When I got pregnant I knew that I wanted to breast feed my child because I know how good it is for my child, and how it could help my body heal and bounce back. But I wondered if I could breast feed because my sister could not breast feed; and I could not remember if my mother was able to breast feed. So, needless to say, I was very concerned about breast feeding my child. During my pregnancy I constantly checked my breast to see if any milk was coming out, and there was nothing coming out. I began to get a little discouraged and I began to think about what I should do if I can’t breast feed. Even though I began to formulate a back up plan, I still wanted to try to breast feed my child. So, I began to talk to other women who where pregnant during the time I was pregnant about breast feeding. I would ask them if they were going to breast feed, and they all said yes; and then I asked if they had any milk coming out of their breast and so of them told me that their doctor told them that they probably would not see anything until their 9th month. So, I began to calm down a little bit and realized that every woman is different. I also discussed it with my midwife, and they told me to calm done and realize that every woman is different.
After Lee was born, I still didn’t see any milk coming out of my breast. And all of the doctors, nurses, and midwives told me that I had to keep trying because the only way to get the milk to come down is to let your baby suck it out. But it was so frustrating because I didn’t think anything was coming because Lee was still so hungry. So, after I would breast feed Lee the nursery nurse would give him a bottle and that made me even more frustrated. While I was in the hospital I had so many people telling me how to breast feed, and telling me to pump because that was the only way to get the milk down. I was told to do this about every hour or every other hour to point that it was beginning to get annoying. Even though it was beginning to get a little overwhelming, I continued to try because I want to make sure that Lee going those nutrients that he needed from my breasts milk.
Lee and I stayed in the hospital for 3 days after I gave birth to him, so when I was sent home I was told to pump and breast feed. My thought about the whole thing was if Lee was getting enough milk, if any milk, from my breast while we were in the hospital why should I continue to breast feed when I get home. But I still continued to breast feed Lee when I got home, and guess what, my milk came down. My breast got so hard and sore, but that Lee was sleep when this happened. So, I began to pump. During that time pumping felt so good, and I was soooooooo happy because my milk came down. I breast fed my son for 1 month and it felt so good. I was able to feed me son the way God intended for me to feed him. While he breast fed I would look into his eyes and I just felt very blessed. I can’t fully explain the feeling that you get while you breast feed your child, but it was a feeling that I was very blessed to feel and I was so happy that I could experience it.
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| Feeding Lee Arthur Smith,V |