Breastfeeding struggles – is breastfeeding the most natural thing in the world?

It’s supposed to be the most natural thing in the world, snuggling up with your baby to provide the best nutrients on earth – mother’s milk. While for sure, many people I know did breeze through the breastfeeding initiation like it was the most natural thing in the world, just as many if not more have struggled through half blind trying to make the most natural thing in the world work…urm…naturally.

Welcome to the world of breastfeeding struggles

I had a foolish notion that although it was going to take a little while for me and my diminutive to “get to know each other” in this way, that nature would gradually take its course and after a few days we’d be on the right track.

However days, and then weeks passed

and we were still struggling with breastfeeding and extremely frustrated; with myself sparing every spare minute having a love affair with a breast pump expressing like the end of the world was nigh, instead of spending precious moments bonding. I still have no idea why we didn’t “click”.

I was also desperately losing hope when faced with our breastfeeding struggles

with every passing day, having been absolutely hell bent at the outset that I was going to give my child the benefits of breastfeeding, having not had the benefit myself. It was the most frustrating situation on earth at the time, and one that I know has been experienced by many other mothers.

I persevered and eventually got the little one to take from my breast just shy of 3 months – yes that’s 3 months of incessant, exclusive pumping like a dairy farm and constant breastfeeding struggles; and all thanks to the incredible help of one person who was determined to turn things around for me (you know who you are).

Breastfeeding struggles can make you feel like an utter failure, and pretty much leave you on the floor. Because it is supposed to be the most natural thing on earth, you feel like a human reject. And despite all the support that is available, it’s difficult to not come down on yourself like a ton of bricks when you can’t manage to get things started successfully on your own, for whatever reasons presented by you personal circumstances. And to make matters worse, all the while you are supposed to present the picture of Mother Earth, whilst inside you feel like a sham.

After what seemed like forever, we got into our groove

and I breastfeed until 15 months – well beyond what I had imagined – and all throughout working. I definitely felt like I had some major making up to do. However despite all that experience, I still wouldn’t be confident in assuming I could make it work a second time over.

Breastfeeding might have been around since the dawn of human existence, but I’d think twice before uttering those words, “the most natural thing in the word” alongside it.

If you’re reading this and have been experiencing breastfeeding struggles had struggles with breastfeeding, please feel free to share your experiences in a comment below so others reading this know they are certainly not alone! :-).

 

 

13 comments

  1. Wow how amazing are you persevering for 3 months!! Well done you! I Felt like such a failure for not being able to breastfeed my first past two weeks but I was able to breastfeed my second until 9 months X

    • Everyone’s situation is different…you have to just do what is right for you and your baby at the end of the day, which shows in your two different situations. Nobody has the right to pass judgement that’s for sure!

  2. Such a fabulous post huni. It certainly isn’t easy for some women, people need to be more supportive of all women. This isn’t really a list, but I enjoyed reading it xx

  3. You did fantastically well to persevere! I got the hang of it quickly but simply didn’t like it, if I’m being completely honest. Felt so selfish when we switched to formula, but if I hadn’t done so, I wouldn’t have bonded with Baby Lighty. It’s really refreshing to read a post like this from someone that found it hard and yet still went on to breastfeed. Most of the time they seem to be either from mothers that take to it instantly, or otherwise mothers like me that switch early on

    • Every one has a different journey – when I look back at mine I literally want to thump myself over the head with a mallet! xx

  4. What strikes me is how little I celebrated the achievement that was breastfeeding. I remember a sense of relief once feeding was established but, looking back, I never realised how amazing it was that my babies had learnt to feed and I had learnt to nourish them. Because no matter how much the phrase that ‘breastfeeding is most natural thing in the world’ is repeated – it doesn’t feel like the most natural thing in the world to many new mothers.

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