First Time Breastfeeding and the Challenges!

5 years ago I was admitted into the hospital 40 weeks 1 day. I knew I was having a baby girl and could not wait for the day to meet her finally! Well the wait was finally over and baby girl was born. Woot Woot! They placed my baby girl upon my chest, then cleaned her up and then placed her back on my chest ready for her first nursing session.

I will never forget how lost I felt and clueless despite taking a class about breastfeeding. Everything was happening so fast from delivery to my daughter now here on me. Trying to process everything at a fast rate. My daughter eventually latched like she was supposed to but I had no idea if it was even correct. I asked a nurse and she was like yea she looks like she is. Clearly the nurse was just trying to give me some reassurance which worked at the time. The nurse also informed me that she would put in a request for lactation counselor to see me.

We left the hospital feeling confident about my daughter's health. My milk came and life continued to progress as one should as a first time mother. Full of emotions, second guessing stuff from time to time. Luckily I had my older sister who had just had her first son 3 months before I had mine. She helped give me some guidance with stuff so that felt great not feeling so alone.

Breastfeeding started to be excrutiatingly painful. I was miserable and ready to quit until my sister told me about a support group that she was going to. Well that was a saving grace for me because I was able to connect with mothers who were all at different stages of breastfeeeding along with a breastfeeding consultatant who was able to help me with my daughter. She was able to show me latching and show me that my daughter may not nurse long but she was definitely getting milk and gaining like she should.

So once my daughter was done nursing I happened to be pregnant with my son. Thankfully he was a lot easier with breastfeeding, I knew what to expect and what should and shouldn't happen.