World Breastfeeding Week

I’m coming up for air from the ocean of having two-under-two to talk about World Breastfeeding Week. While I am a second-time mom, this is my first experience with from-the-tap breastfeeding. I exclusively pumped with Ivy, so I was mainly going into uncharted territory with our newest addition, Wren. I was nervous. I was anxious. I stressed out so hard that I would “fail” at breastfeeding again.

I am stubborn and wanted to avoid exclusively pumping again at all costs. Baby formula is too expensive, while breast milk is “free” (more on that in another post). Breastfeeding would be easier; I would be able to do it anywhere and have more time to be with my kids instead of being chained to a pump. It was a huge relief when Wren was born: she latched and started feeding so easily. Maybe it is as easy as they say, I thought to myself. Then she went through a growth spurt, and my supply couldn’t keep up. Then I stressed out about my supply, which made it even worse. Feeding turned into a stressful experience, with a period of both of us frustrated and sobbing more often than not. I spent hours sequestered in our bedroom, bare from the waist up, crying and doing everything I could think of to get her to nurse. I reached out to lactation consultants who never returned my calls, posted in forums and Facebook mom groups, scoured YouTube for tips, and cried on the phone to my mom. You name it, I tried it.

Breastfeeding is a two-way relationship, a friend insisted. If it doesn’t work for one of you, then it isn’t working.

Still, I was stubborn. I kept at it, and now we have learned each other, and our relationship is thriving. We have settled into a rhythm, and it has finally gotten to the point where it is easy most of the time. But it isn’t always that way. People will tell you that it’s easy and natural, and you and your baby will know exactly what to do from the very beginning. They are either lying, had a magical unicorn experience, or it’s been so long that they forgot how hard it could be. Breastfeeding can be, and is, hard.

Feeding your child is a highly charged topic on its own. No matter what you do or how you do it, some will vilify you and your choices. This World Breastfeeding Week, I want to remind everyone of the most important thing: that your child is fed, no matter the method. A fed baby is a happy baby.