Reassurance
I gave birth to my son Rupert (Roo) in November 2020. I was blessed to have a straightforward, physiological birth so my breastfeeding journey went off to a smooth-ish start. I was fortunate enough to have lots of skin to skin and, being a midwife, you could argue that I had a head start in terms of having the knowledge and expertise behind me. However, this of course was not the case! Although I knew that hand expressing was useful, I had no idea that I was going to be completely relying on it for the first 3-4 days until Roo learned to latch. As each day went by, Roo’s colour changed and, although he was doing very well, neonatal jaundice took hold and we had to be readmitted to hospital on day 5.
This is where Shaheda came in. She was an absolute God send when I was in the depths of despair (mainly fuelled by day 5 hormones!). I was concerned about Roo’s latch and whether he was getting enough milk, due to taking so long to get to grips with the feeding. She text me everyday, kept up to date with what was happening, advising me constantly (sometimes in the wee hours of the morning!). She was so encouraging, acknowledged my worries and concerns and always came up with winning solutions. She gave me the reassurance I needed. I am certain that had she not helped me in those first few weeks, I would have given up breastfeeding within the first few days when Roo had jaundice. I never thought I would be someone who wanted to pursue breastfeeding my baby so much, but Shaheda got me there at a point where I felt I wouldn’t succeed.
I would say it took a good 8-10 weeks to get the hang of breastfeeding and here I am, at 15 weeks, absolutely loving it. I feel like I have such a special bond with my boy. To have him close to me, just him and I for those feeds during the day and night, is amazing. I even get emotional at the thought of stopping - I suppose knowing that my body is responsible for making him thrive, grow and develop makes me feel incredibly proud.
Thank you Shaheda for all your patience, support and gentle persistence for getting me to where I am. Myself and Roo are so grateful!
