Personal Stories

These are personal stories from Moms throughout the past two generations.  May their experiences, challenges, and successes encourage you on your own breastfeeding journey.

Lorraine’s Breastfeeding Story:

    Mine is a story that began in a fog of medicated forgetfulness and sleep.  After the birth of our daughter and the subsequent Amniotic Fluid Embolism (AFE) and Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation (DIC) that I suffered, I spent a couple of days in ICU and two more weeks on the ward.  I was grateful to be alive, but I was not allowed to begin breastfeeding at that time.  Mercifully, the hospital policy was such that I was taught how, and encouraged to pump my milk in order to keep it going.  This was a difficult thing for me to do, as I remember, because I was very weak; but through those early days the pumping was kept up so that I was able to begin breastfeeding, I think, just a day or two before going home.  Prior to this, our baby daughter had received frozen colostrum and breast milk during the time that she could not receive my own milk.  I regret that I was not able to give her my own at that time, but am also grateful that the procedures followed enabled me to step in and continue with breastfeeding for over eight months. To be honest, I do not remember holding her very much during those early days.  I know that at first I simply did not have the strength, and I suppose I was also asleep much of the time.

     Once I was home and we could settle into something of a routine, I was very glad to be breastfeeding and not having to prepare and warm bottles.  I was weak for months, and the added work would have been a challenge.  As it was, I was able to rest for many of the early days back at home, and the times of breastfeeding gave me wonderful, intimate moments to just be with my baby, gazing at her, talking to her, singing over her, and praying for her: blissful moments when the world seemed to fade away and all was still and perfect. Getting up in the night was not a hardship and was an automatic response: the moment I heard her cry, my milk would start to come and I would find myself up and standing by the bed before I had even a chance to think about it.  I would hold my arm across my breasts to keep the milk from flowing, and make my way to the nearby nursery (I had tried keeping the bassinette in the room but found I could not fall asleep with the little baby sounds).

     Except for very sore and reddened nipples during the first few months, my breastfeeding experience was very good.  I was advised by the doctor to just allow the nipples to rest by not wearing a top around the apartment whenever that was possible.  This seemed to help, and in time I was able to move past this stage.  I pumped once or twice at home to have milk for my mother-in-law to give the baby, but most of those early months I was with her.  After about four months, it seemed like the milk was not enough food for my daughter and we began giving her mushed banana and eventually some pablum. At eight months, we traveled from Switzerland to Canada, and during that time, my milk seemed to be diminishing somewhat, perhaps because she was eating more and more of the solid foods and not taking as much milk and perhaps also because of the fatiguing nature of travel for me at that time.  When we returned to Switzerland I kept breastfeeding, but it slowly diminished and by about ten months, I think, she had been weaned. 

Elizabeth’s story:

I have brought nine wonderful children into this world, and have breastfed them all.  Here are some of my thoughts on the subject and my experience.

There are maternal benefits as well as benefits for the baby in breastfeeding.  I didn’t diet at all and lost 35-40lbs each time!  I didn’t have to do anything!  The baby gets the colostrum and immunity (a doctor told me that even an ounce a day of breast milk gives them immunity for months even after you stop!), and it’s easier for the baby to digest.  The baby is usually a healthy weight without the formula poundage.  Breastfeeding has immensely enhanced my mother-baby bond in all my children.  There’s something about the quiet time of mom and baby together.  And it’s such a special time of meeting the baby’s needs and snuggling together.

          There were some issues that I did have to face with breastfeeding though.  One of them was cracked nipples:  I had it twice.  Some ways to help this is breastfeeding from the other breast, putting vegetable oil on the nipple, expressing milk from the cracked breast in a warm shower while massaging it with your hands.  It takes a couple of days to heal.  Another problem was biting, but a little finger flick on the cheek once or twice usually stopped that.  Sometimes the baby had trouble latching on.  For my first child, I went to a lactation consultant – they are very helpful and give you great advice.  One of my children had a cleft lip and palate, so we used a Haberman bottle.  And that worked great.  Another child wouldn’t wake up for the feedings and would fall asleep even if I changed his diapers or took off some clothes so that he would be less warm and cozy.  Eventually I found that the commotion of siblings and outside stimulus (such as turning a radio or TV on) worked well.  Also for one of my children, I had mastitis.  For this, you just express your milk in a warm shower, and that works well.

           Even despite these minor problems, I would definitely recommend breastfeeding because it is the healthiest for baby digestion and immunity, and it increases mom and baby bonding.  I have bottle fed, and it doesn’t even compare!  Also it is a lot more convenient and less expensive!  You can do it, Moms!

Other Moms’ opinions:

           

Why would you recommend breastfeeding?

“It gave me a chance to sit down during the day/night and read.  In the midst of busy days with other little children, this was a real blessing”

“Cost!  Formula is crazy expensive… breastfeeding is free!”

“Babies’ diapers aren’t as stinky.”

“In the Fifties, women mostly chose to bottle feed.  It was taught that formula was just as nutritious and much more convenient.  I chose to believe the opposite, that breastfeeding was natural and therefore best for baby.”

“I am a big believer in the benefits of breastfeeding, although I think every woman needs to make the best decision for her and her baby.  Sometimes it just doesn’t work out for many reasons, and it doesn’t make her less of a mom.”

How has breastfeeding enhanced your mom-baby bonding?

“It was marvelous to ponder, not only the honor of bringing souls into the universe, but the awesome design of my human body to provide nourishment for that life.”

What noticeable health benefits have you experienced by breastfeeding?

“It was only after I began to introduce other foods like formula and milk that my baby became unhealthy.”

My main health benefit was weight loss.  I loved that!  Nursing was the only way to cure breast infections (clogged ducts) that I had gotten with [one of my babies].  Pumping just didn’t do that for me.”

Describe a difficulty that you had with breastfeeding and how you resolved it.

“I had mastitis with my first child.  Patience is required, warm wash cloths to soothe, continuing nursing to unblock any milk duct.”

“When nursing our first baby, ,I developed a tiny blister because he was not latching on properly.  This was quite painful, but using lanolin cream between nursing helped to heal that blister.  I didn’t expect it to be that painful.  It took at least a month for me not to dread him latching on.  Lanolin became a best friend.  They always make nursing look so magical, but it can be very hard, and I understand people giving up just from the pain and frustration of it.  Though after we got past that horrible first month or two, I loved it!”

“With… my oldest, he would not start to nurse at all in the hospital, or during the first few days when we brought him home.  I was pretty determined not to give up.  I had been told by many friends that newborns hardly needed any milk the first few days, so if I kept at it, it would be fine.  But at his one-week doctor appointment, he had lost too much weight and had become jaundiced from the lack of nutrition.  I really didn’t want to supplement with formula like the doctor was saying, so I went to pumping and feeding him with a syringe for about a week, since he wouldn’t latch on me or a bottle.  After keeping at it (and many tears), he finally latched on.  Then he wanted to nurse all the time.  He was always in the high 90’s for weight percentile, and he nursed until he was one.”