A New Mom's breastfeeding experience

My special thanks to my Mom, my mom-in-law, my sister Neha, my friends Suma, Monica and Anurita Didi and last but not the least my dear husband for supporting me in my breastfeeding endeavour.

Breastfeeding is a very unique and gifted experience for women but at times it can become very daunting and difficult for some new mothers as well. It requires tremendous practise and patience. For me it has been a roller coaster ride. I started out right but the journey ahead was not easy. My daughter Gia was born on 21st January 2011 through a C-section and within minutes of her birth the nurse brought her to me for feeding. I remember I was still on the stretcher and was not even transferred to my room. I was exhausted and drained after the operation as it was an unplanned Cesarean after an unsuccessful effort at getting induced and bearing labor pains half way.

But as soon as Gia came close to me and we touched each other everything seemed worthwhile. My milk (colostrum) had started to ooze out and she was sucking naturally. It seemed she was an expert at it (that's was the nurses said at the hospital). Our stay in the hospital for 5 days was very comfortable. She latched on perfectly. she would stay in the nursery and the nurse would get her to me whenever she needed feedings (almost in  every 2-3 hours). They would bathe her, change her clothes, change her diapers most of the times. I was also looked after very well with food arriving timely and the nursery nurses making sure that I am properly feeding the baby - they would make me sit comfortably, position the baby correctly, propping pillows behind my back, sides and arms.

Once we were home the real trouble began. Taking care of myself as well as Gia was not easy. Gia baby wouldn't latch well. She would cry every time I tried to feed her. She would sleep between feedings and when she would get up she would be even more crankier. It was hard. There were nights that were horrible. My husband and I would hold the baby entire night to keep her from crying.

Then I called my lactation consultant at hospital and she told me to try to give her a bottle first and then make her latch on to the breast. I did that and behold it worked. Next time my husband tried that with a pacifier and that worked as well. So we figured out the first problem in breastfeeding and fortunately found an answer to that. In the days to come I found answers to a lot of other issues. Here is an account of what I learnt from my family , friends and my own experience.

• Problem with latching - One of the solutions is to avoid giving your baby bottle or pacifier for at least  a month or 6 weeks. 
• Pacifier or soother works against breastfeeding - The nurses at that the hospital gave pacifier to my baby which was something she got hooked on for a couple of months till we firmly decided to avoid its use completely.
• Positioning - Proper positioning is very important. Once I was home I had to try with different pillows but nothing worked quite well until I got hold of the boopy pillow. It did wonders. You need to sit comfortably in your bed or rocking chair. My favorite spot was the bed with a regular pillow behind my back leaning on the bed frame. You should not start feeding your baby until you both are comfortably positioned.
• Feeding Frequently - Infrequent feedings in the early weeks can harm your milk supply.  At home I wasn't waking up Gia often for feedings which wasn't quite right. After the operation my body was weak and at times I felt lethargic in getting up and feeding the baby. But it wasn't right. The newborn baby sleeps a lot during the first few weeks and if you don't wake them often (maybe every 2-3 hours to feed), it will make them cranky when they get up and then it might be hard to latch on.
• Proper Nutrition and Rest- One thing that I learnt during breastfeeding was that proper nutrition and rest is very important if you want to continue breastfeeding. Otherwise, after a few months the new mom can get really exhausted with the entire experience and give up easily. Drinking enough fluids is very important to keep up the milk supply.

Substituting with formula is fine once in a while or at times you feel you need a break. But if you plan to substitute on a regular basis make sure you breast pump that time.

Happy Breastfeeding :)