Sometimes Mums struggle to breastfeed.
And sometimes, it’s photos like this that keep us striving to make it work, regardless of the sacrifice it takes.
Some Mums endure painful, sore, bleeding nipples, when every feed causes them such agony that their toes curl as their baby latches on.
Some Mums completely change their diets to be able to keep breastfeeding when their little ones have allergies; giving up dairy, wheat, soya, all so they can keep feeding.
Some Mums refuse medication for their own medical conditions, increasing their own suffering, because of concerns about a drug passing through the milk to their baby.
Some Mums express between feeds, morning, afternoon, evening and throughout the night, to either increase their milk supply, or provide enough milk for when they’re away from their baby at work, or if their baby is in special care, or if they can’t latch due to prematurity or disability.
And when it all feels SO hard and exhausting, when the sacrifice feels just too much, it’s photos of just HOW amazing breastfeeding is that might just keep that Mum from giving up, inspiring her to keep on keeping on for the sake of her baby’s health.
In this Facebook Post, a Mum describes how her daughter was ill and she pumped milk the morning after.
The colour was vastly different to the usual white, more closely resembling colostrum, the antibody-rich first milk that Mums make to boost their newborn’s immune system and protect them in the first few days of life.
This article explains this process in more detail.
Our bodies are incredible!
And deserve respect and a massive high-five for what they do, without us even having to be consciously aware of it 🙂
To all those Mums finding feeding a challenge but still trying to find a way to make it work, we salute you 🙂