The first 11 weeks of my breastfeeding journey- experiances and lessons learned

My breastfeeding journey has so far been interesting and educational to the lest. I would actually say it started long before I was even pregnant with K. Ever since my niece was born and I saw how my exSIL struggled and due to family pressure risked my nieces life to breastfeed (only for me and my brother and our parents to step in and provide formula and bottles did nothing bad happen), I swore to myself that I would attempt to if I ever became a mummy, but I would not risk my childs health.
My DF has been extreamly supportive during my journey and for that I am enternially gratefull. I have also had a huge amount of support from my family and friends. I believe the most important parts of successful breastfeeding is support and education. I read soo much about breastfeeding, watched videos on utube, talked to friends and family about their experiances.
Week One: The day K was born, everything was going fine- great attachment the works. But that night, once I was home and super tired from being up over 24 hours, problems started. DF had gone to bed and I was giving K a feed before putting her in bed and going to bed myself. However, I encountered my first problem. Due to fatigue in both myself and K, attachment was posing a problem. DF heard me getting upset and K getting shirty with me. I was beginning to feel like I could not do it no more, I was about to call DF and tell him to go get a tin of formula, when he walks out and straight away grabs a pillow and starts helping me find a position I could attach her in. I was sooo lucky to have DF there to help me.
By the end of that first week, things were going great. Attachment had gotten better, K was doing fantastic with weight and I was feeling good about breastfeeding. However, I was dealing with cracked nipples- ouch they hurt.
Week Two: Cracked nipples= ouch. I was starting to dread feeds cause of the pain, little did I know, worse was yet to come. One day K pulled of suddenly and screamed- I looked down and saw it bleeding. Yikes it hurt. Thank goodness I had Lansho?sp. It was also this week that K bit me for the first time- I nearly jumped out of my skin- it was worse then a cracked nipple. I was told when K bites to take her off straight away and firmly say no. Also a little illiteration- Nibbling Nipples Naughty. It seemes to of worked.
Weeks Three and Four: Still batteling Cracked nipples and now lets throw in Thrush in my boobs and a blocked milk duct. Oh yes it was all happening to me. I soo wanted to give up- put K on formula and be done with it. But, thanks to the support of my family and friends I battled on. Got the help I needed- antibiotics from the doctor for the thrush (that I ended up having a reaction to), and heat packs and persistance for the blocked milk duct.
Once those issues were dealt with, all I had left was attachment issues. These seemed to be on going. But I battled on. There have been days where I have though- I cant do this, my milk is not enough. But thanks to support I have continued to do it.
And finally, at 11weeks3days, K has finally started to attach properly and quickly. It has been a long battle with lots of ups and downs, but I am hoping that we are finally starting to get things moving in the right direction. I am sure I am still going to have to be vigilant about attachment, but K and I will get there.

I thought I would right a debrief on the start to my breastfeeding journey to illustrate that no it is not always easy, but with support, education and persistance it can happen. If you got this far, congrats. Please feel free to ask questions and I will answer them the best I can.

Well done and thanks for sharing. So true that support and help can make all the difference!
It took us about 11 weeks to get attachment right too - very difficult and frustrating (and painful) but we got there in the end.

You should be so so soooo proud of yourself. You are doing such a fantastic job despite so many problems. I feel your pain in that department we had (and often still have) problems but at the end of the day you are giving your baby the best thing possible. Oh and Lansinoh rocks! I tried EBM on there but found that when you have so much damage the 'softness' of lansinoh is soothing.

Great job hun and I wish you a smooth BF journey from here on in :hug:

Thankyou so much for posting about your journey. I'm up to week 4 and have had some struggles, felt like giving up at times and had moments where it feels like I'm the only person ever to have problems feeding. It's the stories of perserverance like yours that make me keep going and not giving up.

Thank You!!!!!!!

Sharon you are doing an amazing job too hun. Keep going and things will get easier. There are so many people especially on BellyBelly that have had a rough time of it and more than willing to lend a hand or just throw out some much needed sympathy. Be proud hun, you're doing great :hug:

Thanks girls. I figured I may aswell share my experiance to show those who may want to give up in the early days, that it can and does get better, and its ok to accept help. I even had to use nipple shields, however now K refuses if I use it (she even refuses bottles and dummies so I am not too concerned).

Sharron, you are doing an amazing job, keep persavering and dont feel ashamed to ask for help. I learnt that lesson early on- its ok to need help.

Wow Lisa, that was a very difficult start to motherhood for you :hug: I am so glad that things are much better now.

Unfortunately we have such little exposure to breastfeeding before becoming mums, so that we really have to learn everything from scratch and it can be hard to know where to go for help. Many mums who are having problems with positioning and attachment in the early days find that feeding in a reclined position, with the baby vertically down their chest, rather than horizontal, can be a big help. Baby Led Attachment also works well in this position - this is where the baby follows their own instincts to attach, rather than the mum trying to shape the nipple and attach the baby herself. This has been a life saver for many a mum with sore nipples from poor attachment (or for pre-empting that). For any mums who are still struggling, this article might help - Australian Breastfeeding Association - Baby-led attachment.

A Lactation Consultant can also be a life saver. A private LC costs money, but many mums find it well worth while to be able to feed without pain or overcome other issues. The ones with an IBCLC qualification are the most highly qualified and have done lots of training and sit stringent exams every few years. There is a link to the directory of IBCLC qualified LCs someone in the stickied posts.

Lisa, thank you for sharing your story, and I hope your journey from here is a much easier one.

Good on you Lisa, you are doing a top job! Its sos hard to keep persevering when it seems the world is against you, but the rewards are so worth it. DD and I didnt get feeding right until about 13 weeks, and now its so easy. So all I can say is congrats to you, and it will only get easier from here x