Learning Each Other and Breastfeeding with Confidence

Learning Each Other and Breastfeeding with Confidence“We did immediate skin-to-skin when Allie was born and got her latched within the first hour or so, but I lacked the experience and confidence – in myself and in her! – to really attempt to breastfeed without the help of the (fantastic) nurses while we were in the hospital. By about the two-day mark, Allie was eating about every four hours, but I was still not sure how to feed her on my own. By the time we left the hospital, her latch was not great and my nipples were getting sore. I remember sobbing as we turned onto our street on the way home from the hospital and I realized there would be no nurses to help me latch her for her next feeding. I was sobbing again several hours later when in the middle of the night my nipples were so tender I could hardly stand to feed her – I wish I hadn’t been so worried about bothering my local LLL leader!

That first week, however, was the hardest part, and Allie and I quickly learned more about each other and about breastfeeding. We attended LLL meetings and hospital-sponsored support groups with lactation consultants, and I was able to have my questions answered, watch other mothers breastfeed successfully, and see that I was not alone, – and it gets so much easier with time! By the time Allie was about two months old, we were nursing with confidence. Now that she is over thirteen months old, she is finally starting to show an increased interest in solid foods and cutting back a bit on the nursing sessions. But we both love the time we have together while we nurse, and neither of us is interested in giving it up anytime soon!

Erin, Manchester, CT La Leche League

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