My initial thoughts when pregnant were to "give it a go". We'd given so much thought to what pram to buy, nursery furniture etc, yet we'd given so little thought to how we wanted to actually feed and nourish our child. Whilst pregnant, I knew I wanted to definitely give my baby the colostrum, or the creme de la creme of mummy's milk which provides such immense goodness to baby. We didn't buy formula, and I did read up on how to breastfeed, but I never had strong feelings about breastfeeding and assumed at some point we would be using formula, and we bought bottles and a steriliser. It also never really occurred to me that breastfeeding wouldn't be easy for me or baby. Unfortunately, it isn't easy. In fact, it's hard work both for mum and baby.
The First Few Days
Although she latched on pretty well straight away, she didn't continue to latch on so well and I wasn't prepared for how much it hurt, and how exhausting it would be. Not only did it make me incredibly hungry and thirsty, she was feeding for around 40 mins at a time every 30 minutes or so through the night. Those first few nights in hospital are now a blur; I just remember thinking at the time that I just wanted to get those first few days over and done with and it was only sheer determination that kept me going. I was desperate for sleep. I'm not surprised that sleep deprivation is a form of torture. No one could ever describe how truly awful you feel physically and mentally when you are that tired. Every time I dropped off to sleep, she woke up for a feed; I had literally just fallen asleep for a few minutes and there she was crying again. I was so incredibly tempted to call the midwife and ask her to bring some formula.I thought I wasn't giving her any milk, or that I was a useless mum and it just wasn't working. I was told she was cluster feeding. I had no idea what this was....I just knew I couldn't keep my eyes open and I hadn't the energy to actually ask what this was. To top it off, the midwives told me that I wasn't allowed to fall asleep whilst breastfeeding her. In fact they were all very 'strict headmistress' about it, saying that if they caught me asleep with her at the breast they'd have to "Make a Note". I had no idea what that meant either, but in my exhausted state, with hormones making me feel ecstatic one minute and teary the next, I had visions that it meant I would have my baby taken off me for being a terrible mum. Really not very helpful when they're supposed to be supporting mums who want to breastfeed. Shame on you NHS!
Then a very nice health visitor came to see me and told me how tiny my baby's tummy was, and that she could only hold a little tiny bit of milk in her tummy, but she digested it pretty fast because it's full of lots of brilliant stuff that baby needs. Then I expressed a little of the colostrum into a syringe, and got a teeny tiny bit out and was told that was more than most mums were able to express. The midwife who helped me explained that this is why baby is on the breast so much at the moment. I then saw that my tiny precious baby needed to feed a LOT to get enough to fill her little tum. I have to say, a bottle of formula seemed like a good idea at this point. But I was determined to give my little one all the goodness I could.
Milk Came In
When my milk finally came in around day 4, wow, things changed. Milk was everywhere!! I had a massive over-supply. It was a little scary to be honest. It was leaking everywhere, and even with breast pads I was just soaked with milk. In fact as soon as she cried, I started leaking milk! Slightly embarrassing when out and about!!
But I was so glad that I allowed my baby to nurse constantly in those first few days. I read a lot about breastfeeding in those first few weeks and learnt a lot about the subject. The suckling instinct babies have encourages the mother's milk to come in. Supplementing with formula, especially in those early days, could have seriously affected my supply. So those tiring few days actually have set me up well for our breastfeeding journey.
In those first few weeks though, we did have a few problems. It's quite painful for the first few weeks. We also went through a little phase where she wouldn't feed from one side. That's quite painful too if one side doesn't get emptied, not only do you look lopsided, it's incredibly uncomfortable.
