The one thing I can't get enough of?
Milk drunk baby:)
My heart melts.
This is part of the Breastfeeding Blog hop hosted by The Slacker Mom , The Gnomes Mom and Happiness Redefined
Showing posts with label breastfeeding blog hop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breastfeeding blog hop. Show all posts
Thursday, 19 April 2012
Heart melting moments
This week's blog hop is about our favourite things about breastfeeding.
The one thing I can't get enough of?
Milk drunk baby:)
My heart melts.
This is part of the Breastfeeding Blog hop hosted by The Slacker Mom , The Gnomes Mom and Happiness Redefined
The one thing I can't get enough of?
Milk drunk baby:)
My heart melts.
This is part of the Breastfeeding Blog hop hosted by The Slacker Mom , The Gnomes Mom and Happiness Redefined
Thursday, 12 April 2012
Anger & Guilt
I didn't breastfeed Noah, my eldest. All through my pregnancy I was adamant I was not going to. My friend had had a few problems breastfeeding her baby that included stays in hospital, infection, needles and a cannula. My phobia of needles would not let this be a possibility for me. So despite my husband saying he thought I should give it a try, I WAS NOT going to risk it, I was not going to breastfeed my baby.
Cut to delivery room. After Noah's birth, the midwives had to go and help out with an emergency situation, so Noah, myself and Tim were left alone for almost an hour in the delivery room.
Noah started to cry for food. I had already told the midwives my intention was to formula feed. However, when Noah started to cry for food, my instinct took over and I tried unsuccessfully to latch him on, I thought even if he had one feed off me, and had some of the colostrum that was better than nothing and it would stop him being hungry.
The midwife came in at the exact moment I decided to try to feed him. "You told me you were going to formula feed, you'll confuse him" were her words. So I didn't latch him on. How she thought a baby who had had neither breast nor formula would be confused I'm not entirely sure. She didn't offer to help. Why not? If she saw that I was trying to breastfeed, why didn't she ask if I had changed my mind? Why didn't she say she would help me if I wanted to try at least? She fetched me a bottle of formula and that was that.
10 days post birth, my hormones went in to overdrive. I wanted to breastfeed my baby. I needed to breastfeed my baby. But my milk had come and gone within 36 hours of birth. I asked my health visitor if it was possible to start 10 days after birth? She assured me it was possible, but it would be hard work. I would need to latch him on, let him suckle for "x" amount of time, then pump for 40 minutes or until I had collected 2oz.
But Noah didn't want to know. We tried a few times to latch on, but he just screamed and screamed. I got upset. So I left it. He was gaining weight, I wouldn't say he was happy and settled, he had a lot of digestive problems including reflux. Who knows if I had breastfed if he would have had those issues? Possibly. Possibly not.
Even now 3 1/2 years on, I still feel tremendous guilt about this. Mostly I am angry that the midwife didn't try and talk to me and offer to help. Surely seeing me trying to latch my newborn baby on should have indicated I was at least having doubts about my feeding choice? Apart from 2 problems my breastfeeding relationship with Benjamin has been so easy. This makes my guilt about Noah worse. I know it doesn't mean even if we had of tried we would have been successful, but I'll never know and that hurts.
I don't think our relationship has suffered because of it. We still bonded, although my bond with Noah is different to my bond with Benjamin. I think this is one reason I am SO determined to breastfeed Benjamin as long as possible.
This post is part of the Breastfeeding Blog Hop hosted by The Slacker Mom , Happiness Redefined and The Gnomes Mom .
This post is part of the Breastfeeding Blog Hop hosted by The Slacker Mom , Happiness Redefined and The Gnomes Mom .
Thursday, 29 March 2012
Mummy vs anti breastfeeding Dr
This post is part of the Breastfeeding blog hop hosted by The Slacker Mom , Happiness redefined and The Gnomes Mom . This week someone must have been picking up my vibes I was sending out in to the blogosphere for this week's hop to be about supply issues. Thankfully Erin was hearing me and this weeks topic is low supply.
I didn't post in last week's hop, although I did read. The topic was bumps in the road. I had already posted a couple of weeks ago about the ONLY problem we have had in the journey so far. How ironic then that on Saturday afternoon I came down with Gastroenteritis, and we would hit our biggest hurdle yet. Benjamin and Noah had both succumbed already, it was obvious it was only a matter of time before I got sick too.
