I had to learn to start each day by saying, "Today I will breastfeed my child." I still say it each day, and Bird is now 6 months old.

Never in all of my life did I imagine that breastfeeding my child wouldn't come naturally. It never occurred to me that my enormous breasts wouldn't be the fountains of mother's milk that fed my child with grace and ease. I didn't know things could go wrong.

A slightly used can of formula, lactation consultant, infant scale, hospital pump, syringe system, Mother's Milk products, a prescription for Reglan, a new freaking pediatrician that wasn't older than dirt, and about 18 boxes of Kleenex later? I am proud to say that I breastfeed my child.

That is the short version of course. I did plenty of rambling about breastfeeding here:
http://canapesun.blogspot.com/search/label/Breastfeeding

Thanks for highlighting World Breastfeeding Week and the awards that will be given. I'm going to be looking into UNC Healthcare for my next pregnancy and delivery for sure now.

The greatest accomplishment of my life is breastfeeding my daughter. I had never been challenged before as I was in those few months after she was born. She would not latch on at the hospital, and despite my nurse's pleas for me to "just give her a bottle", I refused. I was determined to meet with the lactation consultant before I left the hospital to get help. After hours of trying many different methods, I finally got my daughter to drink through a syringe that was hooked up to my finger. Home I went, equipped with a plan and resources needed to form a successful breastfeeding relationship. The consultants were never more than a phone call away and I used them consistently when I had questions Despite all of the adversity, my mother was my rock and was consistently there to encourage me that I would be so grateful that I put the effort into this. We went from the syringe to the shield, and finally, at 2 months, to the breast!!! We have been successfully breastfeeding for 13 months now!!! We have saved hundreds of dollars in formula, never do I have to pack bottles for a trip out and my daughter is getting the nutrition that she needs from the most natural source available.

I almost stopped nursing my first daughter after one week. I was so sore I didn't think I could take it anymore. I went to the lactation consultants at Rex who helped me with a nursing pillow to help with latching on and a breast pump to help with the engorgement. We got it figured out and she nursed until she was 17 months old. I pumped when I returned work full time after the first 3 months. She never had any formula or milk until she was a year old.

I also nursed my first son until he was about a year old and he was no longer interested (and I was pregnant with twins).  My twins are almost 17 months old and they are still nursing. I did supplement them with formula after the first 3 months because even though I was pumping almost 50% more milk at work than I did with either of my first two kids, it still wasn't enough for 2 hungry infants to make it through the day.

I'm glad I didn't give up at the first sign of trouble and was able to breastfeed all my children to get them off to a good start and give them all the benefits of breastmilk.

It wasn't until I was pregnant with my first son that I decided to try breastfeeding. I was formula fed and had always said I never wanted to breastfeed.

When he was born it became my mission to never give him formula. I didn't have trouble getting him to latch on. When he was about 4- months old, I went back to work. I started having to pump a lot and my milk supply dwindled. I remember my husband having to come to work to pick up a few ounces of breastmilk so my son could eat. He started on solids once he was about five months old, but I continued to nurse him every day until he lost interest at 14 months.

My youngest will be six months old tomorrow. He came out rooting and wanted to nurse from the minute I held him for the first time. He latched right on and we haven't looked back.

