Nurse Often and Enjoy!

by Shannon
(Michigan, USA)

Making the decision to breastfeed is a huge commitment, but it is not one that does not have many, many rewards and benefits for both you, your spouse and especially your baby.

When I was a new mother, I felt a bit overwhelmed by the amount of time that it took for my son to finish nursing, and how much time out of my day that I felt should be spent doing the other duties of Motherhood.

I later learned that patience was my biggest ally, and that the dishes and other duties would get done when my son was sleeping or playing with his Dad.

The added benefit of taking my time and allowing my son to do the same is that my milk supply was adequate.

One of the main reasons that I have encountered with new Mothers who cease breastfeeding early is that they just didn't make enough milk. I often wonder what all of the Mothers in the world with inadequate supplies of breast milk would have done living in earlier times when there was no alternative? I suppose those of us able to make milk would have been feeding our neighbors' babies along with our own! :-)

The advice that I was given by a very caring nurse while in the hospital was to be as relaxed as possible, nurse often and take the time to just enjoy the experience. This not only help to improve my milk supply over time, but it also eliminated any stress for my son or myself and allowed us to learn the process without any difficulty.