It's been a week and 3 days now since I've given birth and yesterday was such a blessed day. I survived the day without any sore from breastfeeding. (Praise God! *T_T* This may sound nothing for others, but for some who experienced sore nipples like me while breastfeeding their babies, this would be an enormous blessing.)
How do I described the pain? It hurts... A LOT!!! That every time my baby's tongue touches my nipples ripples of pain run through my whole body that I can't stop myself twitching my feet in pain. I even found myself pulling my baby's head back as I'm about to bring her head to my breast, just for me to draw more strength for the anticipated pain. For a while, the thought of bottle feeding her came to my mind. (Why should I choose to undergo this after the labor pains and still suffering from episiotomy when I can bottle feed her? Bottle fed babies are doing fine anyway. For a while, I was in the brink of giving up. But I always end up of reminding myself with the reason why I choose to breastfeed my babies.)
You see, I can stop breastfeeding if I really want to, but I promised myself to try my best, this time, to exclusively breastfeed my baby for at least six months. My eldest daughter was mixed feed due to lack of information about breastfeeding. I thought it will just come naturally. Yes, I've read about breastfeeding beforehand through books, online pregnancy sites, hospital pamphlets, but I have no idea how painful it could be. The lack of support while in the hospital worsened it.
Fortunately for this pregnancy, I was able to attend breastfeeding info drive (MOM101 spearheaded by SLMC; Baby & Me Club by Mothercare), meetings of nursing moms where we share our experiences in breastfeeding, motherhood, being a wife, etc. (Bestfriends in Breastfeeding spearheaded by La Leche League Manila). One thing I'm also grateful for is that SLMC-GC is so devoted in their drive of supporting moms in breastfeeding. Right after I've given birth, lactation consultants are visiting me from time to time, giving me support and tips about breastfeeding. They even informed me that I can contact them, even after being discharged from the hospital.
My baby's Pedia is also a breastfeeding advocate. She was even currently breastfeeding her newborn baby so we were able to exchange our thoughts, experiences, and pains about breastfeeding.
So here I am celebrating this milestone. Thanking God for surpassing that stage. And hopefully, armed with the help and support of good people around me, I'll be successful in my desire to exclusively breastfeed my little girl for a longer period of time. That I pray in God's grace.
