Friday, April 16, 2010
Eva’s Story
Breastfeeding. To me, it has always been a marvel of nature. Now that I am nursing my own baby, I could not imagine being without this amazing convenience. It has not always been easy, especially the first few days and yet, it never occurred to me to feed my baby any other way. In Germany, my native country, breastfeeding is common place. When I visit my parents, I can breastfeed anywhere and anytime.
I have had the support of my mother, my midwife and my husband. My mother was always available for advice and my husband was always proving pillows or drinks of water. They took care of me, so I could take care of our baby. Beautiful harmony. As a family we co-sleep (we do not smoke or drink) and consequently my husband was able to sleep through the nights once Sara no longer suffered from tummy pains. We are a well tuned team, and although I am asleep I am aware of my little one. She starts to move and even before she even has to cry, I feed her and we slip back into a peaceful slumber without fully waking. Sometimes I wake up because my breasts are becoming full and without fail, Sara wakes within around five minutes to relieve any beginnings of discomfort. I know when something is wrong with her, because our harmony is disrupted. Preparing bottles at night would not be something suitable to our life-style and even during the day, the convenience of the breast cannot be beaten.
My experiences of breastfeeding in Ireland are not quite as comfortable as they are back in Germany. People look away, as though the process were not natural and sometimes it has taken me a while to work out, why I am suddenly alone in the middle of a conversation, when I have not attributed importance to the fact that I have started feeding my baby. Maybe they feel it is between mother and baby, to me, it is part of life. Then again Ireland has fewer breastfeeding mothers than Germany, people are not used to it as much. I went to a yoga class in Ireland and the first thing I was told was where the kettle was, in case I needed to feed little Sara. In Germany, in the same situation, I was advised on the location of the couch and pillows.
I had trouble finding breastfeeding mothers in Ireland, so what I found most useful were the support meetings of LLL. I found that nursing mothers in Ireland do exist! The exchange with other mothers has been invaluable. I did not have a lot of major challenges, but when I have needed answers, they were readily available. When I was sick with the flu, I waited until my bronchitis was severe before going to the doctor as I absolutely did not want medication. I was given antibiotics, and although the doctor was careful in choosing the right antibiotic for nursing mothers, I wanted to make absolutely sure. LLL have a book that lists medications that are safe for breastfeeding, so with this confirmation, I was happy to go ahead. They also told me that Sara´s stools would become more frequent, which then did not come as a surprise. I recovered, Sara did not get sick and I was able to feed her throughout the whole time.
If I could no longer breastfeed, I would be very distressed and support is the single most important factor to success. I thank everyone in my life who has been there for me and little Sara.
Posted on 04/16 at 11:49 AM
