Most women want to breastfeed but, despite our efforts, sometimes it doesn’t work out.
Research indicates that over 90 per cent of women start breastfeeding after the birth of their baby but by six months the breastfeeding rates are quite low.
When things don’t work out, many women feel a sense of loss. If you have been unable to breastfeed either at all or for as long as you had hoped, it is natural to feel these emotions. However, it is essential that you do not think of yourself as a failure.
Guilt is an occupational hazard of being a mother and when breastfeeding doesn’t work out, many mothers feel guilty. However, instead of feeling guilty, maybe mothers should be asking why almost all women start out by breastfeeding, but less than half of babies are fully breastfed at four months?
Often the reason that women don’t breastfeed as long as they planned is because they did not get the right support or the correct information at the right time. The Australian Breastfeeding Association came about for this very reason – to provide community-based, up-to-date breastfeeding information and support.
Babies under 12 months require breast milk or artificial baby milk/formula to develop. If you are not breastfeeding you have several options – express breast milk, use donor milk, use formula or a combination of these.
If you want to try again, with patience and determination it is possible to rebuild a milk supply and resume breastfeeding after a break. For more information on relactation, contact an ABA Counsellor. With help, mums who haven’t breastfed their first babies are able to breastfeed their subsequent babies. It is helpful to talk over your breastfeeding experience with an ABA breastfeeding counsellor or perhaps attend a local ABA group meeting.
If your breastfeeding experience was not all you hoped it would be, ABA is here for you. Many ABA Counsellors have experienced breastfeeding challenges themselves and all have breastfed at least one of their own babies for at least six months.
To find out more on this topic, go to https://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/when-breastfeeding-doesnt-work-out
If you would like to talk to an experienced breastfeeding counsellor, please phone our 24 hour free helpline or for local breastfeeding support and our group’s meeting dates, times and venues, please phone Helen on 6772 5698.
The National Breast-feeding Helpline is supported by funding from the Australian Government.
Story: Australian Breastfeeding Assoc.(Armidale Group)
