Breastfeeding Awareness Week

Well I couldn’t let last week's Breastfeeding Awareness Week pass without making some comment. I volunteer as a breastfeeding peer supporter for the Gloucestershire Breastfeeding Supporters' Network: http://breastfeedingsupporters.org.uk/

I decided to do this because both my babies would not latch on at first. Luckily I had lots of support and help, and I’m a very stubborn person so it never crossed my mind to give up and use formula milk. But I know that there are lots of mums who don’t get the support, so if they have problems in the early days when they are feeling tired, tearful and overwhelmed by the emotions and responsibilities of having a new baby, they understandably turn to the bottle, saying that their baby refused their milk, or that they couldn’t breastfeed. I find this very sad.

I also find it sad when mums stop breastfeeding just because they lack confidence in their ability to feed their own baby. I have spoken to lots of mums who worry that they aren’t making enough milk to satisfy their baby. When I ask why they think this, there could be a number of reasons. Perhaps the baby is wanting to feed every hour or more and the mum compares this to her bottle feeding friends who are feeding every four hours. Perhaps the baby is feeding all evening while her friend’s baby is tucked up in bed by 7pm and doesn’t wake for twelve hours. Perhaps her breasts, after the initial engorgement, feel soft and “empty” or she has tried expressing and is getting very little milk out. Perhaps her baby isn’t putting on weight as fast as the charts in the red book suggest he should be. I have even heard of a mum who thought her expressed milk looked watery and concluded that she was producing skimmed milk. Another mum did not even attempt to breastfeed because she was told she was expecting a big baby and she just “knew” she wouldn’t be able to satisfy him

If these mums have the opportunity to talk to other breastfeeding mums they realise that all these things are completely normal, and that if they just listen to their baby and feed whenever he wants then as long as the baby is correctly positioned they will produce sufficient milk. Some mums even choose to bottle feed because then they will be able to measure how many ounces their baby is drinking. If only these mums could just have the confidence to trust their babies and their own bodies. I hope that volunteers like me and initiatives like Breastfeeding Awareness Week can help mums to get that support and find that confidence.

Proud Mummy

My baby boy is six months old today. He has two teeth and is almost crawling. He gets himself into the crawling position, moves his knees forward but then he can't figure out how to move his hands without flopping down onto his tummy again. So he wriggles along the floor like a caterpillar, moving his tummy up and down.

One thing that makes me very proud is the fact that, apart from the odd piece of carrot and broccoli in the last few days, I have provided all his nourishment with my own body. For nine months I nourished him inside my womb, and for the past six months I have fed him exclusively on my own milk. And he is so obviously thriving on it.

For me, the logical extension of breastfeeding on demand, is baby-led weaning. Up to now my son has decided how much milk he needs, and now that he is six months old and can sit up unaided, he is able to reach out and pick up a carrot stick or a broccoli floret from my plate, put it in his mouth, chew it and swallow it. (I know he has swallowed some because I have found the evidence in his nappy). So instead of spoon-feeding him with unapetising mush he can now eat most of what the whole family eats. He will decide how much to eat, and if he just wants to squash it between his fingers and throw it on the floor that's OK because most of his nutrients will still come from my milk for a good few months to come.