Breastfeeding is natural, however a learnt skill; what advice would you give mothers struggling in the first several weeks with breastfeeding and perhaps thinking of weaning?
Like many new mums I had an expectation that breastfeeding would come naturally, but my reality was very different. It was the hardest thing I've ever had to do and there were so many times in the first few weeks that I found myself alone at night, in tears, in pain, adamant that I was going to switch to formula the very next day! What I didn't realise at the time was that so many other new mums go through the exact same thing, but for some reason it's just not talked about openly. In reality it took almost 2 months for things to settle down and until I started enjoying breastfeeding my daughter. When this started happening I vowed to myself that I'd share my experience with other new mums who also wanted to breastfeed in the hope that it may help them in some small way.
The reason I am still nursing almost 8 months later is due to an enormous amount of support I received in the early weeks. Many hospitals have breastfeeding rooms with nurses who can help you at every feed before you go home, I recommend taking advantage of this wonderful service if it is offered to you. We had several in-home appointments with a specialist who offered not only assistance with positioning and technique, but emotional support as well. Be honest with other breastfeeding mums about your struggles, talk to your family doctor to rule out any medical issues for you and your baby, call the Australian Breastfeeding Association with your questions or issues day or night. It also helped me enormously to set little goals for myself - a week, a month, 3 months, 6 months and so on. And most importantly, never quit on your worst day. I'm so thankful that I persisted.