Honestly, although I detest vomiting and regard it as my own personal hell, I have been far worse when I have had Gastroenteritis in the past. The last 4 years on the trot in the winter I have had it. Last year at 32 weeks pregnant I was hospitalised and had 4 litres of fluid dripped in to me:/
So it came as a total shock to me that Sunday morning I would wake up, feeling very empty. Benjamin had slept for a 7 hour stretch, then a 4 hour stretch and had had a minimal comfort feed to get back to sleep. (very unusual for him, but being poorly I excused him) I had expected that I would be rather uncomfortable and engorged as is usually the case when Ben doesn't feed much through the night.
Throughout the rest of the day and in to Monday Benjamin became very distressed when feeding, and it became obvious to me that being ill had seriously affected my supply. I had hardly any left. I started to pump in between feeds, but I wasn't even getting an ounce out. I know that how much you get out when you pump is not an indicator of supply, but added to Benjamin's fussiness, the fact that my let down had gone from 25 seconds in to 3-4 minutes (15 on the pump) and the way I was feeling, I knew we were heading for trouble.
I have to admit to panicking. I spent hours online searching for threads on breastfeeding community boards to see if anyone had had similar after an illness and how they recovered. A friend of mine had similar happen to her after she had the same tummy bug, and assured me that once I was re hydrated my supply would return.
On Monday I walked in to town and brought some Fenugreek, as I had read that helps with supply. The tablets were huge! I gagged each time I tried to swallow one. They smelt awful, and even worse, in the middle of the night when I had a most awful night sweat, I smelt like maple syrup! Ben seemed to get more fussy as I took the Fenugreek, maybe what milk I had left tasted different to him?
On Tuesday I spoke to a breastfeeding buddy, who advised I stop pumping as it would just make me sore if I was getting nothing out. This concerned me as by now Benjamin was not latching on for more than 10 seconds. I was emotionally distraught as I am not ready to stop feeding Ben, and the fact that it may be a forced issue due to illness grated even more. I spoke to my Mum who told me to give him formula. I think I was very short with her on more than one occasion regarding this, as I didn't want him to have formula. I felt we had gotten this far in without it, why now? Mum was telling me he needed to eat, obviously he was hungry, and distressed. I walked back to town and brought 4 packs of pre-made formula. I tried him with it he spat it out. I sobbed.
On Wednesday morning I called the Dr surgery to ask for an appointment. The breast feeding buddy had told me about a drug you can get prescribed that boosts supply, and she thought maybe I should ask the Dr for some. I felt I had tried the "natural" way - frequent nursing/drinking/eating/pumping/herbs, and it just wasn't happening like people had told me it would, so I was hopeful that the Dr could help us get back on track.
I explained the situation to the Dr. This is how some of the conversation went that followed.
Dr " how long did you want to keep breastfeeding for?"
Me "until it is mutually agreeable between me and Ben to stop" (looks at me as if I'm some "radical breast feeding hippy" mum who will be feeding my child aged 8)
Dr "I'm reluctant to prescribe the drug, there is no evidence it does work"
Me "oh"
Dr " maybe this is your bodies way of saying it's time to stop"
Me - speechless!!
I actually thought, right then, that's it, game over. She isn't going to help. I ALMOST accepted what she was saying. Why? Because I have an issue with authority. I can never stand up for myself in situations with professionals such as Dr's. But then I thought, wait, it's Benjamin I'm standing up for! He is a breastfed baby. It's what he knows, it's what we enjoy. It's what is best for him.
I was just gobsmacked! That an NHS professional, who is supposed to promote breastfeeding as per government and WHO guidelines is telling me that because I vomited 3 times, and my body is not quite up to par, it is time for me to stop feeding my baby.
Dr " He's 10 months just put him on normal milk"
Again, Gobsmacked! Just what is "normal milk" for a 10 month old? Yes, breast milk that's right.
The Dr did then say if I wanted the drug she would reluctantly give it me. So I said I would take a prescription "in case", and if in a couple of days it hadn't worked, and my milk supply didn't come back then yes, I would concede that maybe it was time to move on, but I wanted to do EVERYTHING in my power to get back on track before I gave up. In my head I'm thinking, no chance lady, that drug is being taken the second I get home.
So I am now taking Domperidone (an anti sickness drug with a side effect of producing breast milk, in both men and women! Great for nursing Mums, not so much for the body builder that can't stop puking:) 4 times a day, and still offering frequent nursing sessions. Again I took to the Internet to seek out women who had used this to see what my chances of success were. To my absolute delight I found lots of success stories, including two from personal friends.
