Breastfeeding Problems - breastfeeding cuddles

Hi
I had problems breastfeeding my first son as he was poorly at birth and coudln't feed, he then went nil by mouth for 3 days (needed an operation for Pyloric Stenosis) and then developed severe reflux so kept refusing to feed.

I thought his constant crying was because my milk supply was poor so i started mix-feeding.i then tried to get him back solely onto the breast and couldn't so I almost gave up breastfeeding completely.

However, on the day i'd decided i'd have to give up - i rang the NCT breastfeeding counsellor line for a shoulder to cry on - and she gave me a fantastic tip - she told me to stop focussing on trying to get breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrician and to do 'breastfeeding cuddles' which meant putting him to the breast whenever he or I wanted it and then give bottles at other times.

Her tip really worked for me - slowly he was taking more and more from me and he was taking less formula. I never managed to stop the formula completely but i eventually got to the point where most of his milk came from me with just small top-ups afterwards.

I really wanted to share this tip because even mum's who struggle to breastfeed (or don't want to breastfeed) could still do 'breastfeeding cuddles' even if it's just once a day. I found the bonding wonderful and I felt so close to my son and i think it would be great if other mums' could have that too.

Kitty

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