Melanin Moms on the Move

Breastfeeding! It wasn’t easy starting out, so you are not alone. I am a single mom so I was alone all day and all night. I took 3 months of maternity leave. We will be both crying, seriously. My nipples had gotten raw to the point of bleeding and pain. Every time, I would nurse, I will get nauseous. All I wanted to do was to quit. No full time support or breaks. I went days with no shower. It was horrible. My daughter’s father came sometimes, but not enough. One day he was over she was crying nonstop because I couldn’t get a good latch. He was fussing at me saying I was being selfish and starving her because I didn’t realize she wasn’t getting enough. It had been a week. That’s a long time to go without eating; it just bad latch at that particular time, so she didn’t go a week without eating. He left to go to the store, so I called my mid-wife to have her come over to help me. She got there before he came back from the store. Perfect latch and she was fine. She taught me the proper use of the side lying position. The one I used the most because I was relax and my daughter was relaxed and we both slept. There are several different holds, this one works best for us. Sometimes you fall asleep and you don’t want to drop baby. I find myself falling asleep often; therefore certain holds didn’t work for us unless I surrounded myself with pillows. After that day, we went strong with no problems. I am so happy that I didn’t give in to the tears, pain, second thoughts, peer pressure, and doubts. I am glad I stuck with it. Giving up was not an option because I was my daughter’s most important person. I nourish her. I am her medicine along with food. Best decision ever, I would go through that discomfort again!