Is it difficult to nurse your baby?
As a nursing mother of a 4 years old toddler I’ve heard lots of comments about how hard breastfeeding could be and have even got advice to wean before “things get even worst” 
You might have noticed that the message we get from the media often tells us how difficult breastfeeding is. Expecting and new moms are frequently exposed to stories of soared nipples, milk supply issues, babies refusing to nurse (or that “dislike” breast milk taste), slow weight gain, pumping nightmares, among many others. Similar to how expectant moms are a target for birth horror stories, reading about these breastfeeding problems can scare moms away from deciding to nurse her baby.
Are these stories really true and if so is there something that moms can do to prevent these problems?
Well, the belief that breastfeeding is difficult is a new concept of the modern world. One well known anthropologist asked a group of native women if new moms had a hard time breastfeeding their babies, and they could barely grasp the meaning of the question, since for these women breastfeeding is as natural as eating or breathing.
It might be that much of what makes breastfeeding difficult is the expectation that it will be difficult?
Add to that the fact that so many women in the western society have never seen a woman nurse a baby in real life. Wow, as an Ecuadorian, when I first read about it in a French baby book I was
Ibarra, Ecuador
really surprised, as I’ve grown up exposed to breastfeeding images, even though I myself was not breastfed. But nowadays, even in Ecuador and other countries where breastfeeding used to be the norm, many girls are not growing observing their mothers, relatives or neighbors nursing their babies. As a result, the picture of a nursing mom is a new one in their minds and is becoming an offense to the eyes of the society.
Let’s talk for a while about the poor breastfeeding information of most labor and delivery nurses, mothers and mothers in law, and even Pediatricians! One Mom was told by hospital staff shortly after her child was born, “You don’t have enough milk supply so we need to give formula to your newborn in order to safe his life.” This mom –me- knew that it would lead to breastfeeding problems and asked the hospital staff not to give formula to the baby. They didn’t give any formula but offered my baby sugared water with a bottle, which caused nipple confusion.
So how can a mom get good breastfeeding advice? One way is to get in touch with other breastfeeding mothers, ask them questions and observe them nursing their babies and toddlers. For this matter breastfeeding support groups such as La Leche League or Holistic Moms are the places to go. Try to get involved before the baby is born so you can make your birth and after birth choices, and get used to the breastfeeding mom picture.
Breastfeeding shouldn’t be difficult in a supporting and caring environment, but if you feel that your surroundings are not so breastfeeding friendly, try to get in touch with breastfeeding groups both offline and online. Sometimes it could seem that you’re the only breastfeeding mom in the city –I’ve been there- but remember there’s a great worldwide community of breastfeeding moms willing to provide help.
If you want mom to mom breastfeeding help definitely have a look at this $1 breastfeeding ebook written by a mom of four with 10 years of breastfeeding experience, who was for 6 years an accredited breastfeeding counselor. The happy breastfeeder.
