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Breastfeeding my 1st born Benjamin, was very difficult for me because I wasn't very open in receiving any help
outside of my own home, I found out that my mom hadn't breastfed me and
I felt like I didn't know where to go because I wasn't very open in breastfeeding or talking to other people
about breastfeeding so I was very not very open minded unfortunately which I really regret. I really regret that.
My peer counselor has answered a lot of questions that I've had.
She's called me, she checks up on me, make sure that she's where she's supposed to be with her weight
and just really answering the questions that I have. Oh, I enjoy breastfeeding very much,
it's a connection that I think I can't, I won't ever have with anything else because it's something that I naturally give her
& she's growing. She's doing really good.
The favorite part now is the connection that I have with her, I enjoy it and I enjoy seeing how she,
she knows that mommy provides that food for her and when she's next to me, she, I think she smells me,
she knows the comfort that security that a mom gives but also that
I breastfeed her that she eats from mom.
I know that for myself, I had two really awesome breastfeeding experiences that went fairly smoothly
and I had my third child and that really kind of had some struggles.
I almost gave up and I had some somebody rooting for me and just telling me, you can do this.
There's an answer we just need to find it and that person was my husband.
Not everybody has that, like I said so it's just really, really important. I think that if somebody doesn't have that,
that they have some other options and resources where they can get that kind of support & encouragement that is needed.
So I just know for myself when I was struggling with my son, meeting with somebody who gave me that information
that I needed to overcome the barrier that we were experiencing changed that whole situation
from the moment I walked into that office feeling like this is it! I can't for some reason breastfeed this kid, he's not getting it, 00:03:13.000,00:03:18.000 I don't know what's going on but I cannot continue to deal with the pain that I'm in
and just the thought of having to feed my baby somewhere outside of nursing him was heartbreaking
and I know that meeting with that one lady in her office who helped me through that
allowed me to have the same memories with him as I do with my daughters and that's priceless.
Well, I have three girls and a boy. My daughters are 9, 11 and 15. My son is four
and I have breastfed all my children for a total of all of them combined for 10 years
& I had my ups and downs but before I had kids I knew that I would breastfeed.
It was in, you know I didn't have second thoughts about it, I didn't think well maybe I'll try for a month or 6 months
I just knew that I would always breastfeed.
I grew up way up in the reservation from the Napa reservation and it was the norm for my family
my grandmother, I did never seen her breastfeed but she always tell us about her breastfeeding experiences.
My mother breastfed, my sisters breastfed and it was just something that was in our,
I guess it's just part of our culture.
With my son, I have severe engorgement, I mean, I tried hand expressing,
I tried using a manual pump, but I just couldn't get anywhere without so I called peer counselor
& they had a latch comes available which are the magical thing for breastfeeding moms & she issued me one,
she told me, she went through the instructions how to assemble the breast pump,
how to protect my milk supply and I got home & I left the office she told me, call me, she gave me her card, call me anytime,
and I was like, okay. The office closes at five and I thought it was 10 o'clock at night.
I couldn't get this piece in the breast pump and I hesitated but on the card it said call anytime.
So 10 o'clock I called and I said, I asked her, I said "I need help help!" "That's what I'm here for,
I told you to call me whenever you need me." With the help of, you know, a peer counselor
I was able to continue breastfeeding.