Mama Knows Best: New Motherhood and Our Challenges With Breastfeeding

Motherhood is a fulfilling experience and changes our outlook on life. While tiring and frustrating at times, a single look at our bundle of joy makes us forget all the worries bogging us down. Sometimes guilt-ridden and unable to cope with all the challenges, we panic. But with time, we learn that life does get easier as we grow as mothers and understand that we can look after our children like no one else.

New Motherhood

As new mothers, we need all the support and advice we can get. More often than not, you will get bombarded with well-meaning advice and suggestions from family and friends. However, the way every child is different every family is unique too. Also, what may have worked for the earlier generation might not be feasible for the current generation. Thus, take in all the advice, retain what is necessary, and adapt them according to your needs and requirements. 

Our Experiences as New Mothers

As new parents in a foreign country without any family support, we had to make decisions to make our life easier. My older child couldn’t latch, and lacking the time and energy to visit a lactation specialist every day, I exclusively pumped with the Philips Avent Electric breast pump and fed my child till she was eight months old. The decision was frowned upon by elders back home but it was the best that we could do considering the situation. I could still provide my child the benefits of breastmilk with the flexibility of my husband feeding her at times. I got the much-needed rest and could carry on properly throughout the day. It was a lifesaver that kept our sanity and helped us function as parents.

My fellow mother Meghalee Nath who had faced similar experiences and had also used the Philips Avent Manual breast pump shares her story:

“On my journey with breastfeeding my child, I faced a lot of problems initially. My milk production was very low and my kid was not getting adequate nutrition. After a lot of advice from a lot of people to switch to formula, I decided to do my own research and bought the Philips Avent Manual Pump. And it really saved me. I would feed my child and pump out milk so that my body could make more milk, and in doing so after a while my milk production increased and after a couple of months, I was able to feed my baby properly with adequate milk flow”.

Whether you resort to formula or exclusive pumping or pumping to increase milk flow the decision should depend on your needs and feasibility.

Conclusion

As your child will go through all the phases of being a baby to a toddler, a teenager, and then an adult, unforeseen situations will arrive, leaving you with the dilemma of choosing a solution. Seek professional help and advice, talk to close friends and family about your concerns, and fine-tune them to meet your child’s abilities.

Stay strong and believe in your superpowers! Mama knows best!

About the Authors:

Meghalee Nath: Meghalee is a caring wife, a passionate pet parent, and a mother to a beautiful daughter. An English Graduate and a homemaker by choice, she is the founder of the parenting blog, Momscove.com.

Lavita Saikia: Lavita loves to write and spend time with her family. She had worked with leading publishing companies in India after which she moved to the USA and now works as a writer/copy-editor in Illinois. She is also the co-editor of Momcove.com.

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