I was expecting it to take a good 3 days to kick in, so imagine my absolute delight when I woke this morning to full, heavy milk filled boobies! I am feeling my let down reflex again, not as quick as the 30 seconds in that it used to be, but in less than a minute. Benjamin is a different baby today. He is way more chilled out, not fussing during nursing, bedtime was easy like it was only a week ago. Mummy is also incredibly happy.
I am going to keep up with the Domperidone for a couple of weeks just to ensure that my supply doesn't drop off again, which will mean a trip back for another prescription to the anti breastfeeding Dr:(
My advice if you are having supply issues; first off relax. Something I wish I had done. Stress will hinder your supply more. Listen to your body and your instincts if you think there is a problem, go for help. Don't let unhelpful people try to change your mind. If you are determined to keep nursing, stay strong, keep baby close, lots of skin to skin contact, offer the boob frequently. Look after yourself by making sure you are resting - if you can, have a nursing vacation and just stay in bed and nurse for 24 hours (unfortunately with a 3 year old this wasn't an option for me), make sure you are eating and drinking enough. But most importantly listen to baby and trust your instincts.
I KNEW I was not giving up nursing unless I HAD to. Even though people around you probably are offering advice with your best interests at heart, listen to yours and make the decision that is best for you and your family.
xx
I didn't post in last week's hop, although I did read. The topic was bumps in the road. I had already posted a couple of weeks ago about the ONLY problem we have had in the journey so far. How ironic then that on Saturday afternoon I came down with Gastroenteritis, and we would hit our biggest hurdle yet. Benjamin and Noah had both succumbed already, it was obvious it was only a matter of time before I got sick too.
Honestly, although I detest vomiting and regard it as my own personal hell, I have been far worse when I have had Gastroenteritis in the past. The last 4 years on the trot in the winter I have had it. Last year at 32 weeks pregnant I was hospitalised and had 4 litres of fluid dripped in to me:/
So it came as a total shock to me that Sunday morning I would wake up, feeling very empty. Benjamin had slept for a 7 hour stretch, then a 4 hour stretch and had had a minimal comfort feed to get back to sleep. (very unusual for him, but being poorly I excused him) I had expected that I would be rather uncomfortable and engorged as is usually the case when Ben doesn't feed much through the night.
Throughout the rest of the day and in to Monday Benjamin became very distressed when feeding, and it became obvious to me that being ill had seriously affected my supply. I had hardly any left. I started to pump in between feeds, but I wasn't even getting an ounce out. I know that how much you get out when you pump is not an indicator of supply, but added to Benjamin's fussiness, the fact that my let down had gone from 25 seconds in to 3-4 minutes (15 on the pump) and the way I was feeling, I knew we were heading for trouble.
I have to admit to panicking. I spent hours online searching for threads on breastfeeding community boards to see if anyone had had similar after an illness and how they recovered. A friend of mine had similar happen to her after she had the same tummy bug, and assured me that once I was re hydrated my supply would return.
On Monday I walked in to town and brought some Fenugreek, as I had read that helps with supply. The tablets were huge! I gagged each time I tried to swallow one. They smelt awful, and even worse, in the middle of the night when I had a most awful night sweat, I smelt like maple syrup! Ben seemed to get more fussy as I took the Fenugreek, maybe what milk I had left tasted different to him?
On Tuesday I spoke to a breastfeeding buddy, who advised I stop pumping as it would just make me sore if I was getting nothing out. This concerned me as by now Benjamin was not latching on for more than 10 seconds. I was emotionally distraught as I am not ready to stop feeding Ben, and the fact that it may be a forced issue due to illness grated even more. I spoke to my Mum who told me to give him formula. I think I was very short with her on more than one occasion regarding this, as I didn't want him to have formula. I felt we had gotten this far in without it, why now? Mum was telling me he needed to eat, obviously he was hungry, and distressed. I walked back to town and brought 4 packs of pre-made formula. I tried him with it he spat it out. I sobbed.
On Wednesday morning I called the Dr surgery to ask for an appointment. The breast feeding buddy had told me about a drug you can get prescribed that boosts supply, and she thought maybe I should ask the Dr for some. I felt I had tried the "natural" way - frequent nursing/drinking/eating/pumping/herbs, and it just wasn't happening like people had told me it would, so I was hopeful that the Dr could help us get back on track.
I explained the situation to the Dr. This is how some of the conversation went that followed.
Dr " how long did you want to keep breastfeeding for?"
