Second challenges : Your internal well-being and conflicts
Does this sounds familiar to you?
- I feel so down because my production is so low
- It is so frustrating when I pump often yet it does'nt produce that much
- My baby seems unsatisfied when I nurse, it looks like my milk is not enough for him!
- I envy other nursing moms who can produce lots of stocks of expressed breastmilk
- Why it is so difficult for me to latch-on my newborn?
- I'm too exhausted. I directly nurse baby, also pump more than 3 times a day, I need to clean up pumping gear and storage bottles and I need to take care my fussy baby!
- I feel tired so easily and don't even have the mood to entertain dear hubby
- I found it is so difficult to re-lactate though I really want it to!
- Breastfeeding is difficult. In reality, it is so difficult!
How to handle :
Intention : Think again when initially you set your mind to breastfeed. If it is within your inner needs and wish rather from external influence, usually you will have all the willpower to go all the way.When intention goes
along with determination, very seldom, the passion fades. How hard it is, how many hiccups you have to endure, you will find ways and means to rectify, to solve and to get back on track. In my early days of breastfeeding years,I was inspired on these 2 nursing mothers on how determined they are despite their job nature require them to travel excessively, their working place is everywhere and most of the time, they have to be far from their small baby. And yet, they still managed to stock up expressed breastmilk, pump everywhere they could, transported the expressed breastmilk and ensuring their babies will be still feed with breastmilk? How do they manage to do that? Think about it!
Passion : Who said being a nursing mother is not tiring? Some sacrifice needs to make but when it is compared with the positive output, the deeds is priceless! You will be on and off emotionally tired, over-exhausted but keep on doing it. There are so many roles you need to juggle in your life and being a nursing mother is one of the roles you need to do too. Hang on tough. Get support and read up other nursing moms stories.
Capability : Just do what you capable most. Be it physically, money and lifestyle. When we see other mommies making abundance of milk, we feel depressed. When we see other mommies purchased up-to-date pumping gears, we wanted to do the same. It is not wrong to see what others are doing but do ask yourself whether those things necessities to you? Sometimes what is good for others could be unnecessarily good for you.
On the other hand, be moderate in your endeavour. Give yourself some space on just being normal like taking a rest too.Delegate household tasks with your spouse. Don't push yourself up to the point of exhaustion till you neglect your baby's basic needs like for example, there are times when the expressed breastmilk stocks depleted and yet because you made up your mind only to give your baby your milk, you have the heart to starve your baby? Should'nt be right? Your have done the best you could and always let out your feelings like talking with other nursing moms so you know that you are not alone in this journey.
Emotion : It is wise to remain rationale throughout this journey as intention, passion and self-capability are close-related with emotion and feelings. Usually when encountering some problems in breastfeeding, don't act on impulse and jump to conclusion without seeking for solution and giving it a thought that there must be logical explanation the problem occured. Check on what you might miss on doing and whether some changes in routine is happening. Please remember a nursing mother must aware on their emotional health and state because it is very influential to the production of milk hence associating prolactin and oxytosin hormone.
Knowledge : Commonly understandable it is being taken by many mothers that breastfeeding is something natural in relevance of motherhood. So some likely to take this for granted by less prepare on knowing what should and what should not. So when the nursing mothers having some problems, some just giving up and think breastfeeding is very difficult without unaware the possible error. Ignorance leads to mistakes.
Be prepare and learn as much as you could. By this you can face any consequence, hiccups without too emotionally upset or shocked as you know what to be expected.
The combination of positive intention, passion, capability, emotion and knowledge with faith to the Almighty, the percentage of successful breastfeeding fully in the long run is high. The journey doesn't ended here as more points to ponder which it would be covered in the final revelation of this challenges topics.
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