Why Is Breastfeeding Often So Difficult?

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I must say upfront that I have been extremely blessed to have breastfed all 5 of our children with very little problems.

Sure, I had soreness and bleeding in the early days with #1 and even #2. Then I had mastitis with #2 and blocked ducts with the rest, a nursing strike with #4 and always, an overactive letdown. But I would say that my breastfeeding experience has mostly been positive.

So, why is it often so difficult for so many women? Here are some things I feel can help breastfeeding(bf) go more smoothly and successfully.

A lot of times whether bf turns out successful or not depends on the mother’s personality. I shall be frank here – if the mum is weak, then bf will most likely fail when she faces even minor obstacles. But if mum is strong-willed and determined to press on regardless of the obstacles she faces, then bf will be successful.

I have heard too many stories of women who give up bf which often makes me sad and sometimes, angry! But I also hear stories of mums who press on despite the pain and discomfort. These women I salute! It is indeed to tough to press on when people all around are pushing you to wean the baby.

Whether mum believes strongly that breastmilk (bm) is best for the child or not is another determining factor. Bm is God’s best for our babies. It is a perfect food, suited for our babies growth at every stage of his life.

Do you know that our bm changes at every stage of our babies’ lives? Milk for a newborn or even a premature baby is different in composition from milk for a 6mth old or a 20 mth old baby! No need for follow-on milk that the milk companies so aggressively push upon us. No need to worry if baby is having a balanced diet! See Why Breastfeed?

If you believe that bm is the best for baby, you will press on! Does this mean that a bf baby never falls ill? Is always chubby and smart?

Let me challenge you to think of it this way – we start with the premise that bm is the best. So if baby is still falling sick even on bm, think of what will happen if he is put on an inferior product? He’ll be even more sick! I am not exaggerating. Mums with formula fed babies and bf babies always say the same thing – the bf baby falls sick less often and recovers faster.

And one more thing – sometimes, demand feeding hinders successful bf. I know I am going to step on many toes here. But I do not see the logic of demand feeding when it wears the mum down and leads to her giving up bf.

If it works/worked for you, great! But many mums have told me that they gave up coz they couldn’t take it anymore. Now which is worse? To put baby on a routine or to give up bf?

Demand feeding led to my 1st born ending up in the hospital with very high jaundice. Why? Demand feeding here refers to feeding the baby only when he cries or show signs for milk. Because he was jaundiced, he slept A LOT! And he only fed every 3 – 4 hrs. What bliss! Or so I thought.

I later read up more and discovered that in the early days, baby needs lots of good nursing sessions to clear out the bilirubin in the system! Thereafter, I never let any of my babies demand feed. I always nursed them every 2 – 2.5hrs in the daytime. For nights, I let them go as long or as short as they wished.

Please note that being on a routine/schedule does not mean putting the baby on a 4hr or even a 3hr schedule. I have always kept to the 2hr schedule till they were 3 – 4 mths old or until they themselves were able to stretch the feeding intervals longer.

A baby who feeds at a shorter interval than that tends to be snacking. They snack for 2 min & promptly fall asleep. Mum thinks she has not enough milk coz baby is up again the next hour and the next and the next….But if you hold baby out to 2hrs (from start to start) then the baby will nurse better and more, leading to a more contented baby and a well rested mum.

These are of course, only my observations over the years that I have bf. Bf is natural but it is not easy. But persist and you will reap the rewards of a happier, healthier child and you. But most of all, it is a beautiful relationship that only you can experience when you bf your child. It’s beautiful!

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