08/01/2026
Happy World Breastfeeding Week & National Breastfeeding Month to all the mamas out there!
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Benefits of Breastfeeding:
🤱 helps build your baby’s immune system
🤱 lowers baby’s risk of asthma, obesity, type 1 diabetes & SIDS
🤱 lowers mom’s risk of breast & ovarian cancer
🤱 provides complete nutrition for your baby
🤱 improves your baby’s gut health
🤱 is cost effective
And the list goes on!
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My breastfeeding journey did not start out the way I had planned it to. My son, Ford, was born on November 29th, 2025. I put his mouth to my ni**le, he sucked, and I thought, “Wow, this is pretty easy!” My midwife told me that newborns need to eat every 2-3 hours. So like clock work, I put him to my breast, he sucked, the end. And then December 1st came.
It was 7 a.m. and time to feed him again. I put him to my breast and he sucked — *actually* sucked this time. I had an “oh $h!t” moment when I realized that Monday morning was the first time he latched. He didn’t eat for two whole days before then. But it was too late at that point. We took him to the emergency room that evening. He was very dehydrated and his blood sugar was so low that it didn’t even show up on the glucometer.
The ER team couldn’t get an IV in him so they had to call the NICU team to come stabilize him. He was then transferred to Danville to make sure everything was okay. When we were called back after the doctor on duty observed him, he had a seizure right in front of all of us. My heart dropped to my stomach. He had to stay for further testing and ended up staying for a week.
A lactation specialist came to chat and got me all set up to start pumping. Pumping is actually what got me through that week. I felt like I had a purpose and was apart of Ford’s care plan. I had told myself the lie that my breastfeeding journey was over and that I was only going to be pumping to give my baby food. If I had to supplement with formula, so be it. I couldn’t trust my body, I thought. I cried myself to sleep for the first few nights because it was my fault that we were in this mess. How could I not know that my baby didn’t eat for two days?
I continued to try to breastfeed during our stay but felt very discouraged. He was supposed to be eating for at least 15 minutes at a time, but only reached that goal a handful of times. One of the doctors on his team asked me to not give up. So I didn’t.
When we got home I tried to breastfeed but still wasn’t successful. I was pumping around the clock but man, I hated that. And then I got mastitis in my left breast. I wouldn’t wish that pain on my worst enemy. That’s when I was done with pumping, switched to exclusive breastfeeding and haven’t gone back.
I am so happy that I didn’t give up and believe the lies I was telling myself. We had a rough start but we’re thriving now.
If you got this far, thank you for reading my story. 🤍
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Whether you’re a seasoned or a first time mom, comment below how long you were/have been on your breastfeeding journey and what tips and tricks helped you along the way! 👇
