Unrealistic breastfeeding expectations

Breastfeeding has always been portrayed as the most natural instinct of a mother. All movies and advertisements will have us believe that the moment a baby is born the mother just cradles the baby in her arms and presto, the baby starts suckling away to glory. In reality, most new moms have to struggle a lot with the breastfeeding techniques and it might take days even weeks, to master the technique and set a rhythm of breastfeeding with your baby.

Since there is so much lack of awareness about the difficulties that a mother might face during breastfeeding, most new mom become unmotivated and resort to bottle-feeding. The problems in breastfeeding range from blocked ducts, Mastitis, cracked and sore nipples to leaking breasts and overflowing milk. I personally faced the challenge of flat nipples i.e. my nipples were not protruding enough for the baby to make a proper latch.

Thankfully, the breastfeeding experts in my hospital were able to let me know that this was a common condition and also suggested the ways in which this could be solved. They emphasized that it was imperative to keep trying to feed the baby because in the initial days the Colostrum is the most vital nutrition for the baby.

Although I thought it would be easy to get over this hurdle, the coming few days were frustrating and exhausting for me. The first step was wearing the nipple shields. These shields made of silicon, help the baby to make a proper latch on to the breast .It also apply gentle but constant pressure on the areola which along with the skin’s natural elasticity helps in drawing out the nipples. At first it was difficult to get the hang of putting on the shields, they would often fall out and since they could not be used without sterilisation another pair had to be put on. Secondly, we used breast pumping which also helps in drawing out the nipples as well relieving the engorged breasts. Apart from this we also used nipple stimulation to help break the adhesions to the underlying skin. This entire process was exasperating as my nipples were constantly sore and cracked but I carried on for the health of my baby. One day my mother and husband both sat tugging at my breasts so the baby could latch on and I almost felt like I was a COW whose sole purpose was to provide milk to my offspring. But soon I and the baby both got comfortable with the breastfeeding process and I was able to successfully nurse my daughter for 1 year.