Breastfeeding (The Breastfeeding Debate)

Name: jacqueline101

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Product:	The Breastfeeding Debate
Date:	03.06.08 (67 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good for baby and mother

Disadvantages: Painful and sore

When I had my daughter, who is now a toddler, I was determined that I that I would try to breastfeed her for six months, if possible, as that is the length of time recommended by the Department of Health. I was given some support by midwives and the health visitor, but they seemed to vary in their approaches. I also had help from my mother in the early days, as well as my husband, who was in favour of our daughter being breastfed.
I found breastfeeding extremely painful every time that my daughter latched on, but this would subside after about 30 seconds, and I felt much more comfortable and relaxed. In the first six weeks or so, I felt as though I was constantly feeding my baby, and found that it helped to write down on a piece of paper which breast she had last fed from, so that I could refer to this at the next feed. By around 6-8 weeks, I was able to express a small amount of milk, and this increased as time went on. I used the Avent Isis manual pump to express, and it is usually best to do this in the morning, when your breasts are fuller. I also felt very self-conscious about breastfeeding when out and about, and only did this a few times, when it was really necessary. With the expressing, I tried to build up a supply and store it in the freezer, for times when we were going out.
When my daughter was around five months old, she started to get her first teeth coming through, which made feeding her more difficult due to the pain. I couldn't feed from the left side, as it was very bruised and swollen, so I tried to express from this side to keep the supply going. This was also very painful, but preferable to teeth. It was at this stage that I started to give formula milk. Luckily, my daughter took to the formula well, and was already used to bottles, as she had had expressed milk. By around six to seven months, I was still giving a few breastfeeds a day, on the right side, but it was getting more painful, as she tended to pull and then bite, and ended up making me bleed. It was then that I decided to give up breastfeeding. I am really pleased that I managed to breastfeed for nearly seven months, and hope to be able to do it again in the future. I am sure that my daughter has benefitted from it, and it also saves a lot of money and is good for the environment.
My advice to new mothers would be to not give up, and try to persevere with breastfeeding. It is important to have support and ask if there is anything that you are concerned about. It is not easy and I found it painful, but it worked out well, though it may not be for all mothers and babies, but the benefits are so great that it would be good if more women were able to do it.

Summary: The best start for your baby