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Before Natalya was born I knew that I wanted to breast feed. I had read enough to know that there were significant health benefits both for her and me if I did. What I didn’t read about and I really wish that I had was how to breast feed.
When I went to the ante natal class (one whole day session) they told us about the benefits of breast feeding but they didn’t give us information on how. They said that they would show us when the baby was born.
Due to my doctor being out of town and some complications I ended up being transferred to a bigger hospital in the city 45 minutes drive away from home. When baby was born and it came time to breastfeed, I had some difficulties getting it right. As an older first time mum this was really upsetting.
They apparently do watch breast feeding videos etc in their anti-natal classes. Unfortunately for me the video tape they use was broken so they couldn’t show it to me. As you know each few hours the shift changes and you get a new midwife. Finally one of them brought out a doll and used that to show me. I was still having difficulties. Then another one gave me a handout with diagrams and some more information – that really helped a lot. I finally started to get the hang of it and was transferred back to the hospital in my home town. I asked for the video and watched it!
Then day three and my milk came in the early hours of the morning. That changed the rules again. Each feed I was having to express with the electric pump to reduce the flow but was still having difficulties. The midwife was very patient with me but I was getting quite upset. Finally in desperation I asked for a nipple shield. That really worked for me and the following day I was discharged. They let me take the video tape home to watch again and I picked up something new each time I watched it.
About two weeks after Natalya was born I went to a meeting of the Australian breast feeding association in the city 45 minutes from home. I dragged my pregnant friend along with me. I didn’t want her to go through what I had been through. There was another pregnant lady there too. She had bought a house down the road from me recently but this was the first time we had met. Now I see her regularly at mothers group. The ladies in the group were really friendly and helpful. It was a great introduction to breast feeding in public. They talked about how if you join the ABA you get a copy of the book Breast Feeding Naturally which is full of lots of helpful information on feeding.
Then after about two weeks of using the nipple shield I did some reading and found that it could cause some problems. It does however really help with the sore cracked nipples. I spoke to my child health nurse about how to get rid of it. She spent time with me and suggested that I start each feed with the shield and try to get rid of it part way through the feed. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t but eventually we got rid of the nipple shield (it did come in handy a few weeks later when Natalya went through a stage of biting (no teeth but it still hurts) and I got really sore nipples.
I joined the ABA and received my free copy of the book. It was very interesting and helpful and easy to read. I read it while Natalya was feeding and had finished it in less than a day.
A few weeks down the track Natalya decided to bite my nipples. They got so sore that feeding became quite painful. I spoke to the child health nurse who referred me to the physio at the hospital who has a special laser. One of the things this laser does is help to heal sore nipples so over a few days I had a few sessions with the laser to help my nipples heal. I also reverted back to using the nipple shield.
Then when Natalya was three months old we flew to New Zealand so she could meet Haydon’s family. The stress of traveling etc caused my milk to run out. One morning there it had run out by 10 o’clock. Because I had read the breast feeding book, had even brought it to NZ with me for reassurance! I knew what to do to help bring it back and I ignored comments suggesting that I put her on formula. I rested, I put her to my breast frequently to try to boost my supply. I figured that maybe she didn’t suck much because my milk used to be so plentiful it squirted at her so I got out the hand pump and pumped to try to increase my milk supply. Something worked and we got through it. Having read the book I felt confident that I could get through it and I did.
When I got back one of my friends told me that her lactation consultant had recommended fenugreek (a herb sold in capsule form in health food shops) to boost breast milk. When I have had low milk supply days either through stress or just struggling to keep up with one of Natalya’s growth spurts I now take fenugreeek
The other day one of the mothers at my mothers group said she was having supply problems. I lent her the book. She read it in less than a day and said that it really helped. It had reassured her and given her confidence in what she was doing.
Natalya is now almost 6 month old and has only ever had breast milk. I have resisted suggestions to put her onto solids before 6 month of age. The World Health Organization recommends that babies not start solids until 6 months.
The last 6 months have not always been easy but I have managed to breast feed the whole time thank you largely to the great information in the book (Breast Feeding Naturally) , the knowledge that there are 24 hour advice lines set up by the ABA and the great help of midwives and my child health nurses. For me having the right information available when I needed it has been invaluable. We have an ABA meeting in town next week. I have already invited another pregnant friend.
(June 2007) (