I have two boys: 3yrs old and 4 months old. I breastfed the first for 9 mo. and went through 4 rounds of diflucan and antibiotics for shooting pain throughout my breasts, several pump and dump sessions and the problem always returned. My OB clueless and my hospital lactation consultant really did not appear to care since my son was gaining weight just fine and was latching on just fine. Pediatricians and my OB said just quite and give formula but I was too stuborn and came to0 far and I was going to stick it out and I did for 9 months and had enough supply from pumping at work and after feeds to last him a full year. When I got pregnant the second time around I thought it was going to be different that I would be more of an "expert" at it but after 3 years had gone by I pretty much forgot how to breastfeed successfull. I got the lactation consultant in the hospital to come and give me a brush up session...baby doing well, latching fine, gaining weight... but that is when the same problems I had with the first one started to happen again. Again I was on antibiotics and Difulcan. I was fed up and I was encountering the same attitude as with the first child. No one seemed to care because the baby was doing well.... but I was in pain. I turned to a private lactation consultant--well worth every penny. To my amazement not only did she care about my pain she had a possible cause.... Raynouds Phenonemon of the nipples... After following her careful instructions for treatment I have not needed medication and have been pumping at work and breastfeeding succesfully to my 4 monthe old baby boy. I even taught my OB and pediatricain a thing or two about Raynouds. Despite all the trial and tribulations breastfeeding has been the most rewarding and toughest challenge I have ever been through. I wish there was more public support for breastfeeding and less MD's and Nurses that say oh just give Formula.

I breastfeed my daughter till I got pregnant with my son when she was 12 months old. She never had any formula at all. I actually had 54 4 oz bags of breast milk in the freezer at one point just in case I had to go away for the weekend. It came pretty easy to both of us, so I didn't expect any issues with the second one.

My son was a 34 weeker and was on a vent in the NICU. I had a 37 hour labor followed by a csection. We thought he was 36 weeks, so were sucker punched when his lungs collapsed and he stopped breathing at 5 minutes old.

The first 3 days, I could hardly move from the csection and was trying to pump.

When he was 3 days old, I finally was given the OK to try to nurse him. Nothing had gone anywhere close to what I had wanted up to this point and I was going to nurse him. I felt it was the only left I could control. Well, he didn't know how to suck or how to nurse. It was so frustrating. I spent 2 days sitting in the middle of the NICU in a chair with a flimsy curtain with my boob hanging out. The lactation consultants weren't around cuz it was the weekend. I pretty much cried for 2 days. Finally, a nice nurse took pity on me. She sat with me the whole 3rd day and helped me. Together we taught him how to nurse. My boobs were SO STICKY from all the sugar water we squirted on me. But he finally nursed. And he got so good at it that he never really took a bottle much and reluctantly weaned at 17 months. Nursing my son was one of my proudest accomplishments.

I read about nursing before I had my baby, and I was prepared for a long and difficult journey. Every mother it seemed had both a labor horror story and a breastfeeding horror story to share. I braced myself. When my son was born, I had help from two different lactation specialists at Rex as well as two different nurses who were also certified as lactation coaches. They all encouraged me to nurse and even brought in an electric hospital pump to help my nipples--which were rather flat at the time. Their first recommendations were I not try to feed from the bottle for now, and one even offered to get a spoon to help me feed my son rather than using a bottle with the tiny amount of milk that I pumped. The first week my son and I were both learning, and it took some patience and a bit of endurance for the sore nipples, but we did not have nearly the difficulty that other mothers and babies had. We've been successfully nursing now for three months. I've never had cracks, I never bled, I had sore nipples for about a week or so--they hurt when he first latched on and then the pain eased after a few seconds. I used my labor breathing for these first few seconds and then relaxed. I was engorged a few times, especially when the milk first came in, but I just pumped to reduce the pressure so that my son could latch on. Breastfeeding does not come naturally, but nor is it always a road fraught with terrible pain and frustration. The most frustrating thing for me was that so many other mothers reported stories of how bonding it was for them and their babies and how much they loved breastfeeding. It took me several weeks to enjoy being close to him in that exclusive way, but in the meantime, I definitely enjoyed not having to wash bottles, saving the money on purchasing formula, and not having to make him wait to feed while I heat a bottle in the middle of the night (or at any other time) when I know he is hungry--not to mention the undeniable health benefits for both of us!

