Breastfeeding, an introduction

This weeks posts are just about me and the things that I am passionate about, so you can get a feel for what my blog is about and where it will be heading.

Probably my greatest passion is breastfeeding.

Image source:  www.lactivist.net a breastfeeding picture from the 1500's

I, myself have breastfed my son for almost 18 months and going strong. I was lucky enough that at the beginning of my breastfeeding journey my little person came out knowing exact how to get what he needed and I was blessed with an easy introduction to breastfeeding.

However in my time as a student midwife it has been made very clear to me that I am very lucky. There are so many problems that can occur especially within the first few weeks. But if you can make it through that, it does get easier.

Unfortunately for me, things got a little bit more difficult for me. I developed mastitis 4 times in the same month my son turned one. I spent nights in hospitals with the threat of draining abscesses over my head. But I stuck it out and i'm glad I did.

I have also dealt with the lack of support that comes with extended breastfeeding. Unfortunately this has come from the people that are closest to me and I have found this struggle much worse than the pain of mastitis. You can get through anything with great support, but it also makes everything harder without it.

My breastfeeding journey hasn't gotten much better and I was recently at the stage where I was lying to people and saying that I had quit breastfeeding and only doing it when there was no body around. And even though my partner is very supportive, I would find myself making excuses when he did see me.

It took me a few months before I realised I was being ridiculous and contradictory to everything that I stood for. So I changed my way of thinking and my actions. Im now back to breastfeeding publicly around who ever is around me. My son is happy, I am happy and i'm proud of my change of heart.

Im not here to moan about my life, or to make a "poor me" post. I just want to be able to support people, whether you breastfeed for a day or for 3 years, its great for your little person. And I wanted to share my story briefly and introduce another great passion of mine.

Did you breastfeed for an extended period of time? Did you have family support?