World Breast-Feeding week

August 1-7 is world breast-feeding week. Since I dont have a baby of my own and so cannot share my experiences, I would like to just take a moment to talk about something that I learned recently.

Someone I know, who recently had a baby was having alot of trouble breastfeeding. It apparently hurt like hell and after about a week of trying once a day (and the rest of the time bottle-feeding) she gave up and asked the doctor for medication to stop her milk. I hadn't known you could do that.

This prompted me to do some reading. I had previously read about the benefits of breastfeeding and when my turn comes to have a baby, I don't want to be unprepared. I started researching about painful breastfeeding and what you can do to help. It turns out there are a few options.

First and most important is to see a lactation consultant. From what I've read, they are incredibly helpful and sometimes the problem is as simple as teaching your baby to latch correctly. If the latching technique is unsolvable, then there are silicone nipple shields that you can buy to help stop the pain and allow yourself time to heal if things become dry and cracked. It allows you to still breastfeed your baby. Speaking of dryness, there are special creams that you can use to help prevent that. If she still can't breastfeed, there are pumps that allow you to pump the milk and then bottle feed. The baby gets the benefit of breast milk and the mother does not suffer in the process.

If all of this does not work, then perhaps it would be time to stop breastfeeding. The last thing you want is to dread contact with your baby and to associate it with pain. Babies are sensitive to emotional atmosphere and you do not ever want him to feel unwanted/unloved.

Perhaps if my friend had been given this information, she would have continued to breastfeed. Or perhaps not. But at least then she would have known she had done everything possible and when others commented (read flamed) on her lack of breastfeeding she would have been able to say that she had tried everything and it was just not possible.

Knowledge is power, I just wish I had had the information to pass on to her earlier when it might have made a difference.