I read the article in N&O about breast feeding 8/7/08 noting that fewer moms are breast feeding their babies in NC.  It made me sad that so few mom are choosing to breast feed and reminded me of how important the support from La Leche League was to me.  My son is now a college graduate. My daughter who was born 7 weeks early was soley breast feed despite doctors urging me to add formula.  She is now heading back for her junior year of college.  Both were totally breast fed until about 5 months when I introduced solids gradually.  Both continued to breastfeed until 12 months and weaned on their own, despite my intention to continue nursing longer.  I was so active with my group of supporting friends in LaLeche League.  It was a critical part of my social life back then because my family was no support.  I even took my 7 mo. old son to Europe (with Dad's j0b) for four months and successfully nursed him all over Germany and England!  I could not have done it using formula.  Knowing I was providing the best for my babies was helpful when times got tough, but looking back to see the benefits today is the proof that what we did was best.  Neither child ever had an ear infection, any allergies or skin problems and they have never had more than an occasional minor illness.  Neither has ever had a weight problem  Today both are  incredibly healthy, slender and bright students.  I tease them that breastfeeding gave them extra IQ points.  Am I glad I provided them that wonderful start in life that continued as they matured?  You bet!!!   

Ah, the joys of breastfeeding. I am now breastfeeding my sixth child. They say your risk of breast cancer is reduced for every year you nurse a child. I figure I am at a very low risk having nursed six babies. My first child was not a successful breastfeeding story. He had breathing problems and I was given very bad advice from the lactation consultant. She gave me a nipple shield even though there was nothing wrong with my nipples. He would not nurse after I tried it. I mean I would pump and then tape a tube to my breasts and pump the milk through the tubes into his mouth to see if he would start nursing. No go. I had to supplement with formula because my doctor said I had to. He was our first so we were uninformed. I tried this for three months and finally gave up. I creid for weeks. He was diagnosed with allergies and asthma at six months old. My second child I was determined to be successful. I asked my mother-in-law for help. She nursed five boys back in the 70's when it was taboo to breastfeed. She sat me down with my son, grabbed my breast and stuffed it in his mouth. It worked and I was hooked. Every child since has been nursed for at least a year. I love the feeling of having my little ones so close. I especially love it when they get older and actually touch your face and play with your shirt while they nurse. My ten month old thinks it is funny to just lift my shirt up as high as he can. Four of my babies were born in Maryland and I never had any problem nursing him anywhere. I always use a cover whenever I am in public. Here in North Carolina if you nurse sometimes it feels as if you have the plague. At church I am stuck in a room all by myself. They run to shut doors and make sure all the men are gone. I always use a cover so I can't figure out what the problem is. In public I have actually had people get up and move to other tables in restaurants to get away from me. If I fixed my child a bottle they would think nothing of it. Oh well. I will continue to nurse all my babies for as long as they want. My ten month old is starting to not want it as much which makes me sad. I will miss my cuddle time with him. I know that breastfeeding is the best for my babies and for me.

My first baby was born about 3 weeks early. There were no complications except that he was incredibly sleepy. He slept through his first night in the hospital, despite the fact that we were constantly trying to rouse him. We stripped his clothes off and dripped cool water on his tummy and he didn’t even bat an eye. We eventually got a bit more aggressive and I would try to get him to latch every time his eyes opened just a tiny bit. He would suck once or twice and then be out like a light. We were trying to feed him pretty much around the clock that first week, but he eventually perked up and did very well. Then we battled thrush for months. It never seemed to bother him, but it made me very sore. My second was easier. She nursed like a champ from the first time. Unfortunately, she liked it too much and NEVER took a bottle. Not only would she not suck, but would actually let anything that got in her mouth just dribble down her chin. It was very sad to keep dumping that precious pumped milk down the drain. Once we got her started on solid foods, she accepted a sippy cup so I was able to wean her straight to a cup. I hated pumping though. With both of them, I pumped enough to keep reserves in the freezer, but their milk came directly from the source at least 90% of the time. I applaud any woman who is willing to pump regularly to supply the baby while she as at work or because the baby won’t latch properly. That’s real dedication.

