Why We May All Need Help to Breastfeed.

Did I need help?

I still remember being a first time mom and knowing I wanted to breastfeed. I had heard it was best for a baby, but had no idea what I was getting into. I tried to prepare as much as I could, but how much can we really prepare for something that we have never done? We can’t really practice before our baby arrives. I took child birth classes (which I cannot recommend enough!) and visited a breastfeeding support group so I would know where to turn if things got difficult. I am so very thankful for the advice I got to attend that support group! I continued going to support groups for every single baby I had in many different states and it made a huge difference in my life.

Things did get difficult for me with my first baby…very difficult. Not only did I have a very difficult somewhat traumatic first birth, but my husband had to leave me to return to an overseas assignment that children were not allowed to accompany. Here I was alone and mustering all my strength to love my baby well and keep giving her the precious milk my body was making. I ended up not giving up and I did seek support and to this day it was one of the best decisions I ever made. I needed help. I needed lots of support. I needed a community that understood my goals to breastfeed and wouldn’t try convincing me otherwise.

I know sometimes the challenges to breastfeed are numerous, I have been there, yet I also know there is support that can help. I could not have made it without support, commitment, some tears shed, other women and La Leche League. In our American culture we may not know or see the value of breastfeeding and the importance of support. We may decide we might give breastfeeding a try without knowing all that’s involved. When things get tricky where can we turn? I wish our culture was one that offered an abundance of support, families teaching other families how to feed and attach to their babies, but unfortunelty this is in deficit in our culture.

My hope is for this to change. Journey Well seeks to support mamas however they can! I dream of living in a community that has every resource possible to a new family so they can know the benefits of having an amazing birth, a successful breastfeeding journey based on ones personal goals, lots of communal support and more. For so many reasons, western culture in particular, every mama may need help to breastfeed and that is ok! Hopefully our trajectory of community support where breastfeeding is seen, understood and known for the beautiful gift it is to our babies and to our mothers can continue to be a priority. It is ok to need help, and to trust your instincts. Here at Journey Well we want you to know we are here for you!