By Badass Jordan
My name is Jordan and I’m a pretty badass breastfeeder! I wanted to share my story so far to hopefully encourage other young mums to keep going! I’m 21 and have not long had my first baby. My daughter may only be seven weeks old but they have been such hard work! Battling reflux and oversupply, along with a tiny 5lb baby and a not very supportive partner and most of the family.
When I gave birth to bubs she was placed immediately on my chest and we latched without a problem. It was wonderful and definitely the best thing I have ever done! We were kept in overnight due to my needing surgery and her tiny weight at full term. We battled through that first awful night alone in a strange place. The hospital weren’t incredibly supportive or encouraging but listened when I shouted for her. Her tiny mouth was too small for my huge nipple! We soon got there with the help of a tiny syringe and hand expressing. Come morning we were doing brilliantly.
The second night was horrible. She cried and cried and struggled to latch. I expressed and again used the syringe just so she would eat. We made it.
The first two weeks were fine, we found our rhythm and followed her lead.
Before I knew it, my partner had gone from super supportive (making me drinks, helping with housework) to a lazy sod who slept until lunch time and did nothing to help me. I had to beg him to change her nappy so I could have a quick shower. His mother insisted that I express and give bubs the bottle so that ‘we can have a go’. I refused point blank.
Things carried on like this for the next few weeks. I refused to allow bubs to go anywhere without me. My mum was the only one who supported me and appreciated what I was trying to do. She breastfed me as long as she could stand and hated that she stopped so soon.
My mother in law next demanded that she was to take my daughter out for the day and that she was telling my partner a week in advance so that I would ‘have time to get over it’. I was understandably livid! It is not a case of not trusting her, it is a case of exclusively breastfeeding my daughter and so needing to be near her all the time! I offered to go with her but she refused ‘I was trying to kill two birds with one stone’. I’ll never know what that was supposed to mean.
I felt that I was being pushed from all around to bottle feed but my daughter is not a toy! She is not there for everyone to ‘have a go’. She is a teeny tiny person who deserves the best start that I can provide for her and I love our breastfeeding relationship. As a young mum it is tempting to listen to older women and their advice and doubt everything that you are doing. Especially when you’re told continually that it’s wrong! However I have pushed on and at our last health visitor checkup, bubs weighed a fabulous 8lbs 8 at six weeks, and our latch is perfect, along with her weight gain.
Due to the oversupply I do have to express, which I am donating to our local hospital for mothers who cannot!
I just wanted to share this as I know other young women are so put off thinking they won’t get much support. I have had minimal support and so much against me and I am more determined than ever to push on for as long as I can go. This Facebook page is such a source of encouragement and support.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for all of your posts and information!
