Nav’s Breastfeeding Story.
I had always looked forward to breastfeeding and seeing adverts on TV it all looked so simple and lovely and I was determined that would be me and I imagined it to come so easily and naturally.
When I had my daughter 2 years ago via c-section, she never latched on properly or took to the breast that well which resulted in her losing 14% of her birth weight and then never took to the breast at all then as I was having to express my engorged breasts and bottle feed her.
It was such an exhausting time and I never got any sleep. I was heartbroken that my vision of breastfeeding was shattered. I was also getting sharp pains in my breast which no-one was able to pin point what it could be, it felt like a sharp knife.
I started to get this pain during my second pregnancy and I got very anxious that I would not be able to breastfeed without that pain again and it would just be ruined again.
However this time I was determined this would not happen. I wanted all the support I could get which couldn’t have been at a worse time due to lockdown and limited access to services.
However I managed to access a lactation consultant who gave me a lot of support and provided guidance to a breastfeeding specialist that worked on the ward where I was having my baby. After many phone conversations and planning I was given so much support prior to the birth of my baby and started to look forward to my breastfeeding journey.
I was advised to collect colostrum prior to the birth from 36 weeks. I was unsure how I felt about this as I had never done this before and never knew anyone who had done this either. After reading about it and talking to the specialist I decided to give this a go. I could either get some or not. I was very successful at collecting colostrum and labelled it and froze it to take it with me. I am so glad I did this and I would recommend everyone to do this if they can.
Once I had my baby the breastfeeding specialist who I had kept in touch with came to see me and we both started our breastfeeding journey. I had so much support and it made a huge difference.
My second daughter was born by c-section and wouldn’t really latch on again, so the colostrum came in handy. I used the colostrum to give my baby. before she latched on when she was struggling and this enticed her taste buds and she latched on for more.
It was hard to do without the support and I don’t think I would have come this far without the amazing support i have received.
Everything was going really well, then after one week I got a cracked nipple and breastfeeding became really painful on that side and I used to dread feeding her on that side. I used to cry, flinch and tense up every time she latched on. One she was on it felt fine and the feed was fine.
To help cope with the pain I started to introduce one bottle before bed of formula to give my nipple a longer break to allow time to heal. I used lots of Lansinoh cream and aired my nipple as much as I could and still do.
I have kept in touch with my breastfeeding specialist on a weekly basis and when I told her about my cracked nipple she asked me to come back to see her. We went through different latching techniques and different styles and positions which made a huge difference and although it still hurt a little bit any my nipple is still cracked (on the mend) the latch has improved.
My baby is now four weeks and we are doing really well with breastfeeding because of all the support I had. Without this support I would definitely have given up by week 1. Although it is challenging and managing engorgement and fullness when baby has had a longer gap between feeds and leaking milk etc. It is definitely worth it and I am glad I stuck with it and had the right support to do this.
It saves on washing lots of bottles in the early days when all you want to do is rest and sleep as much as you can and at night it is easier.
The best part of breastfeeding is having that time with your baby that no-one can take away from you and it is something to make the most of. It is such lovely bonding time, even if it is hard at times.
Emotionally it has been a rollercoaster, some days are really good and I love it and other days (mainly when my nipple was sore) I did not enjoy it one bit and wanted to give up.
Breastfeeding should not be underestimated it is something that you and your baby have to learn together so just keep at it if it is something you really want to do. It is very to just give up and give bottles. Always get support early on when you feel like things are not going to plan or starting to get sore or you feel your latch needs working on. The latch is so important and is the main part of feeding, if your latch is right then feeding is such a lovely and wonderful experience. Never sit in silence and enjoy every part of your journey however long you decide for it to be. Be proud of how far and how long you have breastfed for or even if you haven’t, there is no right or wrong, just do what is right for you and your baby.
