Welcome back to another instalment of The Baby Feeding Series, where we spotlight real stories from real parents navigating the messy, emotional, and often confusing journey of feeding their babies. My hope is that this space becomes a comforting corner where others who feel lost or overwhelmed can read these experiences and feel a little less alone. Parenthood is hands-down the toughest role out there, but it’s also the most beautiful. Through these stories, I want to honour both the struggle and the joys.
Last week, the lovely Eva from Captain Bob Cat shared her breastfeeding story with her children, and I’m thrilled to announce that this week we have Carol from It’s a Kids Life Blog. She has just started her blog and has kindly offered to share a short story about her journey with breastfeeding her children.
MY BREASTFEEDING JOURNEY
My breastfeeding journey began on the 8th November 2010 with my daughter Holly. It was something that I never even thought about with my daughter Danielle or my son Sean. Even though I have a very passionate opinion on breastfeeding I am not one of the typical breastfeeding advocates who love to talk about how breastfeeding is better than other ways. Every mother is different, every one has their own opinions on the whole debate. The way I see it is that every baby needs to be fed, whether that's with formula, breast or a mixture of the two. With my daughter Holly I decided to give breastfeeding a chance, just to see if it was something that we could try for a few weeks or months. I guess I was curious seeing as I never did with my other two. My breastfeeding journey with my daughter Holly turned into two and a half years and this is something that I will never change. It actually makes me so proud, proud of myself, proud of my daughter Holly that we stuck to breastfeeding. It was a 'let's just try it for a few weeks' kind of thing. When I did breastfeed my daughter until she was two and half I did get a few remarks. 'Are you still feeding?', 'It's time you got her off that?!' but despite all the comments I just let them go over my head and smiled. After all she was my daughter, it was my decision and what harm was I actually causing my daughter. It's not like you would take a dummy away from a baby that seems to be attached. I don't like the idea of a dummy, but that's my opinion, and that's an opinion that I will keep to myself as each parent is different and all the decision they make as parents is their choice. They are just doing what they think is best for their baby.
With my youngest daughter Lucy, I also made the decision to breastfeed, seeing as it went really well with Holly I am more than sure that it would be the same with Lucy. If I am honest Holly and Lucy's breastfeeding journeys were very similar, they took to breastfeeding like a duck does to water. Thinking back to the time I began breastfeeding Holly I didn't think I could continue, the pain was unbearable. I guess with the after pains and everything else that goes with a new born it got a little too much for me. But I was assured that I was doing great with her and so I stuck it out. I was encouraged to attend some breastfeeding support groups where I met some lovely people and made some lifelong friends. We would always end up in Starbucks which gave us all the confidence to breastfeed in public. But even though we were all so encouraging to one another it was something that took me a while to adjust to, sometimes I would even go into the ladies toilets and feed my daughter. Something that I don't actually care about my with my daughter Lucy. Who actually likes to eat their dinner in the toilet? So why should a baby because it makes other people feel uncomfortable.
Towards the end of my breastfeeding journey with Lucy I have been thinking a lot about the start of it. In that, when I was pregnant with her I knew that I wanted to breastfeed, as it was such a success with Holly. But I remember saying to myself that I would try and introduce a bottle with Lucy, just as I did with Holly. But Holly didn't really take to a bottle, she was so clingy and a lot of this was due to breastfeeding until she was two and a half. So introducing a bottle is something that I am still addressing with Lucy. Initially we tried the bottle, as she wasn't keen. I went out and tried every single bottle imaginable, but like her sister she just won't take to a bottle. So here we are at 21 months old and still going strong with breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is one of the most enjoyable journeys to go on with your children, and I am so lucky that mine has lasted this long.
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About Carol
Carol is new to the blogging world and set up her blog in January and being such a new blogger she has been offered to guest post to get her name out there. Carol is a wife and mother four children, three girls and one boy. Carol is also a grandmother, but prefers glam-mother...to one grandson who is two with another one on the way in December. Carol loves to blog about her breastfeeding journey with her children, as well as her life and a review chucked in for good measure.
You can find both Carol over at It's a Kids Life Blog
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