Hello and welcome back to another instalment of The Baby Feeding Series, that features real stories from real parents who have experienced how hard and baffling feeding your baby can be. I want this series to be a place where parents can share their own experiences in the hopes that other parents who are struggling can feel less alone. Being a parent is the hardest job in the world but it's one of the most rewarding jobs too and so I want to share their stories.
This week for The Baby Feeding Series we have the lovely Rachael from Rachael Claire taking part with a guest post for the series with her breastfeeding journey. I really do enjoy reading breastfeeding journeys because every single one that has been shared in the series has been different. I am really glad that Rachael decided to share hers with her not-so straight forward journey with Teddy, so with that I shall hand you over to the lovely Rachael.
My Breastfeeding Journey
After Teddy's long and not-so straightforward birth (that you can read about my labour and delivery story here) lasting 55 hours and ending up in theatre with a forceps delivery, I was excited to get things going and try breastfeeding him. Once I had been stitched up (yummy..) and wheeled through to recovery, the midwife helped me to try and get him to latch on, almost an hour later and we were still there... I tried every position, switching boobs..he just wasn't having it at all. He was so tired and just wanted to sleep. That went on for around 24 hours!
Our first night in hospital was spent with a midwife coming in every three hours to try and get him to feed, he just point blank refused. It ended up where I had to hand express and the midwife had to syringe the colostrum up and then syringe it into Teddy's mouth. I was so upset and disappointed that it wasn't going as straight forward as everyone had made out it could be..'oh my baby latched straight away.' Well that isn't always the case, however I was determined not to give up and 24 hours later he suddenly latched on like he had been doing it all along, and he's been there ever since....or at least that is what it feels like! He is such a milk monster and a little chunk.
The first two weeks were probably the hardest two weeks of my life! I know people warn you about the cluster feeding, but my god, he was literally attached to my boob all day and all night. He would feed all night, only falling asleep at around 4/5am. I remember the feeling of complete dread when it came to bedtime and I felt physically sick at the idea of feeding him. I was so worried that people would judge me for that but I am so lucky to have an amazingly supportive partner, family and mummy club who reminded me everyday that it was completely normal and it would get better. I can promise you now that it does! When you are in the midst of a night feed, crying over your baby with your milk crusted pj's on, it won't feel like it will ever get better. 11 weeks on and it's all a distant memory that a small part of me misses.
I selfishly love that I am the only person who can provide for him when he's hungry, or if he is really upset and the only thing that will soothe him is mummy's milk. I love our little chats in the middle of the night when nobody else is awake and we have a sleepy snuggle. I love the way he snorts for my boob when it's no longer within his reach because he fell asleep. I love his milk drunk face, when he can't open his eyes properly and he does a cheeky little grin. As hard as it is, and it is fucking hard, I wouldn't change it for the world.
I have asked some other mums to share their experiences, good & bad, as a way to show that not everyone's breastfeeding journey is the same, but that doesn't make it any less special!
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About Rachael
Rachael is a 25 year old girl, currently living in Manchester with her fiancé Aaron, and their gorgeous little boy Teddy who was born in May 2017 along with their two cats Flo & Luna. Rachael loves reading, re-watching series that I've already watched 10 times over, Star Wars, Disney and food. ALLL THE FOOD...
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