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Hi I'm Harjeet Dial and this is my daughter Areya, who's just turned four months old,
and I also have a son Milan who's almost three. I'd always planned to breastfeed both my kids
and also any subsequent kids that I may have. One -- just because of the great health benefits
that have been associated with breastfeeding, but also the added benefits of not having
time-consuming bottles to make up, always have breastfeeding on hand and just not having
to faff around. So when I got started with breastfeeding I
bought myself a V-shape pillow, mainly to help me get the positioning right which in
turn would lead to the latch being correct, and also just to support myself to be a bit
more comfortable. So at the beginning I thought breastfeeding
would be something that would come naturally to every mum, and it wasn't as natural as
I had hoped it would be. I found it at times it could be quite uncomfortable and I know
that breastfeeding -- if you're doing it correctly -- shouldn't be something that's uncomfortable;
it should just be something that you're at ease with and that doesn't cause you any pain.
So when Areya was about a month old I woke up one morning and I was feeling quite light
headed and I was also experiencing some redness on my left breast, and it also felt quite
hard and tender to touch. Harjeet talks to her baby "Shh shh shh, not
so loud." I also at the same time had had cracked and
bleeding nipples on my left side, and I think it's because both my children actually favoured
my right breast. So the left breast became a bit neglected and that's when I realised,
with all those symptoms that there was something going on and that I needed to seek some help.
So I went to see my GP and I spoke to my health visitor and a pharmacist.
The health visitor recommended to me that I should use cold cabbages from the fridge
and also some hot flannels or quite hot showers on my *** to stop some of the pain. Whereas
the doctor recommended that I should go for some *** cream to soothe it, but also one
of the most important pieces of advice that he gave me was that I should continue feeding
from that side. I'd say that it cleared up within seven to
10 days; it's a recurring problem that can come back if you lapse back into your old
habits. So because my children had a tendency to go for the right breast I would often neglect
the left, and you can sometimes feel some symptoms coming back which is when you then
need to start using the remedies again. I'm really glad that I persevered with the
breastfeeding, and although at times it was really uncomfortable it was something I was
determined to overcome, and now I've come past that stage and breastfeeding now to me
feels so natural and so easy -- just like it should do.
I think my top breastfeeding tip is just to ensure that you get the latch right, because
that's where everything starts and that's where if you don't -- you know that's the
simplest thing but it's where most of the problems can occur from. And I'd also say
don't be afraid to ask, so the doctors, the health visitors, the pharmacists; they're
there to help you, they've spoken to hundreds of women before you and they know the problems,
and it doesn't make you a bad mum. In fact it probably makes you a better mum because
you're seeking help to help you along your breastfeeding journey.