Me "until it is mutually agreeable between me and Ben to stop" (looks at me as if I'm some "radical breast feeding hippy" mum who will be feeding my child aged 8)
Dr "I'm reluctant to prescribe the drug, there is no evidence it does work"
Me "oh"
Dr " maybe this is your bodies way of saying it's time to stop"
Me - speechless!!
I actually thought, right then, that's it, game over. She isn't going to help. I ALMOST accepted what she was saying. Why? Because I have an issue with authority. I can never stand up for myself in situations with professionals such as Dr's. But then I thought, wait, it's Benjamin I'm standing up for! He is a breastfed baby. It's what he knows, it's what we enjoy. It's what is best for him.
I was just gobsmacked! That an NHS professional, who is supposed to promote breastfeeding as per government and WHO guidelines is telling me that because I vomited 3 times, and my body is not quite up to par, it is time for me to stop feeding my baby.
Dr " He's 10 months just put him on normal milk"
Again, Gobsmacked! Just what is "normal milk" for a 10 month old? Yes, breast milk that's right.
The Dr did then say if I wanted the drug she would reluctantly give it me. So I said I would take a prescription "in case", and if in a couple of days it hadn't worked, and my milk supply didn't come back then yes, I would concede that maybe it was time to move on, but I wanted to do EVERYTHING in my power to get back on track before I gave up. In my head I'm thinking, no chance lady, that drug is being taken the second I get home.
So I am now taking Domperidone (an anti sickness drug with a side effect of producing breast milk, in both men and women! Great for nursing Mums, not so much for the body builder that can't stop puking:) 4 times a day, and still offering frequent nursing sessions. Again I took to the Internet to seek out women who had used this to see what my chances of success were. To my absolute delight I found lots of success stories, including two from personal friends.
I was expecting it to take a good 3 days to kick in, so imagine my absolute delight when I woke this morning to full, heavy milk filled boobies! I am feeling my let down reflex again, not as quick as the 30 seconds in that it used to be, but in less than a minute. Benjamin is a different baby today. He is way more chilled out, not fussing during nursing, bedtime was easy like it was only a week ago. Mummy is also incredibly happy.
I am going to keep up with the Domperidone for a couple of weeks just to ensure that my supply doesn't drop off again, which will mean a trip back for another prescription to the anti breastfeeding Dr:(
My advice if you are having supply issues; first off relax. Something I wish I had done. Stress will hinder your supply more. Listen to your body and your instincts if you think there is a problem, go for help. Don't let unhelpful people try to change your mind. If you are determined to keep nursing, stay strong, keep baby close, lots of skin to skin contact, offer the boob frequently. Look after yourself by making sure you are resting - if you can, have a nursing vacation and just stay in bed and nurse for 24 hours (unfortunately with a 3 year old this wasn't an option for me), make sure you are eating and drinking enough. But most importantly listen to baby and trust your instincts.
I KNEW I was not giving up nursing unless I HAD to. Even though people around you probably are offering advice with your best interests at heart, listen to yours and make the decision that is best for you and your family.
xx
Friday, 16 March 2012
I'm taking my cues from my baby
This post is part of the breastfeeding blog hop hosted by Erin at The Slacker Mom Marah at happiness redefined and Lori at The Gnomes Mom .
Two months ago Benjamin went on nursing strike. He had been poorly for a while, coughing like crazy since the beginning of December, bad cold over the following weeks. Then in January he was diagnosed with croup. Three days later, I put him to bed at 630 as usual. He fed normally, fell asleep in my arms and I gently laid him in his cot.
Two hours later he woke as usual screaming for food. I tried to latch him on, but he pulled away and howled. He refused totally to feed. I didn't worry, I put him back on the bed and off to sleep he went. He woke again after another 2 hours, again he screamed and refused to feed. I tried again and again, but for three days he refused to nurse.
I was distraught. Why was my baby rejecting me? Why didn't he want to feed? What could I do to get Him feeding again? I was adamant that I didn't want to give up breastfeeding yet, although I have said from the very beginning I will feed him as long as HE wants to. But I really wasn't ready for this to be it. I had comments from a few people about maybe he was weaning himself, although I had read on various websites, The Leaky boob on Facebook being one of them, that babies under 1 rarely self wean. (a view also held by the breastfeeding counsellor I spoke to) I held on to this although people tried to tell me it could happen.
We tried skin to skin - lots of it, bathing together, but anytime my boobs went anywhere near him he howled. This strike also seemed to coincide with him having bitten me for the first time a few days prior. I didn't make a big deal about it as I had read a story on The leaky Boob about a woman whose daughter bit her, and then refused to nurse again due to the reaction of the Mum.
