"I'll Breastfeed...If I Can."

My older sister likes to remind me that once upon a time, while pregnant with my first, I responded to her question of, "Are you going to breastfeed?" with an unsure, "...if I can." To this day I still deny it. I honestly have no recollection whatsoever of that conversation -- I know she wouldn't make it up, though.

Over 16 years later, life has put me in a different place. I have successfully breastfeed my four children. Soon after my second baby's birth I went on to become a breastfeeding counselor, leading meetings for local mothers and mothers online, taking phone calls from frantic mothers all hours of the day and night, making home visits and hospital visits, and participating on our county's local breastfeeding coalition. I have written articles for journals, magazines, and blogs, spoken at breastfeeding conferences, and I am  currently working toward becoming eligible to sit the exam to be an IBCLC. I cannot imagine who that person was who meekly replied, "...if I can," all those years ago.

Yet with all the future-breastfeeding moms out there, this is a common feeling. I think it stems from allowing a bit of room for failure -- not setting the bar too high in case of disappointment. Simply put, lowering expectations. 

You only have to go as far as your nearest mother to find why this answer has held its place as, I would guess, the number one response: We love to share our horror stories. Any pregnant woman can attest to this when it comes to birth stories -- suddenly women are crawling out of the wood-work to tell you their impossible experiences -- the pain, the suffering, the horridness of it all, oh, and good luck! This carries over to breastfeeding experiences as well.

One day in the grocery store, a young clerk asked, while checking my items, if this was to be my first baby?  I was prepared for her to launch into her personal drama, so with my fists clenched, and most likely talking through gritted teeth, I replied, "Yes." She looked at me so sweetly and honestly. "You are going to do just fine." I was stunned! She must have sensed this -- she went on to say, "Having my son was the best experience of my life. I wouldn't trade his birth for anything." I left for my car feeling like she had just revealed a secret to me -- I felt this young lady, about my age, had seen something in me I did not know I possessed. I felt powerful.  

Birth and breastfeeding are related in the way we think about them both: We hope for the best, but in the end, we do not have ultimate control over how things will turn out. This tends to be more true for birth than for breastfeeding. Some of the most committed breastfeeding mothers I have met have been mothers who had to have cesarean births after planning completely natural births. I think many of them found exerting energy into the breastfeeding relationship healed the loss the cesarean birth left with them.

As women, we need to focus on sharing our positive feelings about birth and breastfeeding. We need to assure other mothers although there can be problems and set-backs, there is always a way to accommodate, adjust or overcome with the right network of support.
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• Attending local breastfeeding support meetings is a great place to start. Surrounding yourself with other mothers who are nursing their babies is a great tool of empowerment. I have led LLL meetings in Bakersfield, and I am currently the Leader for Tulare and Visalia. Take the group leader's phone number to the hospital with you in case you need help. To start, look up La Leche League, Breastfeeding USA, and Nursing Mother's Counsel, to see if they have groups close to you.
• Being familiar with the lactation staff available at your local birthing place helps as well. What are there credentials? How about their availability? If you have your baby on the weekend, can someone meet with you? What are their out-patient services if you need more help once you are discharged? Do they offer meetings for moms? 
• Do you qualify for WIC? Often they offer lactation support, pump loans, and support meetings. Income guidelines work differently for WIC, so you may be surprised what adding a member to your family, plus reduced work hours for a pay period might do for where you fit. 
• What public health services do you have locally? Some areas have lactation consultants who are nurses that can make home visits, at no cost.
• Does your baby's doctor have lactation support on-staff? Who do they refer to if a mom is needing more help? 

Let me share the biggest secret to a successful breastfeeding relationship: Know where to get help. You can always call me with your breastfeeding concerns. My doula role ends after your baby's birth, but my role as your breastfeeding counselor continues until you no longer need me.

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