With my first child, I was really upset because he just would NOT latch on, and really basically REFUSED to nurse! I tried so hard for about 2 months, and it just never happened. (But he is 8 now, with a 140 IQ and going into the gifted program). My daughter nursed like a dream for 3 months! Then I got a kidney infection. I was told I could not nurse because of the meds. Both these times, I had NO support and lived in the middle of nowhere, hours from family. I live even farther from them now, but I was lucky to have a lot of support from friends and the LLL. My son is almost 18 months and still going strong! Though, I think I am almost ready for him to wean lol.

After 2 failed nusrings, I was lucky to have succeeded this time around!

Becka

Mom to Nick Michele Wyatt

www.learnandgrowtogether.com

My boys are about to turn 12 and 16 now. But when the oldest one was born, we were living in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. It made sense to breastfeed there for many different reasons. He was born in Wichita, Kansas, but since I knew I'd be going back to Indonesia with him, I stuck through all the difficulties (and I had quite a few, believe me) to make it work out.
My story isn't really about the difficulties, but rather something funny that happened related to breastfeeding, when he was about seven months old. A group of female friends and I decided one day to take a car ride out into the countryside for the day. I was the only American, but we had two Canadians, one Dutch and one Australian in our group. One of the Canadian women had been doing her Master's project on a group of people living in a community on the border of remote Lore Lindu national forest, about two hours drive from the city of Palu. She thought it would be fun to go visit that area. So we went. When we arrived there, we were invited in to the home of a family that she knew, and we all went into the living room and sat down. A woman and her teenage daughter offered us cookies and red Fanta soda. As we were sitting there eating the refreshments, the woman's elderly mother woke up from her nap. She came into the living room, looked out the window at my son, who was being entertained by our driver, and then said something. My friends and I all spoke Bahasa Indonesia well, but this lady was speaking a local language that we didn't understand. So we didn't respond to what she said. She said it again, but it appeared that her daughter and granddaughter were ignoring her for some reason, so nobody responded again. But this lady really wanted an answer to her question.  She came over to our group and started feeling everyone's breasts with her hands. The first woman she did it to just smiled at her and shrugged it off. But the second gal was so startled she jumped in her chair so high I thought her head would hit the ceiling! It was only then that the old woman's granddaughter spoke up and said, "Oh, my grandma just wants to know who the mother of the baby is." I raised my hand to let her know it was me, and she was satisfied. We finished our red Fanta and our cookies and had a wonderful visit with the family.

I'm nursing my second child now. I made it 7 months with my first born. I work full time, so at 7 months with the first one, my supply dropped, I was changing jobs, and he was more interested in using me as a teething ring than a source of nourishment...so we stopped.

This time around, I just hit the 8 month mark! It's still a challenge with the pumping and I will be all TOO happy to store my pump back away when I'm done, but I'm just not quite ready to be done yet!

I'll add an amusing story to the bunch. The other night I was tucking my oldest into bed. He held up his leopard stuffed animal and introduced it as the new baby. He then informed me that the baby was hungry. So up went his shirt and down went the leopard. He "fed" it for a few moments, then I suggested it was time to burp him. "No! he's not done yet!" Ok...he continues to "feed" his leopard (from his belly button, by the looks of it LOL). Then "OW!" pull the leopard away. "Ok, now he's done." Mental note, apparently T has been ending nursing sessions with a well placed chomp more often than I thought! Then follows my oldest son, almost 4 years old, holding the leopard up to his shoulder and "patting" his back. I use this term loosely. That burp should come in NO time! And there it is, my son loudly proclaiming "Buuuuuuurrrrrp!" Finally, he named his baby after his daddy and I was FINALLY able to tuck my boy in. And yes, my husband is THRILLED with this role play. LOL On the up side, maybe with all this, my son will be a little less embarrassed by the act of breastfeeding than his daddy is (who hides his embarrassment very well when we're out and about, thankfully!)

