How I did it: In the beginning breastfeeding was hard - I was nursing on demand which in real terms meant once an hour through the day and every 2 hours through the night. Then we got thrush at about 8 weeks - painful and incredibly hard to get rid of. But I persevered despite many people in my life (mostly formula feeders) telling me I should stop.

Well I didn't at 14 months later we are still nursing four or five times a day. Little Dude is night weaned now and sleeps through the night which is a blessing. I didn't start solid foods til 6 months and  Little Dude is an awesome eater - he loves to try new foods and always finishes his meals happily :)  I am so happy that I kept going with this even when I was ready to quit.

Lessons & tips: Go to La Leche League meet ups or some other type of breastfeeding support group. I had never even seen another person breastfeed til I went to a Le leche League meeting and everyone there was willing to answer questions and support my decisions. Invaluable.

Set milestones - at the beginning when things got tough I promised myself that I would get through one more day or one more week. By 3 months all the early issues had settled and breastfeeding was easy and relaxing so getting through the first 12 weeks is crucial.

Resources: http://www.kellymom.com - best breastfeeding resource on the internet along with a really good forum full of helpful Mummy's.

---

Oct 25, 2010, 06:46AM PDT | 0 comments | 4 cheers