Breastfeeding / Lactancia

 "Feeding my son Joao'"

When I was pregnant with my first my child Breastfeeding was my number one alternative. I was very excited to be able to feed my son in a natural way. You would think that breastfeeding, since it is a natural thing, how hard can it be right? Well it was very hard!

I was blessed with a vaginal birth which made me able to breastfeed my son like 15 minutes after he was born.
Getting him to latch was difficult lol, but the nurses kept helping me. I kind of start doing it good but then because of my inexperience, hours later of having birth, my breasts were red and sore. I just startarted crying in the bathroom, I felt so disappointed. I thought to myself how could I possibly get hurt soo fast.
I was not latching him in the proper way, so that's why it happened. Even with the pain, I kept doing it and I had good moments and bad ones too.

When I got home, I was kind of getting the hang of it but because of one mistake, everything just turned upside down. I was told at the hospital that I needed to massage my abdomen to prevent blood clots. But with all the excitement, and the breastfeeding process and struggles I didn't do the massages.

2 days later I got some blood clots, I visited the ER and  the doctor prescribed me a pill that made me unable to breastfeed my son for a week!! I remember all the crying because that meant that I would need to feed him formula and give him a bottle. I immediately started pumping to keep the milk coming and my husband fed Joao that whole week since we were told to do so in order for the baby to recognize me as the breast and daddy as the one with the bottle. Even though pumps are great at mimicking a babies sucking motion, it's not as perfect. My milk production was slowly growing.

After that week, getting my son to latch back on the breast was like a real mission but I succeeded thanks to the support and guidance from my mom and grandmother. I kept doing for 2 more months with some days better than others until one day  my son started to fuss at the breast. I tried and tried and he just wanted it less and less. I thought my milk production was not enough, but sometimes it looked like my milk flow was too strong for him. I tried all the different positions to make it better but nothing worked.

I was devastated, blaming myself for that pill that changed everything. I did not want to give up though so that's when I found online a forum for women who were Exclusively pumping. I started reading and reading and even though it looked like a hard mission I talked to my husband and started doing it. I did it for 7 months and now looking back I really don't know how I did it lol. It was a very sacrificial thing to do.

It was like having 2 babies. I had to treat the pump  like a newborn pumping 5 to 8 times a day. I remember not being able to sleep while my son was sleeping because I needed to pump in order to not lose milk production. While the months past, I dropped more pumps until the day I decided that I was going to finish.


It was hard, but it was all worth it. My son never got sick and now when he does, it lasts a day or so.
He is such a strong kid!

Now that I am pregnant again I worry a little bit thinking if I am going to be able to just breastfeed freely and without problems. For sure I will be doing those massages when I get home this time if I am blessed with another vaginal delivery. But even though I am a little worried I look forward to do it!.
This time will be different since now I have some experience.

I have read books and all the little tricks for breastfeeding. But if you are a mommy and want to share a great advice on breastfeeding. Please do, maybe there is a little trick or just a piece of info that I don't know yet!

Cuando estuve embarazada de mi primer bebe, la lactancia era mi  alternativa numero uno.

Me sentia emocionada de saber que podia alimentar a mi bebe de la forma mas natural.

Uno pensaria que la lactancia por ser algo tan natural, seria  facil, pero  no lo fue!

Yo  fui bendecida con un parto vaginal que me permitio poder lactar a Joao a los 15 minutos de haber nacido. El ponerlo en mi seno para que chupara no fue facil, pero las enfermeras me seguian ayudando.

Despues de un rato, lo empeze a hacer bien pero con el pasar de las horas y por mi inexperiencia me lastime los senos. Los tenia inflamados y rojos. Recuerdo el estar encerrada en el baño llorando sintiendome decepcionada, preguntandome a mi misma como era possible que me hubiera lastimado tan rapido!

Por no haber puesto a Joao de la manera correcta en mi seno, por eso paso.

Aun con dolor, segui lactando y tuve buenos asi como malos momentos tambien.

Cuando regrese a la casa, ya casi tenia el asunto calculado pero por un error que cometi, todo se vino abajo.

En el hospital me habian dicho que tenia que darme masajes en el abdomen para evitar cuagulos. Pero con todo el asunto del bebe, el cansancio y con la lactancia pues no lo hice.

2 dias despues me entero de que se me habian formado cuagulos. Fui a sala de emergencias  y el doctor me receto una pastilla que me impidio lactar a Joao por una semana!

Recuerdo otra vez el estar llorando por que eso significaba que le iba a tener que ofrecer botella y leche de formula. Jose se encargo de alimentar al bebe por esa semana ya que nos habian dicho que esa era la mejor opcion. Asi Joao asociaria a Jose con la botella y a mi con el seno.  Yo segui extrayendo leche con la pompa, pero apesar de que estas pompas imitan el chupe de un bebe, pues no son perfectas y mi produccion de leche fue creciendo muy lento.

Despues de esa semana, el que Joao tomara mi seno de nuevo fue una gran mission. Pero lo logre gracias al apoyo  de mi mama y abuela que estaban conmigo. Segui lactando por dos meses mas con muy buenos momentos y  con dificiles tambien como toda madre primeriza.

Pero un buen dia Joao comenzo a negarse. Yo intentaba mas y mas de lactarlo, pero el queria menos y menos hasta que no quiso mas. Pense que podia ser por mi poca produccion de leche, aunque tambien habia momentos donde parecia que mi flujo de leche era muy rapido y eso le incomodaba.

Me senti super devastada, culpando esa pastilla que lo habia cambiado todo. Sin embargo no queria darme por vencida y fue un dia cuando encontre un forum de mujeres que solo se pompeaban. Comenze a leer y a leer.. y apesar de que se oia super dificil, hable con Jose y decidi intentarlo.

Lo hize por 7 meses, y ahora que miro hacia atras no se como lo hice!

 Fue muy sacrificado. Era como tener dos bebes al mismo tiempo. Tenia que tratar a la pompa como un bebito. Me tenia que sacar la leche entre 5 a 8 veces diarias para no perder mi prodcuccion de leche.

Recuerdo que aveces no podia dormir cuando Joao dormia por que tenia que estar pegada a la pompa.

Pero apesar de todo, no me arrepiento.  Gracias a la lactancia Joao nunca se enfermo y cuando se enferma, solo dura un dia o dos. El es un chico muy fuerte!

Ahora que estoy embarazada de nuevo tengo esa preocupacion. Me pregunto si podre lactar libremente y sin problemas. Eso si, de seguro me voy a hacer los masajes si tengo la bendicion de tener otro parto vaginalmente. Pero aun con la preocupacion y los miedos,  tengo la ilusion de volver a hacerlo, ya que se que esta ves se que va a ser diferente pues ya  tengo experiencia.

Ya he leido libros de lactancia y de sus trucos, pero si eres una mama y quieres compartir alguna recomendacion o algun truquito, dejamelo saber! Igual y hay cosas que aun no se!!