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BREASTFEEDING VS EXCLUSIVELY PUMPING, WHAT NEW MOMS MAY NOT KNOW
A submission by Mayra, one of our own DAVIN & ADLEY moms
My son has only ever latched 3 times perfectly and it was only when he needed me most. The first time was after he was born, second his 2 month shots and just the other day he had been crying and fussing all day not even wanting his bottle due to teething so I decided to offer my breast to him. He opened wide and drank for 7 minutes and finally fell asleep.
He was born at 37 weeks. I had planned for successfully breastfeeding BUT that didn’t happen. We weren't able to learn how to latch because my nipples were too flat for him. We tried nipple shields and different positions on different occasions. Tears were shed from his end and mine. I felt pressured into making this work. In the meantime, I would hand express and then pump to feed him.
When all was going great my supply dropped one day without an explanation and I had no other choice but to supplement with formula. I felt like I had failed as a mother and I was only 2 weeks in. I thought, if I can’t get this right then what? And then suddenly my supply came back after a month of supplementing with formula and occasional breast milk. Now, we are at 4 months of exclusively pumping and sharing breast milk with others babies in need. It works for us when we didn’t even know it was an actual form of breastfeeding.
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We are so thankful for the submission of this story. As more new moms are educated on all of the options available of feeding our babies, the better our postpartum experiences will be. There is too much pressure placed on moms for one right way to do this. It's important to seek education from lactation consultants and other breastfeeding moms. Let us share our experiences with one another so we all can learn and make the best decisions for our little ones and ourselves.
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and we would love to write about your journey together.
