We are so excited to bring you our very first weekly Mama Stories feature. This weeks mama is Ashley from beautiful little pieces blog. She is a new mom (her baby boy Forrest is only a week old) and she is sharing her first experiences with breastfeeding. What better way to start of this series than with someone new to this adventure. Good luck Ashley you are doing great!
My breastfeeding story began while I was pregnant. As a first time mom, I had so much advice from people dictating what I should do for my child. There were so many options as in how to take care of a newborn; what products to buy, what brand name to get, which advice was the best, and it was somewhat overwhelming to get so many different feedback. Among this, I was confident about one thing and knew what I wanted to do when my son was born. It was to breastfeed him, and I was pretty vocal about this. To my surprise, I was met with some negative light regarding breastfeeding. I was told that it was going to hurt, it was going to be difficult, it was too demanding of a schedule, there was some dislike about breastfeeding in the public, some cautioned me that my boobs were going to leak, and it was not going to feel natural to me since I had never done this before. It could have easily swayed me from my decision. Fortunately, I ignored the negative message and remained optimistic that it was going to work out. At the same time, I was not naive. I knew it was going to be a novel concept and may be difficult for me in the beginning. It helped to have several friends that have had breastfed their babies, to read positive stories online about breastfeeding, and have support from a mommy group about this.
A week ago, I gave birth to my son, Forrest Gray, and he was laid on my stomach while my heart was swelling with love. Who knew that love would have tripled at the sight of a newborn at the delivery? A nurse encouraged me to breastfeed Forrest following the birth. With a bit of help and guidance; my son was able to latch on with no problem, and I nursed him. It was the most empowering moment in my life to be able to nurse my son. The bond I had, at that very moment, with Forrest was a very beautiful moment.
Even though I have been a mother only for a week and half, breastfeeding is one thing that I feel most confident about. It is a decision that I do not regret making for my son and myself.
Can any of you remember that first moment, when you laid eyes on your baby? What a beautiful experience. Thank you Ashely for sharing your story and if you wish to read more about her and her beautiful baby boy check out her blog HERE.
*want to be featured on Mama Stories? Click HERE for all the info on how to submit your story. *
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