Olivia’s Breastfeeding Journey
My entire pregnancy I planned to exclusively breastfeed my daughter and my goal was to make it to a year. However, during my pregnancy I only knew of two other mothers who had successfully breastfed past six months. I quickly learned all of the misinformation and lack of education surrounding breastfeeding and just how uncommon it was to breastfeed for an extended amount of time . I often heard women sharing about how they just didn’t produce milk, their baby couldn’t latch, all these different scenarios for something I originally thought was supposed to just come natural.
I had a goal in mind for me and my daughter and despite all the push back I was receiving I was set on having a different experience than what I had heard of .
Whenever my daughter was born everything initially looked great and I felt confident that we wouldn’t have any issues breastfeeding . I remember making it home just a few hours after she was born and being all by myself feeling so overwhelmed and anxious trying to care for a newborn for the first time . After a few feedings I noticed some issues with my daughter’s latch and I did not feel like she was getting enough milk due to lack of wet diapers. My first visit with Tania was the day after I gave birth virtually and I was going through one of the vulnerable , emotional times of my life and she met me with compassion and care and we came up with a plan to try to resolve some of the issues I was having. I was just trying to make it through each and every feeding one at a time and I remember understanding in that moment why so many women had given up on breastfeeding so early on and I considered doing the same. I kept trying to make it each and every day and stayed determined to stick to my goal.
After a few weeks whenever I started to feel more confident in breastfeeding, My daughter became extremely fussy and broke out in a rash almost daily and we determined she was dealing with a dairy allergy. Where any other provider might have told me to give up , this was never something that was mentioned with Tania. She continued to encourage me and we came up with a plan . I successfully cut out all dairy from my diet and my daughter’s symptoms Improved . As she grew older her latch had also improved . The breastfeeding positions Tania recommended to me greatly helped with the trouble we were having.
As the months went by breastfeeding became so easy to me compared to the struggle it was in the beginning. Thankfully we were able to work through all of the difficulties we were faced with due to the tremendous support I received from Tania . I without a doubt believe I wouldn’t have made it past a few weeks breastfeeding if It weren’t for her help. She always had a solution to our struggles and made sure we had a plan I was confident in . I looked forward to seeing her at each visit , catching up and sharing my progress along the way. I was able to successfully breastfeed my daughter for almost 16 months before weaning due to my second pregnancy, but it was on my own terms . Looking back my breastfeeding journey is something I view as a positive experience. I was able to make it past my goal of exclusively breastfeeding for a year and was able to overcome many challenges along the way. I cannot thank Tania enough for her help and would recommend her to any family . I feel very confident going into my second breastfeeding journey thanks to the knowledge and confidence she has instilled in me.