The ‘Pink Ladies’ and my fairy godmother of breastfeeding…
When I was pregnant with my first baby I was given all the information about breast feeding that mums-to-be are – the leaflets showing a good latch, the DVD with happy stories, the midwife telling me that I should breast feed – but I still really didn’t have a clue what to expect. Not even the knitted breast produced by the NCT tutor helped (can’t think why)! I suppose what all of that told me was that breast feeding is really important and you really should give it everything you’ve got. But what it didn’t tell me was how it would actually be.
So how was it… actually for me? So, I’d just gone through the most mind bogglingly massive event of my life – giving birth to my son. I was exhausted but elated… not really wanting to do anything ever again apart from lie still and gaze at the tiny new baby. Then the chirpy midwife says, ‘right, let’s get this baby feeding!’ What, now?! I know I’ve got to, but can’t it wait just a little… I don’t have a clue what to do and I’m knackered?!
It’s a strange feeling having your nipple manually handled into a baby’s mouth (a baby who, by the way, also didn’t have a clue what he was doing!). The midwife seemed to feel happy that we’d got a good ‘latch’ and we were happily discharged home just a couple of hours after the birth. But once we were home, I really didn’t feel confident that I knew how to feed this little person. It seemed to take ages to get him latched on to the breast, I couldn’t really tell if he was taking anything and my nipples were not appreciating all this attention. So much for all those gushy stories about breastfeeding! And then along came my fairy godmother – the amazing breastfeeding advisor who visited us at home and actually helped my son and me to find our own technique that worked for us without the need to tweek or prod or belittle. She kept popping in or calling until she was sure that my confidence levels were up. And my confidence levels did increase, as did, gradually, my enjoyment of breastfeeding.
But that’s not to say that the early weeks of breastfeeding suddenly became a doddle. I remember aches and pains and bleeding nipples (on that note, there was a scarey day when I saw blood in my baby’s milk sick, then worked out it wasn’t him, it was blood from my nipple in the milk… phew!). So when I hear people saying that breastfeeding is easy or pain-free, for those early weeks, I really can’t agree. But I would agree that if you and the baby manage to keep going with it, it does get easier and eventually it becomes a pleasure.
I was lucky. My body managed to produce enough milk for my son, he managed to sort out how to feed and between us we kept breastfeeding for 13 months. So I became a fan of breastfeeding. But equally I would always say to friends who ask about it that of course, as a mum, you’re trying to do everything that’s best for your baby… but you’ve also got to look after yourself. And if breastfeeding isn’t working out for whatever reason, then surely an exhausted, stressed out mum isn’t best for baby?
Katie is a speech therapist and mum to Rowan, 3 and Isla, 22 months
Just a little note – the ‘breastfeeding advisor’ that Katie refers to is one of the ‘Pink Ladies’ who help new mums in the North East Essex area, around Colchester and Tendring. They are all trained to UNICEF Baby Friendly standards. If you live in this area, call their Breastfeeding Support Line on 01255 202714.
Katie will also be writing a part 2 for us, about her experiences with a tongue-tied Isla, her (real) top tips for breastfeeding and what she expects for baby number 3!
Tags: breastfeeding, guest post