Oh, and I'm happy to say that, here around Raleigh, I've nursed in many a public place and have not had any bad experiences with people making me feel awkward. And that DOES include sitting in my chair at church. ;-) We do have a nursing room at church, but when you're on your own carrying that much stuff, sometimes it's just easier to toss on the cover and feed the little guy. No one has said anything y et!

And I do think a great support system is absolutely necessary. My friends and family are all fantastic for it!

Stacie - Mom to two boys

Here's my story in a nutshell. I had a very difficult time in the beginning (first 2-3 months). I thought it would just happen naturally since I wanted to breastfeed. It was one of the most challenging experiences I have ever had. I had inverted nipples and so it was difficult for my daughter to latch on. I went to as many La Leche league groups, called on the experts in the area, Lactation Consultants, Cranial Sacral Massages for my Daughter. I used all sorts of devices, I pumped all the time 8X per day, shield guards, tubes, etc to try to help my daughter to nurse. Finally it worked when she was almost 3 months old. Prior to that Golden Moment - I felt like giving up, but I kept telling myself one more week. I think if I had left the window open and was not determined to continue to try to breastfeed I would have given up. Once my daughter started to breastfeed, she could take up to 2 hours to nurse per session. I felt that was the only thing I was doing.  Overall, minus the initial 3 months,  it has been pretty smooth sailing ever since and I am so glad I did not give up.  In fact my daughter turns 2 next month and we are still doing the breastfeeding thing - allbeit maybe 1 or 2 times a day. We've had a very good relationship and so glad we both kept trying. One final note the support of my parents and my husband made all the difference in the world. I couldn't have done it without them. Carrie - Mom of 1 daughter

When I had my daughter, I went into breastfeeding with an open attitude. If its for me great, if not I wont have any regrets. Talk about the most unnatural natural thing ever! Had to use some kind of tube TAPED to my nipple, put a guard over top of my nipple and this little hose and tape, then drop the little bits of milk I was producing ALL while trying to get the baby to latch on! I had to wear HARD plastic shells in my bras to try to get my nipples to protrude all the while. I had the BEST lactation consultants at Rex and Cary Pediatrics!!! I also think if I would have purchased "My Breast Friend" pillow sooner and not tried the cute Boppy, I would have been a little more successful. I was able to nurse (with a Medela Shield everytime) for 3 months. My daughter kinda cold turkey'd herself from the breast. I have no regrets and am proud of myself and what I could do for my daughter for 3 months. I wish more people knew its OKAY if it is not for you and it is OKAY if it IS for you!! Every mom and every baby can be completely different and that is okay. Definatly use a lactation consultant!!! Its worth it!

I noticed this thread seems to have mostly stories from women who struggled with nursing. I'd hate to have this scare off any new moms still making the desicion. Can anyone add a story about how her little one took to nursing with no problems?

Sure! I always wondered if my small breasts could make enough to keep my baby properly nourished. Well, yes, nature made them larger and full of milk. She did fine, not great, and we had to meet a couple times with the lactation consultant at the pediatricians, but we made it through. For six months she fed every three hours, day and night. I went back to work at 3 months and brought my pump with me each day and kept on milking it three times a day so that we had enough socked away for the sitter. I always made enough but never a surplus (darn tiny boobs!!!) so by 9 months we had to introduce formula and do some mixing of breast and formula which she managed so well taking from both my breast and the bottle with equal vigor. I think breast feeding accounts for the fact that she has never had a fever, no ear infections, only a couple colds and has thrown up twice since she was born(she's 17 months now.) She is also a healthy weight and not roly poly which I have found several of my friends who did not breastfeed ended up with really chubby babies. Coincidence? Maybe, but they were/are extra fussy as well and are given a bottle for soothing.. that may add to the extra chub. It IS cute though and I am sure will go away when they move to solids. Anyway, try try try to do it, don't give up unless you must... formula is not as good as breast milk b/c of the antibodies that you pass to your baby and the fact that it is tailor-made for babies, broken down to a level that their tummy can digest without so much gas, reflux and indigestion.