Why not use this as a sign he is ready to stop breastfeeding? Maybe he's reached the stage where he wants a bottle? NO! I wasn't ready and that was that! He wasn't going to stop nursing! I pumped round the clock for 4 days to maintain my supply in case he decided he wanted to nurse again. The expressed milk was syringe fed to him (at the advice of a pediatrician at the hospital) so at least he was getting my milk. It was a tough 4 days. Physically it was uncomfortable, I got engorged and bruised from pumping so much. Emotionally it was awful. I never realised how strongly I would come to love this aspect of parenting. I felt immensely guilty for reading during the bedtime feed. If that was our last breastfeed, it wasn't very special, I read, I didn't savour our time together. Since then I have made sure that each feed My focus is Benjamin. I don't read or watch tv, it's time for us to be close. I savour each minute, in case it never happens again.
Thankfully, after 4 days I managed to get him to latch on. He was screaming at me so I just shoved my boob in and he got on with it. It was hit and miss for the next 24 hours, but here we are 2 months later as if nothing has ever happenned. But it made me think about the whole weaning process. I am still determined to feed until Benjamin is ready to wean himself. I want it to be his decision, and if that is sooner than I hope for then that is my issue and I will have to learn to accept it and work through it.
The WHO recommends breastfeeding for 2 years. Right now my goal is to get to 1 year, which is in 8 weeks time. My sister said to me yesterday that she thinks I will be one of those "hippies who feed until the child is 8". I laughed and told her it wouldn't be that long, but it would be for as long as he wants. The decision to stop needs to come from Benjamin, and I will take my lead from him. I don't want to force him to stop before he is ready for some misguided notion of convenience or getting a decent night sleep, or because society for some reason seems to look at extended breastfeeding as if it is something weird that shouldn't be done.
Having said that, I don't want it to be all of a sudden like when he went on strike. Ideally I would like it to be a gradual process, cutting out morning and day feeds first for example. I would like to be able to know that it is time for our last feed, so I can savour it, and remember exactly how it feels to nurse a baby.
Two months ago Benjamin went on nursing strike. He had been poorly for a while, coughing like crazy since the beginning of December, bad cold over the following weeks. Then in January he was diagnosed with croup. Three days later, I put him to bed at 630 as usual. He fed normally, fell asleep in my arms and I gently laid him in his cot.
Two hours later he woke as usual screaming for food. I tried to latch him on, but he pulled away and howled. He refused totally to feed. I didn't worry, I put him back on the bed and off to sleep he went. He woke again after another 2 hours, again he screamed and refused to feed. I tried again and again, but for three days he refused to nurse.
I was distraught. Why was my baby rejecting me? Why didn't he want to feed? What could I do to get Him feeding again? I was adamant that I didn't want to give up breastfeeding yet, although I have said from the very beginning I will feed him as long as HE wants to. But I really wasn't ready for this to be it. I had comments from a few people about maybe he was weaning himself, although I had read on various websites, The Leaky boob on Facebook being one of them, that babies under 1 rarely self wean. (a view also held by the breastfeeding counsellor I spoke to) I held on to this although people tried to tell me it could happen.
We tried skin to skin - lots of it, bathing together, but anytime my boobs went anywhere near him he howled. This strike also seemed to coincide with him having bitten me for the first time a few days prior. I didn't make a big deal about it as I had read a story on The leaky Boob about a woman whose daughter bit her, and then refused to nurse again due to the reaction of the Mum.
Why not use this as a sign he is ready to stop breastfeeding? Maybe he's reached the stage where he wants a bottle? NO! I wasn't ready and that was that! He wasn't going to stop nursing! I pumped round the clock for 4 days to maintain my supply in case he decided he wanted to nurse again. The expressed milk was syringe fed to him (at the advice of a pediatrician at the hospital) so at least he was getting my milk. It was a tough 4 days. Physically it was uncomfortable, I got engorged and bruised from pumping so much. Emotionally it was awful. I never realised how strongly I would come to love this aspect of parenting. I felt immensely guilty for reading during the bedtime feed. If that was our last breastfeed, it wasn't very special, I read, I didn't savour our time together. Since then I have made sure that each feed My focus is Benjamin. I don't read or watch tv, it's time for us to be close. I savour each minute, in case it never happens again.
 |
| Benjamin breaks the nursing strike |
Thankfully, after 4 days I managed to get him to latch on. He was screaming at me so I just shoved my boob in and he got on with it. It was hit and miss for the next 24 hours, but here we are 2 months later as if nothing has ever happenned. But it made me think about the whole weaning process. I am still determined to feed until Benjamin is ready to wean himself. I want it to be his decision, and if that is sooner than I hope for then that is my issue and I will have to learn to accept it and work through it.
