Breastfeeding Journeys
The LLL mission is to help mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, encouragement, information, and education, and to promote a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
Here we share some breastfeeding journeys from mothers who have found support through LLL Shropshire.
Thank you to the mums who have shared all the stories and photos on our website.
Here we share some breastfeeding journeys from mothers who have found support through LLL Shropshire.
Thank you to the mums who have shared all the stories and photos on our website.
Our Journey: perseverance paid off
"When Pasco was born I knew that this was my final chance to breastfeed, something I hadn't managed with any of my 3 other children, so I was very disappointed when he wouldn't latch on. I was told by a midwife that if he hadn't latched on in the first 2 days he never would, but in fact after 3 weeks he latched on for the first time but only very briefly. In the weeks that followed we went through highs of him really trying to feed and lows when he would scream every time I put him to the breast and in between I was expressing and finger feeding him using a Supplemental Nursing System.
At 8 weeks we were told our problems were due to a tongue tie which hadn't been picked up by the midwives, Health Visitor or NHS lactation consultant. So we had it snipped a week later. After this Pasco appeared to go on nursing strike as he wouldn't try to feed but perseverance paid off and slowly he starting going to the breast more and one day when he was about 18 weeks old it seemed to just click and he started breastfeeding successfully and we haven't looked back.
Without the support of LLL and all those people encouraging me to keep trying I don't know if we would ever have got where we are today, especially through the 2 bouts of mastitis I had while I was expressing. Every time I went to a meeting or had a positive phone call or email it just helped me to keep trying a little longer". Michelle, Broseley
At 8 weeks we were told our problems were due to a tongue tie which hadn't been picked up by the midwives, Health Visitor or NHS lactation consultant. So we had it snipped a week later. After this Pasco appeared to go on nursing strike as he wouldn't try to feed but perseverance paid off and slowly he starting going to the breast more and one day when he was about 18 weeks old it seemed to just click and he started breastfeeding successfully and we haven't looked back.
Without the support of LLL and all those people encouraging me to keep trying I don't know if we would ever have got where we are today, especially through the 2 bouts of mastitis I had while I was expressing. Every time I went to a meeting or had a positive phone call or email it just helped me to keep trying a little longer". Michelle, Broseley
Our Journey: thrush
"I had a bad case of thrush on my breast when my little girl was five months old. I'd had itching and some pain for quite a while. I didn't connect the two and thought the pain was due to my baby not being positioned properly. But I started getting extremely painful stabbing pains through my breast and was in tears during feedings. Then I recalled what I had heard at a La Leche League meeting about thrush."
"I went straight to my doctor who confirmed it was thrush and gave me some cream that is compatible with breastfeeding. I also had an information sheet that had been handed out at the meeting, which gave me lots of suggestions on how to help clear the thrush up. The pain reduced within a day and the itching stopped in a few days. By following some simple tips, I've avoided getting thrush again."
"I went straight to my doctor who confirmed it was thrush and gave me some cream that is compatible with breastfeeding. I also had an information sheet that had been handed out at the meeting, which gave me lots of suggestions on how to help clear the thrush up. The pain reduced within a day and the itching stopped in a few days. By following some simple tips, I've avoided getting thrush again."
Our Journey: nipple pain
"I had gone along to a La Leche League meeting before my baby was born. I'd read books and believed breastfeeding would just happen naturally because it is what we are naturally meant to do. However, my baby didn't want to breastfeed for nearly 12 hours and I had excrutiating nipple pain for weeks after the birth. Despite the advice of the books, the midwives, my husband and my mum, I couldn't find a position that was consistently comfortable for feeding."
"I found huge support from the other breastfeeding mums at LLL Shropshire who shared their experiences and suggestions. In the end I worked out that because my breasts are different sizes and my nipples point in different directions, I have to support my breast to ensure a comfortable latch. I really don't think I could have carried on breastfeeding if I hadn't had such wonderful support from other mums."
"I found huge support from the other breastfeeding mums at LLL Shropshire who shared their experiences and suggestions. In the end I worked out that because my breasts are different sizes and my nipples point in different directions, I have to support my breast to ensure a comfortable latch. I really don't think I could have carried on breastfeeding if I hadn't had such wonderful support from other mums."
Our Journey: nursing past babyhood
"I didn't plan when to stop breastfeeding. My husband thought our son would wean at about a year old. A year came and went. Then he thought he'd wean at about two years old. Two years went by. Although breastfeeding had not been plain-sailing for us, I wasn't looking to end it as I knew how important it was for my son and I'd learnt from LLL Shropshire how beneficial it is for mothers too."
"Breastfeeding is so intense in the early days, weeks and months, but it gradually reduces and so at three years old, my son is just nursing to sleep at night and when he wakes up in the morning. It has been an amazing journey so far which has been the foundation of a great relationship; filled with many precious memories and treasured moments of breastfeeding."
"Breastfeeding is so intense in the early days, weeks and months, but it gradually reduces and so at three years old, my son is just nursing to sleep at night and when he wakes up in the morning. It has been an amazing journey so far which has been the foundation of a great relationship; filled with many precious memories and treasured moments of breastfeeding."