Friday, September 19, 2014

Breastfeeding Journal ~ Jessica


Support + Perseverance = SUCCESS!

During our session Jessica took the opportunity to “talk” with her son about the different parts of the face.  This was a sweet and precious moment that captures the very essence of the Mom and baby bonding that takes place while breastfeeding.  Many Moms sing and talk to their babies while nursing which offers teaching moments, relaxing moments and the security that builds trust in the baby/parent relationship.

Breastfeeding isn't without its challenges but for those who keep at it the end game is worth it.  Not one to give up easily, I was able to push through even when my little one didn't seem to want to latch.  Prior to the birth, I had support from a very good friend who told me to bring nipple cream to the hospital and to apply liberally.  She told me to drink water every few hours and that the breast feeding process would not be easy.  

Once my baby was born, my husband supported me in the hospital by squeezing my breast to produce the colostrum as I just did not have the right technique (luckily he did!).  And he continued to support me with expressing colostrum once I left the hospital until I produced milk. 

I thought that once I produced milk things would get easier, but breastfeeding remained a challenge for the first two weeks.  Every hour was anew and I kept at it.  At first that meant trying different feeding positions and sometimes my baby favored one breast over another.  Sometimes it meant he wouldn't latch and I had to pump and worry about nipple confusion as he was fed by bottle with my breast milk.  I have to thank my husband again for figuring out how to use the pump!  I also had the support of my Mom, mother of four who had breastfed her children encouraging me, by my side hour after hour after hour.  Finally, I had the guidance of La Leche League International.  By e-mail I would correspond with a representative almost daily for advice. 

I am forever grateful to all these women (and my actively-involved husband!) for their love, guidance and support!  Breastfeeding is beautiful and the bond I share with my baby is unparalleled.  Breast feeding is a selfless act and it allows me to take time throughout the day to just "be."  I am a working mother so I pump in the morning before I go to work, I pump twice at work and I pump at night and feed by breast at night and on the weekends exclusively.  I travel for work on occasion and have to figure out where to pump and bring my milk back with me (I've even had to pump in the family bathroom at the airport--not my favorite place!). 

I breast  feed because I want the best for my baby.  My husband is Cambodian and was in the Cambodian Genocide all four years from age four through eight.  Often, I think of the strength of his mother to see her son through such an atrocity, finally escaping to Thailand and then coming to the U.S. in her 30s not speaking the language, working and providing for her son in a new culture.  Talk about survivors!  I can appreciate my husband's mother's unrelenting determination and I too would do anything for my son.  In the beginning, that means breastfeeding him to give him the absolute best head start I can as he deserves all of that which I am capable.  The best advice?  To borrow from Nike, "Just do it!" 

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