The WHO recommends breastfeeding for 2 years. Right now my goal is to get to 1 year, which is in 8 weeks time. My sister said to me yesterday that she thinks I will be one of those "hippies who feed until the child is 8". I laughed and told her it wouldn't be that long, but it would be for as long as he wants. The decision to stop needs to come from Benjamin, and I will take my lead from him. I don't want to force him to stop before he is ready for some misguided notion of convenience or getting a decent night sleep, or because society for some reason seems to look at extended breastfeeding as if it is something weird that shouldn't be done.
Having said that, I don't want it to be all of a sudden like when he went on strike. Ideally I would like it to be a gradual process, cutting out morning and day feeds first for example. I would like to be able to know that it is time for our last feed, so I can savour it, and remember exactly how it feels to nurse a baby.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
My top 5 Breastfeeding "tools"
This post is part of the Breastfeeding blog hop, hosted by www.theslackermum.com
This is my first experience breastfeeding a baby, although Benjamin is my second child. My first pregnancy I had issues regarding this whole area of parenting, so when it came to being pregnant with Ben, I was adamant I wanted to breastfeed,but I had no idea what to expect. Anyway we are 5 days shy of 10 months nursing, and along the way these few things have proved invaluable me.
iPhone: I swear Steve Jobs had nursing Mums in mind when he invented this wonderful gadget. With my Kindle app installed I can read, I can check the news, I can check out facebook,blog, I can chat with my friends, play words with friends. Night feeds are no longer lonely. Multi-tasking at it's best.
Why did no one tell me how HUNGRY I was going to be? I am constantly eating, even now, 10 months on. Especially during the night feeds. I fear my dentist is not going to be very pleased with me. Digestives are my friend:)
Not so much during the day, but at night I drink SO much water. Always thirsty, if I don't drink enough, by 7pm my head is absolutely splitting open. Nursing really is hard work on the body.
Apologies to my male readers, but I have FAST milk flow, and a very good supply. I leak. If Ben doesn't have much at one feed, and the pad is not positioned correctly, then milk starts flowing. It's messy! Sometimes if it has been a while since a feed, I only have to be near him or look at him for my let down to be activated! Thankful for this invention;)
Lastly I am SO thankful for my amazing support network I have, both online and in real life. I often go to a breastfeeding support group at the local Children's centre. It gives me a chance to meet other new mums and to get support from trained support workers if I need it, and I have needed it on occasions. One friend in the United States has been a MASSIVE support to me. Her very pro-nursing stance has been passed along to me, and she has a wealth of knowledge & experience that I can draw on (she is currently nursing her 3rd baby). She has given me advice, support and an ear when I have needed it.
What an amazing journey this last 10 months has been. When I am nursing Benjamin, no one is closer to me emotionally than He is. I am enjoying this new relationship in a way I never thought possible. I look forward to continuing as long as Benjamin wants.
This is my first experience breastfeeding a baby, although Benjamin is my second child. My first pregnancy I had issues regarding this whole area of parenting, so when it came to being pregnant with Ben, I was adamant I wanted to breastfeed,but I had no idea what to expect. Anyway we are 5 days shy of 10 months nursing, and along the way these few things have proved invaluable me.
Why did no one tell me how HUNGRY I was going to be? I am constantly eating, even now, 10 months on. Especially during the night feeds. I fear my dentist is not going to be very pleased with me. Digestives are my friend:)
Lastly I am SO thankful for my amazing support network I have, both online and in real life. I often go to a breastfeeding support group at the local Children's centre. It gives me a chance to meet other new mums and to get support from trained support workers if I need it, and I have needed it on occasions. One friend in the United States has been a MASSIVE support to me. Her very pro-nursing stance has been passed along to me, and she has a wealth of knowledge & experience that I can draw on (she is currently nursing her 3rd baby). She has given me advice, support and an ear when I have needed it.
What an amazing journey this last 10 months has been. When I am nursing Benjamin, no one is closer to me emotionally than He is. I am enjoying this new relationship in a way I never thought possible. I look forward to continuing as long as Benjamin wants.
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