Teeth
Some people think once teeth appear that's the end of the breastfeeding journey. But before bottles and formula, mothers had to carry on breastfeeding as milk is such an important part of a babies diet for a long time. In fact, full weaning was around 4 or 5 years old. At the appearance of the first tooth, which was middle bottom in Georgia's case, I was slightly apprehensive. We did have a day of biting at one point when she had her bottom two teeth. It felt like a long day, as I had to teach her not to bite, but I was very relieved at how quickly she understood that biting meant no milk.Magic Moments
At about the 6 week mark things began getting better and easier. I can see why women with little support quit early on. However perseverance is the key because besides from the huge health benefits to baby, it has so many advantages and uses and it brings so much joy. First off is the amazing properties of breastmilk...use it for healing gunky eyes and clearing blocked noses and cracked nipples (that one's for mummy). Also for mummy there are health benefits: Women who breastfeed reduce their risk of developing breast cancer, uterine and ovarian cancers by as much as 25%. The risk of osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis is reduced significantly too. A baby’s suckling at the breast causes the uterus to contract and it will return to its normal size much faster. You also burn, on average, 300 - 500 calories a day to produce milk so many women quickly return to their pre-pregnancy weight, and can still enjoy a few treats. In my case, I enjoy lots of treats, and am nearly a stone lighter than my pre-pregnancy weight! Yay for breastfeeding! Plus, when breastfeeding, you've pretty much got to rest up. So it's a time to get comfy and have some time to recover from the stress and trauma your body's just been through. And unlike bottle feeding, you have a free arm and hand so can read, hold your drink and operate the TV remote whilst feeding your baby.There's no feeling like it when you get your baby weighed and she's put on weight and she's all chubby and squidgy, and you know that your milk has done that. The best thing though is the bond you feel with your baby. I'm in no way saying that mums who formula feed don't form bonds with their babies. But the bond I have with Georgia is extra special, and it's difficult to even put into words how you feel, and how you know your baby feels when they are nursing. The little milky cuddles are amazing; and when she comes off the breast, gives me a smile and then continues feeding, is just magical. It brings tears to my eyes and lump to my throat just thinking about it. When she falls asleep whilst feeding, all snuggled into me with that milk-drunk look, all those sleepless nights fade away and I know I've done the best thing possible for my baby.
As she's getting older now, and she's beginning to understand, she gets excited when I ask her if she wants her milk. Her face lights up and she starts beaming when it's time for her milk feed. And of course, there's absolutely no better way to soothe a baby who's upset, tired, ill or just unsettled. It's like a 'cure-all' and there were many times I would have been lost without being able to give her the comfort of the breast.
Collector Of Rods
I don't care how many people tell/told me that I'm making a rod for my own back by doing any of the following:Feeding a baby on demand; giving the breast to soothe a crying baby; feeding a baby to sleep on the breast; letting your baby use you as a dummy (this is ridiculous as a baby doesn't know what a dummy is!!! don't even get me started on this); cuddling or letting your baby suckle when they are upset.....and numerous other stupid comments or tenets spouted out by misinformed, ignorant people.
Fact is I will happily collect all these so called 'rods' if it means my baby is well fed (a breastfed baby will NOT overfeed herself), happy, not tired and well slept, suckling to increase my supply or prepare me for an imminent growth spurt, feeling loved and feeling secure. Babies are equipped with a number of instincts to keep them alive, suckling being a major one, so yes, if they want to suckle it probably means they need to for some reason.
Extended Breastfeeding
Strictly speaking, extended breastfeeding is feeding beyond the 2 year mark as the WHO (not the Dr in the Tardis, but the World Health Organisation) recommends breastfeeding for the first 2 years of life. Unfortunately because so many women in the UK are choosing not to breastfeed, or are giving up within the first 3 - 6 months, extended breastfeeding is becoming to mean feeding beyond 1 year. It's sad that so few women breastfeed for longer than 6 months as it has so many health benefits for the baby. I don't know why it is that suddenly at 1 yr old, it becomes a little "weird" to still be breastfeeding.I look at my baby, just turned 1, and there's absolutely no way she is ready to stop breastfeeding. There's nothing weird or creepy about it; it's just a mummy feeding her baby.
My desire to get through those first few days of breastfeeding lengthened to getting to 3 months, then to 6 months...somewhere along the way I wondered why on earth I had set myself a time frame on how long to feed my child? Why do I need to only breastfeed until 6 months old? I'd still need to give her milk and she's too young for cow's milk. So she'd have to have formula. Not that there's anything specifically wrong with formula, but it's not the best for my child. Somewhere along the way, my indifference towards breastfeeding has disappeared and I'm now very pro breastfeeding simply because it is best for baby, mum and it doesn't line the pockets of the baby formula companies (some who have been quite naughty in the past, and have contributed to make the natural and normal act of breastfeeding to be deemed as weird and abnormal).
Needless to say, we will be continuing until Georgia is ready to stop and I'm proud to be giving my little girl the best start in life.
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