Padede Mom Problems
My breastfeeding journey initially didn’t go as I had imagined it to be but nonetheless, as I recall the start and how I am doing right now, I am glad that I pursued and now, I am surely enjoying its benefits.
But I am also a believer that in everything, there’s a good and bad side and for breastfeeding, whilst there are a lot of things that are on the good side, there are also problems that come with it.
These problems can easily be remedied of course but today, I’d just like to share what I had experienced so far breastfeeding for 18 months which until today is still a challenge I had to face. The good thing is that this doesn’t happen every day.
Leaking Boobies
Back when I was still starting to get used to breastfeeding, after dealing with the pain and the engorgement, I decided to wear breast pads. This enabled me to continue breastfeeding without the need to keep a towel or a Hakaa in my other boob. This is also good when I am out of the house.
As the months went by, I noticed that my breasts are not any more full as how it used to and it isn’t leaking too so I decided to stop using the pads.
I don’t know about other breastfeeding mommies but I find it a hassle to wear a bra when I know my toddler would be asking for my milk now and then. So keeping the bra and the breast pad away was a good idea.
But then one morning, I woke up to find myself soaking wet in breastmilk. I can’t believe it! After months, it is leaking again!
Twiddling Toddler
My mother told me that when her children were breastfeeding, we would attempt to twiddle but she would always slap our hands plus we were only breastfed until 11 months. There’s a notion in the community back then that babies are supposed to only be breastfed until 11 months else if others would be breastfed for more than that, the community would raise their eyebrows. Now, I found out that breastmilk is definitely beneficial to the child even after two years old and I have decided to let my baby be breastfed until he weans from it himself.
The problem though is that my baby had developed twiddling and although this is normal, it is also discomfort on my part. He used to just touch the other nipple until he started holding it, and now twiddle it.
If I would try to keep his hands out of the nipple, he’d go cray about it. He also doesn’t like it when I cover them with a shirt or any cloth. I don’t know why but he would shoo away anything that would cover up my nipple.
Perhaps these things are also the reason why mothers prefer to wean their baby off the breast before they develop these habits especially if the mother is a working mom or if she has to be out of the house always.
Karate Baby
I thought my breastfeeding moment with my baby would all be a calm and peaceful time with him, holding him in my arms while he look into my eyes.
But when my baby turned eight months, everything changed. What used to be a relaxing moment became a fight scene or a karate session because he would be very active, he would try to stand while on the breast, he’d turn around, pull, kick my face, reach out to everywhere away from my breast, return to lying, then he’d do it all over again.
Side lying was once his favorite position but not anymore today. I don’t know what kind of breastfeeding position is this but that’s how he likes it.
Public Display
While breastfeeding advocates would fight for the normalization of public breastfeeding, I believe that in our country, people are still finding it weird for a mother to show her breasts out while feeding her baby.
People would stare, men and women alike. I don’t know why they have to, our breasts are made for feeding our babies, that’s its purpose and I just hope that every single person on earth understands that. This is its primary purpose just like how animals would go on display feeding their little ones, human must understand that too.
One of the worst experiences I had back when we went to a mall was feeding my baby inside a cubicle. I almost cried seeing my baby look at the corners of the cubicle and fed only for two minutes then said all done because he was not comfortable with the tight space.
Lactating stations are scarce and public breastfeeding is being shamed on, it’s pretty understandable why cover-ups are being encouraged. I tried to use that too but my baby doesn’t like to be covered.
Imagine eating with a mask on, just imagine how suffocating that would be, that’s probably how our babies feel when they are fed and we cover them.
So, I realized not to care about staring eyes. They can think all they want but what’s important to me is I get to feed my baby.
How about you? What are the things that you find hard while breastfeeding? How’s your breastfeeding journey so far?
xoxo,
momentswithmatti
Mother | Boholana | Cebu | Philippines | Travel | Photography Enthusiast | Calligraphy | Art | Crypto Noob
Wow you really a good mother🤗