My breastfeeding journey started with expressing colostrum from around 37 weeks. I also attended the antenatal breastfeeding education session offered by our birthing hospital, which helped to prepare me for feeding!
When Harriet was born we had issues with a poor latch in hospital and Harri losing greater than 10% birth weight. They said her poor latch was from a mucus build up due to the C-section. I was expressing good amounts post feeds for top ups but still had pressures to top up with formula.
Day 6 of life, Harri vomited a clot she sucked from me which resulted in an ambulance trip to PED, at that stage I had no evidence of nipple trauma.. flash forward a couple of days and it was very very painful, a small open wound on each nipple.
By 2 weeks old I wasn’t sure how long my BF journey would last. At this point I had tried shields of all types and was doing a combo of expressing and BF, while dreading each feed..
the GP suggested a couple of times that I top up with formula even though my supply was more than enough. I sought help from an IBCLC (international board certified lactation consultant) who diagnosed tongue, lip and mouth ties. The LC encouraged me to try some different feeding positions which helped relieve the pressure causing trauma and we booked in for the ties to be lasered.
After a long 2 week wait the ties were lasered and it was instant relief (for me). I exclusively expressed for the 4 days prior to the procedure and was very nervous about feeding her again.. but immediately after I felt a difference and a week later I was healed. After 6 weeks of mouth stretches post procedure Harri was finished with recovery too!
I was originally making my own lactation cookies and my supply was great, but they weren’t nutritious. I wanted something to fuel my body better and that was when I contacted Asha to try her cookies from Better Milky Days. I haven’t gone back… and also taken a liking to the hot chocolate too!
Since we had been exclusively breast feeding since the tie release, at 3 months old Harri forgot how to take a bottle. It took until 8 months old before she relearnt that skill. During this time Asha and I got in contact again, she gave me some tips and tricks to help with this.
At 10 months, just when I thought we were pretty settled in our feeding journey I experienced a milk bleb (blocked pore) on my nipple. Asha was there again to talk through the symptoms and brainstorm ideas to help. I continued to feed as usual (very painful) and applied Epsom salt dissolved in warm water in the Haakaa to my breast and that helped clear the blocked duct. I have suffered these a few times since and used the same care each time with success!
16 months on and back at work we are still breastfeeding. I never thought I’d be the mum breastfeeding my toddler, but here we are. I am unsure when we will wean but at the moment it is working for us.
It is very hard work, a lot of tears but so worth it. I don’t think I could have done it without the community of mums around me. It doesn’t come easy for so many people and you don’t hear that enough. It’s comforting to hear you aren’t alone. I would always recommend the guidance of an IBCLC if you’re new to breast feeding, especially if you’re struggling.