Breastfeeding - How can something so "natural" be so tricky?

Many mums-to-be have the idyllic image in their mind of cradling their soft, warm newborn bundle to their bosom and being able to feed them personally - what you might not know is that this completely natural method of giving your baby the sustenance he needs isn't necessarily that easy!

I chose to breastfeed Lochy long before he arrived, I never really even gave it much thought actually; I loved the idea of forming the emotional connection with my child as well as being able to give him what he needs, as a mother it makes total sense to want to be able to provide for him, particularly in such a personal way. You also don't have to go far down the path of research to discover that breastmilk is considered by pretty much everyone the best option for baby nutrition (everyone is familiar with the saying 'Breast is Best!' and it even says on the packaging of baby formula that breastmilk is nutritionally the best option).

If anything, I developed an irrational fear throughout my pregnancy that I wouldn't be able to produce any milk - there wasn't really any reason for this at all, except that my mum had always told me she couldn't breastfeed me as she didn't produce any milk. I've since found out that actually, she got frustrated trying to make it happen and told her 'lovely midwife' to piss off! Since having a go myself, I can totally see her frustration, along with that of many women the world over.

How hard can it be right? Its totally natural - you place your newborn babe to your breast and 'hey presto' they latch on to your nipple. Job done! Right??

Wrong!

There is NOTHING more valuable than lovingly expressed boob milk! <3

It turns out, some babies aren't naturals when it comes to eating how Mother Nature intended - in fact, some are totally useless! I first realised this in the hospital when I went up to the the ward after giving birth; a midwife offered to help guide me through my first feed. After a few verbal pointers as to how to hold him and where my hands should be, nothing really happened - Lochy lazily snuffled around, but that was about it! The midwife asked politely if she could help physically - I was slightly taken aback then when I realised that this meant she would take my breast in one hand (this didn't worry me at all though, or make me feel uncomfortable as it felt strictly professional) and Lochy's head in the other, she waited for him to open his mouth and as soon as he did, she smooshed his face into my boob! It wasn't just this midwife who had this approach either - several other ladies used the same approach over the next few days. The result? A crying baby! This didn't surprise me, it totally shocked him and he didn't understand what on earth was happening!

Apparently boys can be lazy, but more than that it just seemed like he didn't get it - the instinct was there, he'd turn his head when hungry and would snuffle around, he just never took a good enough hold and would only manage a couple of feeble sucks before giving up or dozing off!

Breastfeeding may be something strictly between mother and child, but now it had become a team sport! Even gadgets had become involved in the form of 'nipple shields' (affectionately referred to by me as my 'nipple tassles'!!) These rather fetching little contraptions effectively turn your nipples into a teat; therefore helping baby latch on. They are used by women who's nipples aren't as good a shape as they could be for breastfeeding, help babies draw off milk by creating a suction vacuum and by women who are finding their nipples becoming incredible sore/chapped/bloody from breast feeding. They cost around £8 a pair and can be a godsend. (I've had a couple of pairs, and really recommend the Medela ones).

With the struggle continuing, I was then forced to decide to express and have the odd go at latching him on to the breast - I wasn't too disappointed as I was pleased that he'd still be able to have my milk and be getting all the antibodies and nutrients he needed, even if it was from a plastic bottle.

Eventually, when Lochy was seven days old and we were home, he was weighed by a visiting midwife and it was discovered he'd lost more weight (nearly 14% of his birthweight) we were then swiftly given an appointment that afternoon to see a midwife who also specialised in tongue ties - this was something that had been mentioned to us several times over that past week, but as it wasn't something that was obvious, nothing had been done.

Cutting a long story short (I'll talk more about Lochy's tongue tie in another post), it turned out he did have one; it ran across 70% of the width of his tongue and had been preventing him from bringing his tongue far enough forward to secure a good latch and create a good draw on the breast. (LOTS of babies seem to be born with some degree of tongue tie - I think every baby I met at the New Forest Birth Centre had one! So if its mentioned to you about your baby, don't panic, its very easily sorted!) Bottles had been easier for him as they pretty much squirt the milk in, with little to no effort involved.

Since then, I've pretty much had to stick to combination feeding; a mixture of expressing and formula feeds - but either way, by bottle. I've tried breastfeeding a few times since but tend to use it more as an emotional attachment tool now rather than a way to feed him. As Lochy lost so much weight, it became really important to know how much we were getting into him each feed, and feeding directly from the breast gives you absolutely no idea at all!

I definitely think that breastfeeding is worth the effort to at least try though, as previously mentioned the nutritional and health benefits are well documented without having to look too far at all. But what's most important at the end of the day is that your baby is fed! So whatever way you choose to feed your baby (or not choose as the case may be) try not to worry and don't feel judged by anyone, breastfeeding can be a very emotive subject with strong opinions represented, at the end of the day, its your choice for your baby. I'm just thankful nowadays that there are companies out there making a breastmilk substitute meaning we can feed are babies something and that there is more educational and support available for those wanting to breastfeed.

Love Mama xx