Nursing

When I was pregnant I had planned to nurse my little one. I had no idea how difficult it would be. I was aware of all the benefits to breastfeeding. It is the best that you can give your newborn baby. I was so determined to breastfeed, therefore; I didn’t buy any bottles. When she arrived the nurses at the hospital were great, they helped with nursing my newborn. They aided me with the technique of having the baby latch on. The first few day was easy. I was warned by the doctor to prepare myself for the second and third would be most difficult. The Doctor was right, the second and third day, the baby ate every hour on the hour. I was exhausted and not getting much sleep, I didn’t let that discourage me though. I continued to nurse. I was getting much support from my spouse and family.

It wasn’t until the second week that nursing started to become real difficult. I started to experience difficulties with nursing on one side. I had tried to find a solution to my problem; I had spoken to the nurse, other mothers who were nursing their babies. By the third week, I had made the decision to stop nursing, unfortunately; I did not find a solution to my problem with nursing.

It was a difficult decision; it took support from family and my spouse to actually be ok with my decision. I felt like a failure. I wanted nursing to work out, it was something that I enjoyed. I had created a bond with my daughter while nursing. Even though I could no longer nurse, I had to keep in mind that my bond with my daughter would not be affected. I would prefer to nurse over bottle-feeding. It was so convenient to nurse, there was no heating up the milk it was always ready. I have accepted that nursing is not for everyone and that formula is good for the baby aswell.