Rising through the odds: Navigating my Breastfeeding Challenges

Breastfeeding was a challenge

I am a mother of two. When I had my first baby in 2021 during peak COVID, I had no knowledge about breastfeeding. Despite being told that breastfeeding would come naturally, I faced many challenges. I gave birth to a late preterm baby and couldn't initiate breastfeeding in the first 36 hours. The nurse discarded my first expressed milk saying it's dirty. I was ridiculed for having flat nipple. When I could just express 30 ml in the first few days per session, i was told my milk supply is low. The baby didn't latch and when it did, it was extremely painful and again i was told it's normal to have pain. We caught COVID during the second week from delivery and things went downhill. My daughter lost more than 500 gms of birth weight and I had to switch to formula out of fear. Giving her a bottle made it worse to continue my breastfeeding. It took me a month to understand the nuances of breastfeeding, supply -demand and other concepts which helped me become an EPF mom. I was able to continue for almost an year and also donated milk.

Lactation education made it easy

Having been traumatized with my first, i chose to attend a breastfeed session with my husband during my second pregnancy. We visited a lactation consultant on day 5 post delivery when I experienced mild nipple pain. My LC quickly corrected my latch and it has been a joyous ride of 6 months. Yes , we still have ups and downs. Say, I recently had to formula feed my baby for medical reasons and I was able to quickly transition back to bf. I still do have my doubts, questions but the core concepts, knowledge and trusting my body and baby helps me navigate it.

My 2 cents for new mothers:

My kind advice to new mothers is to prioritise understanding breastfeeding. There are too many _many complexities and nuances in it that could often misled the new mother if under-prepared. We are very emotionally vulnerable after delivery, and slightest questions or criticism on our supply or baby's growth can affect our confidence. It’s important for every mother to make an informed choice regarding breastfeeding or formula feeding without being misled by false myths. When in doubt, please do not shy away from reaching out to an LC.

(As Told by Swati, Momly Mom)