I had just given birth and the nurses said I should go ahead and try to feed my new baby.
He was still pretty groggy from the drugs I had to induce labor and treat pain. He wouldn't latch on. What was I going to do? How was my child going to eat? I didn't want to give him formula, I wanted him to eat from me.
I laid in postpartum and they brought him in to me to eat again. I was still having trouble feeding him. When he would latch on, everything was great, it was just getting him to that point that was hard. The nurses would comment about what a good latch he had and how he was going to be good at breastfeeding. But in my mind, I didn't understand how--I couldn't even get him to latch without trouble. That night, I still wasn't able to get him to latch by myself, and this sent me into freak out mode.
I sat in bed and cried. I didn't know how I was going to feed him, and the nurse mentioned something about me using a shield and putting formula on it to make him latch. I didn't want him to latch because he wanted formula, I wanted him to latch because he wanted me.
By the time we got home, he was latching better. I never used the shield and I never used formula. My point of this post is that if you're having trouble feeding, don't give up!
Breastfeeding is hard to start, and it's even a little bit annoying at first, but it's so worth it. The bond I have with my son, the way his eyes follow me, it's amazing.
One of my favorite parts of our feedings is when he holds my hand, or he looks up at me with his big eyes. Breastfeeding gives us a snippet of time together that's just us. I'm the only one he wants, and that's a good feeling. This time is our time.
If you're having trouble, don't be afraid to ask for help, and most importantly, just keep trying.
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