With Gratitude
By Cecilia M. Wisniewski
Union, New Jersey, USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 11 No. 1, January-February 1994, pp. 10-11
We provide articles
from our publications from previous years for reference for our Leaders and
members. Readers are cautioned to remember that research and medical information
change over time
I knew while I was pregnant
that I wanted to breastfeed, and I planned on giving it my most sincere
effort. Within ten minutes after being born my son, Alex, was nursing
like a pro. All was going well, and both mother and son were enjoying
the experience. The only problem was that he wanted to nurse about every
hour and a half, around the clock. I began worrying that I was not producing
enough milk to satisfy him. My family was urging me to supplement with
formula. They were telling me "the poor baby's probably not getting
enough milk," "It's tying you down too much," etc. So, reluctantly,
after checking with the pediatrician, I began supplementing with a small
bottle of formula during the day and sometimes at night. But I felt
very uncomfortable about doing this. I felt I was shortchanging my son
and that I was missing out on the beautiful experience of being the
sole source of nourishment for my baby.
While I was in the hospital
I was given a list of La Leche League Groups and contacts in my area.
So I called La Leche League, and the Leader invited me to the next meeting.
This may be one of the best things I did for my baby.
At the meeting they provided
education and support. They explained supply and demand and assured
me that I would make enough milk if I stuck to it. And it was such a
warm feeling to see the commitment that these mothers had made to their
babies and their confidence in mothering.
That afternoon I went home,
put my feet up on a chair, and encouraged my baby to nurse for as long
and as often as he wanted. Within a few days everything seemed to fall
into place. I knew I was producing enough milk, and I felt 100% confident
that I was doing the right thing.
Alex is now a plump, healthy
nine-month-old. He still wakes up once during the night and when he
does I lay him down between my husband and me and nurse him. When he
falls back to sleep one of us puts him back in his crib. He wakes up
more frequently when he is teething, and nursing is such a comfort to
him.
Sometimes while I'm nursing
him I look over at my beautiful baby and at my beautiful husband and
I feel that this is the closest thing to heaven that I can experience
here on earth. Very often, my husband will say to me: "Thank you for
taking such good care of my son."
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:34:48 UTC 2007.
