Happy International Womens Day!
Today is a day of celebrating being strong women and what better way to show how strong, persistent and super you are then talking about motherhood. Something us women are pro at. It's built into us, it's our instinct, it's what we were made to do. Us women should unite in harmony and share our amazing blessings with each other...however I'm sad to say this is not the case.
Boob or bottle!? This is what the problem is...I chose both! We love our babies more than anything in the whole universe yes? And we would do anything for them and to see them happy yes? Well then, surely we shouldn't judge each other on how we go about making our children happy and putting them first. Yes it really is that simple.
When I found out I was pregnant I was dead set on trying my hardest to exclusively breastfeed, as we all know and have heard a million times just how beneficial breast milk is to our babes. It is the best thing for them and it's basically super milk (another awesome thing us women produce, GO WOMEN). But I had no idea the trauma I would go through. After my emergency c section on Thursday, I didn't see my baby girl till saturday night, that I can remember. Mike assures me I went into her room in my wheelchair on the Friday but only lasted 3 minutes as I was so poorly...it breaks my heart that I have no recollection of this at all. As I was so out of it and on a magnesium drip till the Sunday I wasn't able to try to breastfeed her until then. Only when I was moved upstairs to the normal labour ward was I properly told to hand express and was given chance to feed her. I was very blessed to be able to breastfeed Kovah in hospital as most preemie babes can't latch because their mouths are too little. She latched straight away and I spent Sunday afternoon with her and it was honestly magical after being apart for so long.
Now the complicated part is because I was on magnesium this can unfortunately damage milk production or even stop it all together. In hospital she was on a feeding tube and was being fed formula milk and the milk I managed to express when I wasn't able to be with her to feed her myself. On the Thursday when I was discharged and bedding in downstairs at NICU, the lactation consultant said to try only breastfeeding her for 24 hours and see how it goes. I was SO excited to try this in the hope her awful tube would be taken out, she'd feed like normal and we would be able to go home the next day...this was not how it happened. As we were apart and my milk was struggling because of the magnesium she got dehydrated and there started to be blood in her nappy. This honestly scared the living hell out of me. We were then told to top up her feeds with formula to avoid this happening again. My milk has regulated and I am still combi feeding her and she is much happier, healthier and gaining weight amazingly. After the initial heartbreak that my dream of exclusively breastfeeding was over, I soon just thought...this is what is best for Kovah, it doesn't matter what you want it's what she needs.
This is what I feel all mothers should think. Who cares if your friend, neighbour or someone you know isn't breastfeeding at least they are feeding their child. You don't know why they can't/won't breastfeed their child, it might be medical or emotional and honestly it is extremely painful. At the end of the day, happy mummy = happy baby. If the mother is putting herself through hell with bleeding nipples and crying every time feeding time rolls around...that is not a happy bonding time. That is dread and your baby will sense that. Every Mama out there has to do what is best for her baby and for her so lets stop judging and start supporting. Every Mama is amazing, they made a whole new life and brought it into the world...that is just about as strong as you can get.
#FedIsBest
Nursing Cover from CoveredGoods
p.s just look at that milk drunk babe.
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