All mothers want to give their children the best in life, and from the moment we see those double lines on the stick we start imagining ourselves hugging our baby, breastfeeding calmly on a rocking chair with lullabies in the background!

For some lucky mothers out there breastfeeding comes as a breeze and they swift through it from day one without any issues, but from my experience and knowledge the vast majority of us face a hurdle at one point and for many of us, we need to jump through hoops to make it work! Unfortunately for me, I fall in the latter category – my Jana latched on quite quickly, and for the first few days when it was just the colostrum we seemed to do alright, but once my milk came in (around 5 days later) Jana seemed fussier, more demanding and sleeping less but I was determined, only breast milk, and I fed on demand and it just seemed like ALL I ever did was breastfeed. I then started having very sore, cracked and bleeding nipples – but everyone around me said “this is the price of breastfeeding, if it’s too hard forget it” so I just kept going. We then had our 1 month check-up, and to my utter dismay the pediatrician announced that Jana wasn’t gaining enough weight, meaning my supply is too low and very bravely said “you need to supplement with formula”! That was the last time this pediatrician saw any of us...no sir, I will breastfeed, so I changed my diet and kept breastfeeding and breastfeeding – it seemed to work, and around two weeks later we seemed to be getting into a nicer, more stable pattern ? Unfortunately, the sun did not shine for too long, and shortly after we seemed to get the hang of things, I started getting unbelievable pains in my right breast, and every time my Jana cried for a feed, I would start crying from the prospect of the pain – it was mastitis! This was the point I was ready to give it all up – it was just too hard and painful but I had to give it a go – I read up on the subject and started doing messages, hot compresses, pumping and all that I can to get rid of it! It took a while, and a LOT, I mean a LOT of determination but one day I woke up and it was gone. The second time I felt tiny throbbing pain, I started with the cycle above and beat Mastitis before it got me.

Surely, this isn’t the joy of breastfeeding? Surely, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be? Surely, there is no such thing as the “price of breastfeeding”!

Surely, this isn’t the joy of breastfeeding? Surely, this isn’t how it’s supposed to be? Surely, there is no such thing as the “price of breastfeeding”! Breastfeeding is meant to be a wonderful, bonding journey between mother and child – it is not God’s torture to mothers....and it is NOT. Breastfeeding is an art that needs patience, practice, consultation, support and a lot of knowledge – you need to eat well, you need to rest well (if possible), you need to be determined in your heart of hearts, you need to understand that just because baby is sucking doesn’t mean they are latching, and if they are latching they may not be doing so properly, and you need to listen to your body and baby – feed whenever you can, pump if you have a good sleeper on your hands, your body listens to you, it’s demand an d supply and you need to give your body the right signals?.

Beautiful mamas, breastfeeding is a JOY and it should feel like that – granted not all the time and not from day one, nothing is always easy but it should make you happy overall!

Beautiful mamas, breastfeeding is a JOY and it should feel like that – granted not all the time and not from day one, nothing is always easy but it should make you happy overall! My one piece of advice is GET ALL THE SUPPORT YOU CAN – join support groups, surround yourself with breastfeeding advocates,

Have a pro-breastfeeding gynecologist/pediatrician on board, seek a lactation consultant. If you want to do it, I believe you can, but also remember at the end of the day, just because you are doing your best makes you a great mother no matter when or how you stop – only YOU know what’s best for you and your little bundle of joy. My Jana and I enjoyed a wonderful 8 months of exclusive breastfeeding, 6 of which were truly the best moments of my life ? With my expected second, I hope to have learnt from my first experience and to inshalla be able to meet my initial one year target with Jana, wish me luck!