Nursing....Natural = Easy, Right? WRONG!

As a first time mom hoping to do what is best for my son, I decided that nursing was the way to go for us. What's not great about it? It's free (no expensive formula to purchase), it's readily available (no mixing formula or bottles to heat up), and it's always with you (no extra supplies to pack when leaving the house, aside from a nursing cover and nursing pads). Riley and I took the breastfeeding class together, I read as  much as I could on the topic and I was prepared. I could do this, no problem. Well, I thought I could...that is until Griffin was actually born. 


Immediately after he was born we had skin-to-skin contact. He laid on my chest, screaming, for the first hour of his life. Skin to skin is proven to have great benefits for both mom and baby. The baby is happier, the baby’s temperature is more stable and more normal, the baby’s heart and breathing rates are more stable and more normal, and the baby’s blood sugar is more elevated (www.nbci.ca). After some necessary clean up, the midwives helped us nurse for the first time. Barb showed me how to get him to latch and which position to hold him in. The first time we tried, he kept unlatching. I got him back on with some difficulty and some help, and silently wondered if I was going to be able to do this myself when Barb and Nicole left. 


The next few days are kind of a blur. I nursed Griffin often, and it hurt most of the time. I didn't really realize that we were doing it wrong until it was too late. In my opinion,  many things worked against us in those first few days after Griffin's birth. Neither he nor I really knew what we were doing. He was nursing often, trying to get my milk in - the more he nursed, the more it hurt. I was worried he wasn't getting what he needed which made me more stressed and worked up, and of course, we were all exhausted from lack of sleep. By day 5, I had extensive nipple damage (the specifics of which I won't go into), and all I wanted was a break - one day without nursing my sweet little boy to let my milk makers heal. But of course, this was not possible. 


I remember thinking, breastfeeding is natural - my body is made to do this, so why is it so hard? I dreaded each time my little baby woke up hungry, knowing that this meant I'd have to endure the toe-curling pain again, but I was determined to stick to breastfeeding, still convinced that this would be the best possible start for my son. After many tears (both mine and Griffin's), some special "nipple cream" and a website recommendation from our midwives, we slowly but surely began to get the hang of this whole breastfeeding thing. Riley was a huge help in those next few days as he helped us get the latch correct with very specific instructions from the website that saved us (http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/).


Tomorrow Griffin will be 4 weeks old. Breastfeeding is well established now, and I'm thankful to share that it no longer hurts. I no longer dread feeding my baby, which made me feel extreme amounts of guilt in those first few days. In fact, I look forward to the time we have together. Nursing my son is something only I can do, and I believe it has strengthened our bond immensely. That being said, I can totally understand why some people decide that breastfeeding is not for them. It hurts, it's not easy, and it's not for everyone. 


So if you are a first time mom, or attempting to breastfeed for the first time and someone tells you breastfeeding shouldn't hurt, or you think, like I did (mistakenly) that this is natural so it should be easy, don't give up! You need a support system, perseverance, and time, but you can do it! We did!