanks Lissa! 🙂 x
Vickie says
How lovely to read a positive breastfeeding story! I am so glad that your breastfeeding experience was, and continues to be, a good one. I really do think there needs to be a good balance between the positive and the negative stories. I know that if everything I’d read beforehand was negative I wouldn’t have even tried in the first place.
Jenny Eaves says
Thank you! Yes, I had my heart set on breastfeeding, but was a little put off after I kept hearing people tell me, ‘some people can’t do it, don’t get upset if you can’t’! Glad it’s gone so well! 🙂 x
Michelle Wallace says
This is such an empowering post and it was great reading it. It hits a little close to home tonight, however, since my three month old son is refusing to to breastfeed. Thank you for posting this because even though I’m sad it reminded me how much I bonded with him because I was able to for those three months.
Jenny Eaves says
Oh no, I’m so sad for you (just back from hols so sorry for delayed response) Has he stopped completely? I hope he was just on a feeding strike and came back to the breast again for you? Even if he hasn’t, well done for feeding him and giving him all the fab goodness you have already and lots of bonding time too! 🙂 xx
Louise says
Lovely post – can imagine it must have been sad to stop breastfeeding your eldest even though you were finding it irritating. The rugby ball hold was one that worked really well with my two in the early days too 🙂
Jenny Eaves says
It was definitely sad, but he still had a good run really. The rugby ball hold is definitely a good one to know about. 🙂 x