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| Jenson |
For me I never contemplated using a bottle, I always wanted to try breast feeding and I don’t even remember deciding. I think I just ‘knew’ it was for me and what I wanted to do for my baby. Having seen friends around me unable to successfully achieve breast feeding I was aware that I might not be able to when it came down to it BUT I was determined to try. I know that my mum breast fed my brother and I and my nan did her and my uncle so maybe thats why subconsciously I wanted to?
Personally, I feel that it is the best start you can give your baby IF you are able to do it of course as I am fully aware that it is not achievable for everyone.
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| Burton |
Knowing that I am providing all the goodness and nutrients both my babies needed to allow them to grow and develop during the first 5-6 months of their little lives. I actually find the way my boobs can (well, did!) produce milk amazing; how my baby can make me produce more milk whenever a growth spurt occurred. I loved how my boobs and my baby were so in-tune with one another.
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| Jenson’s 1st latch on |
Yes! I found it very hard to achieve successful latch on with Burton. I was only in hospital for 12 hours after he was born and I wasn’t allowed to leave until successful latch on had been established. Well I was so keen to get out and get home and allow my family to meet him, that I may have told a little white lie and told the hospital staff that it had happened. So of course I arrived home and an hour later Burton is screaming for his milk and I have family downstairs and I cannot get him to latch on. He is screaming louder and louder, I am tired and getting hot and bothered and a bit teary, which of course he is picking up on and which is making him more irritable. I ended up sending Jon out to buy some formula milk because I was panicking that I couldn’t breast feed him and Jon gave him a bottle of it and I don’t think he actually took very much.
Thats the one and only time formula milk was fed to him because thankfully Jon’s mum came to the rescue and showed me how to get Burton to latch on and at last he got his feed!
However, after she left I still couldn’t do it very well and bless her but she came out and saw me everyday for the first week and helped me to get Burton to latch on. I have to say if it hadn’t been for her (and Emma, my SIL if I were married) I don’t know if I would have been able to continue breast feeding because it was so hard.
Thankfully, breastfeeding Jenson was so much easier even though I remember worrying that I would forget how to do it once my baby was born. Maybe its because I was more relaxed the second time round or Jenson was a better feeder I have no idea – but it was better.
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| Burton |
Uncomfortable! I didn’t like doing it because I would get all hot and bothered! If I was ever out in town and knew it was getting near feeding time I would hurry home. If I ever did have to feed him while I was out and about then I would go and hide myself away in a disabled toilet in my local M & S!! Awful really as I would have to sit on the actual toilet (fully dressed of course – but they never have seats!) for about 20 minutes while people would try the door handle!
There is a coffee shop in town which openly welcomes breast feeding mums and I know you are allowed to breast feed in public but I never had the confidence to do it alone.
How hard it was being to be and that Mothercare has a room for changing and feeding your baby!
Now I am going to tag
Lauren from TheRealHouswifeOfSuffolkCounty
Lindsey from DoSnailsNeedDoulas
Emma from MummyMusings
If any other breast feeders reading this would like to join in then please do and remember to link back up to Carolin by clicking on the above badge.
Thank you xx
Oh I am so doing this.
brilliant Steph! there are some great reads already. x
Really interesting post, you prob know I didn’t BF but I always thought I would (I had brought bottles but because I planned to express too, we had no formula) I too lied to the midwife when they asked me if he’d latched on so they’d let me go home – it ended up with Aaron doing a mad dash to a 24 hr petrol station to get formula. The midwives who visited me in the next few days tried to help me get him to latch but I couldn’t do it and we gave him formula each day until about 4 days old when I gave up. This time round I’m going to try again but I’m still coming up with loads of reasons why I don’t want to!
Ahh this is lovely. It was hard to write mine bearing in mind how hard some people find it because I didn’t have any problems but I know how lucky I was and am worried that next time will be really difficult! It is such a special thing to do though xx
I am in awe of Mum’s who successfully breast feed their babies – I was always adamant that I would breast feed any babies I had and I tried with all of them but sadly it just wasn’t to be and on each of the 3 occasions I tried I was advised by my Midwife’s to switch to formula as none of my babies were thriving.
I managed 3 weeks of feeding with Harry & I am proud of that as that was the longest I ever managed.
If I ever fell pregnant again I would try & breastfeed again.
Well done all you breast feeding Mummies!!!!
Thanks for joining in, lovely. I tried lying to my midwife but she was having none of it. She wanted to see Amy latching on and drinking and I got so stressed out because I desperately wanted to go home so my parents and sister could have at least an evening with Amy before they had to go back home to Germany. Horrible!
I had the latching problem as well with my eldest, even after spending 3 days in hospital learning how. First night home he refused to latch and that was that. I failed with #2 as well but thankfully I managed with #3 until 2yrs 8mths and #4 is still breastfeeding at 2yrs 1mth. So well done on working through the latch
Its really interesting to hear other people’s breastfeeding stories. I exclusively bf until Mads was about 10 months, and I have often documented what a struggle it was. That said once it was sorted it was the most amazing thing in the world- sometimes I miss it! x
i don’t really miss it now, although as i mentioned it feels strange to know that i will never do it again. it can be a struggle can’t it like feeds every 2 hours but its all worth it when you see them grow before your eyes x
thank you, it would have been so easy to have given up i must admit. you have done well to feed so long with your last two children. I don’t know if i would have wanted to feed for that long, but then if either of mine had I expect I would have continued. x
thanks for your comment. I think you did well to feed for any time – and that wasn’t meant to sound patronising. its just not achievable for all of us is it? its so ruddy hard going and tiring. plus if the midwife advised you then you had to do what was right for your babies, after all thats the most important thing xx
it does not hemp when you are stressed does it? makes the entire situation a whole lot worse! still you got there in the end yay 🙂
thanks for a great meme xx
see theres a lesson pin there somewhere isn’t there? don’t lie to the midwife!!! you should only try if you want to Emma and not because you feel you should. if you want too use formula again then do, look at leo he is healthy and well and so its not a bad thing. BUT if you do want to attempt breast feeding then do and make sure you ask for the help this time xxx
It didn’t help at all but hey ho, I got over it 🙂