Breastfeeding Stories - Mary
This is Mary and her two boys Ted and Kit and these are her words.
I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my babies whenever the time would come. I’d been fascinated from a young age since I saw a mother nurse her baby when I was about 5 or 6. I also saw my aunt breastfeed her babies and was so in awe that a mother’s body could be capable of feeding a baby.
I had my first child just before my 32nd birthday. Our son Ted was born prematurely at 35 weeks and was breastfed until he was over 2 years old. We had a turbulent first few months. Between a stay in NICU and jaundice at the start, and battling with a tongue tie which wasn’t diagnosed and snipped until 15 weeks, I really questioned my decision to breastfeed over and over again. But my fantastic Cuidiú Breastfeeding Counsellor suggested that I didn’t give up on a bad day, and honestly, it was the best idea because I never did! I really didn’t want to stop - mostly because I couldn’t be bothered with all the rigmarole with bottles! And I knew the pain I was in and my son’s reflux had to have a cause. Once the tongue tie was released, he was like a different baby and we never had a day of bother from that point on.
I was so inspired by my breastfeeding counsellor, that I actually went on to train to become a qualified Cuidiú Breastfeeding Counsellor myself. I love being able to help other mothers on their journeys.
My second son Kit was born just before the lockdown in 2020. He fed like a trooper, thankfully without any issues, from the very outset and is still going now at almost 18 months. I had just about recovered from my emergency c section when we were locked down due to the pandemic. In fact, at the start of the lockdown, we were already isolating at home due to the two boys catching chicken pox! But even at a few weeks old, the baby was absolutely covered in spots but they didn’t even flinch him. He just kept on boobing!
The lockdown was a strange time, in fact I was much busier than usual taking phone calls from other mothers who needed support in their breastfeeding struggles. It was such a privilege to be able to offer that support to so many during such an uncertain and isolating time.
