On World Breastfeeding Week, ArticleSpringer had requested parents on the app to share their experiences related to breastfeeding with their baby in the name of #MyBreastfeedingStory. We received many stories on this. Out of which we are giving some selected stories here.
First – “My child was not able to drink milk at all.”
“My baby is about to turn 5 months old. My delivery was by operation. Initially, the doctor asked to give lactogen milk. But when I started having milk, I wanted to feed my milk to the baby. But he was not able to drink milk. I would put the nipple in his mouth but he was not able to hold it. I used to get very upset.
It had been three days since my operation and I was at my in-laws’ house. I was trying to get him to breastfeed the whole day but he was not able to suck the nipple with his mouth. The poor guy starts crying. Along with him, I also used to cry a lot. My mother-in-law used to scold me a lot for this. This is my first baby, how do I know how to breastfeed my baby? Mother-in-law did not explain anything except scolding. I called my mother and asked her crying how to feed the baby.
I was crying a lot. Mother explained to me on the phone and strengthened my courage. He said, Son, try, he will catch. stop burning. Don’t cry, you will feel bad. Then I started breastfeeding the baby. She sat and tried continuously for four days and nights. Finally, on the fifth day in the morning, he started breastfeeding me, I felt very happy. I felt so happy, what can I say! My husband fully supported me in all this. They used to say that you should not worry. Feed him properly, if he doesn’t drink your milk then he will drink the milk from above. … True, from my experience I would say that a mother is a mother after all.”
Second – “The journey of breastfeeding a child was not easy”
“Breastfeeding is a wonderful feeling for every mother. Mother’s milk is considered best for the child. For some, the journey is quite easy while for others, they become successful after struggling. I am one of those people where I was producing more than enough milk but was not able to breastfeed. Still I decided to give milk to my child for at least 6 months. My son had some complications since birth.
As soon as he was born, he was admitted to the Incentive Care Unit for 17 days. He could not breastfeed so I used to express milk with the help of a breast pump every 2 hours. I felt very weak due to the delivery. The doctor had asked me to take a rest but my mind did not agree. I used to go to ICU again and again. I wanted to breastfeed my child but he was staying away from me. Imagine what must be going through the heart of that mother whose two-day-old innocent child is admitted in ICU away from her.
Whenever he cried, milk would start flowing from my breasts. I would remain helpless. Then I used to express and feed her my milk. I could not even hug my child to my heart’s content. I felt as if someone was clutching my heart. My love remained in agony. Even when we brought him home, I could not breastfeed because there was some problem in the child’s heart. He was not gaining weight and it was very important to gain weight only then we could go for his heart operation. Every time it was asked to supplement with milk. For this reason I had to give the milk through express. What was going through my heart was that I could not feed my baby directly. I would keep crying. But I controlled my grief to take care of the child. Even today, when I remember those days, tears start flowing from my eyes.”
Third – “The baby had to be breastfed while wearing a veil.”
“For every mother, breastfeeding is one of the precious moments of her life. Before delivery, I had no knowledge about breastfeeding nor did I ever try anything. When the delivery took place, the nurse in the hospital said that the baby had to be breastfed within half an hour. There my mother and mother-in-law were with me who were helping me in breastfeeding. This pleasant journey started from there.
We noticed that my breasts were flat, nipples were not formed. Baby also had his first experience after birth, he was not able to drink milk. What should be done now? I was very upset. I knew that it was very important for colostrum (mother’s first milk) to enter the baby’s stomach, but I could not do it. My delivery took place around 1:50 in the day and I was shifted to bed by 4:00. The baby did not breastfeed that day.
There were breastfeeding sessions in the hospital where I was delivered. A team of nurses and doctors came in the morning. He was telling us the postures of breastfeeding. One of them noticed that my nipples were flat. Then he gave me a breast pump and told me to express milk from it and feed it to the baby through a dropper, by doing this nipples will be formed and the baby will be fed. Believe me, I was very depressed because all the children were breastfed and my baby had to be fed through a dropper. The second day also passed like this. Then the same process was going on at night also. Baby was not satisfied with the breast pump for expressing milk. The next day we were discharged and came home.
To be honest, I became a mother but without breastfeeding, I was not feeling motherhood at all. Whoever came to meet me would leave with tips on breastfeeding, but inside I was struggling with the emotions. No one can understand that. Then I decided that not anymore, I used the breast pump every 15:20 minutes, due to which the nipples also started coming out a little and the baby also kept getting feed. Expressing milk with a breast pump was very painful. From the next day I started breastfeeding the baby, he was also fully supporting me. Sometimes he would even let go and then I would give my mouth and he would start sucking again. When baby sucked the nipple for the first time, I felt as if I had achieved a huge victory. Now both of us were happy, I also started breastfeeding her from time to time. I also take full care of him at night.
During this time I had to face another big challenge. My husband is Rajasthani and due to some family reasons, my mother had to go back home. Now only my mother-in-law was with me. She also took full care of me. I would wake up at night and breastfeed the baby as soon as I felt comfortable.
One day I was made fun of that I breastfeed while sitting in this posture at night, and there is not even a pallu on my head. This is the time when everyone is sleeping at night, and only me and my mother-in-law remain in the room. I felt very hurt by this statement of hers and very politely I told her that Mama, I felt bad about this statement of yours, it is only you and me at night. If you had a daughter in the house instead of me, would you have made fun of her in the same way? The answer I got was that from now on I will not say anything, hang the clothes I am wearing on a peg.
I don’t know where the victory I was celebrating has gone. Now I had to breastfeed even at night, wearing a veil. This journey was very challenging for me but I faced each one boldly because here the question was not about my victory or defeat but about the nourishment of my little life. Thus, I continued my breastfeeding journey while remaining bound by traditions.”