Some moms breastfeed (BF) with no issues at all. That's not me. BFing overall, is mustering up the strength to keep going (self determination) and having the support from someone who knows your goal (Omar:). But what happens when mom chooses to stop BFing or BF partially? I say to each his/her own...Here are some of the obstacles I have already encountered and its only week 3...
WEEK 1
D1-3: Nursing in the hospital was ok, but there was definitely some pain. It was tough to be the birthing "Goddess" hospital staff called me and not have gotten a handle on BFing before discharge. So nurse after nurse and lactation counselor, I tried different poses for proper latch and scrunched my toes up at times to get through the pain. I mean, because after all, I'm CLC (certified lactation counselor) and "breast is BEST".
D4-8: Second and Third well visit to check baby Adam's weight (he was not gaining weight as fast as expected), followed by "supplementation" aka "pumped breast milk and intro to bottle feeding". I remember thinking, "Yay! He's gaining weight but at what cost???" You got it, nipple confusion. He didn't nurse for 3 days so, of course, he forgot how to latch and preferred the easy flow of the bottle over the breast. Not mentioning the 3-4 days of super pain and discomfort as my milk came in while trying to latch baby to cracked and bleeding nipples.
ouch
