"I felt like I had poisonous milk," she said. "I kept telling him, 'I am sorry. I don't know what I did.' "
Although a woman's body is designed to provide nutrition to her infant, breastfeeding doesn't come easily for some mothers. Unexpected difficulties often catch women off guard and can lead to feelings of failure, inadequacy and isolation.
But these women are not alone.
In Middle Tennessee, there are groups of breastfeeding moms who gather each week to seek support from each other and guidance from professionals on how to overcome feeding struggles. Together, they receive assistance and assurance that they are not at fault.
"We are programmed with the belief that pregnancy is normal and natural, so breastfeeding should be normal and natural," said Kate Cropp, a nurse practitioner and director of lactation at Nashville's Nine Months and Beyond. "When the baby comes out, (moms) feel like they are supposed to know what to do and baby is supposed to know what to do.
"Most women don't know there could be baby problems or mommy problems or there could be both at the same time."
For Gilliam, problems stemmed from a colicky baby and a milk allergen that gave her son, Jack, an upset stomach and a cranky demeanor.
She was not alone in caring for Jack — her mother was staying with her, and her husband got up with her at night — but neither could identify with her emotions. So Gilliam found people who would understand.
She joined a support group at Nine Months and Beyond, an early parenting education center. The group, Weigh To Go, Baby!, meets in a small brick building near Berry Hill on Monday and Friday mornings.
Moms form a circle, and, with babies in their laps, they sit and discuss problems as they nurse. New attendees are often quiet at first, but as they hear other mothers' struggles they soon open up.
The bond between these women becomes invaluable, particularly at a time when they may be questioning their mothering abilities and their bodies.
It makes you feel like you are doing the right thing, and it gives you confidence," said Gilliam, who is still breastfeeding Jack at seven months. "I lived there for the first three months. … It saved my life."
Identifying problems
A majority of feeding issues begins with soreness, according to Holly Sparkman a registered nurse and breastfeeding educator for the Women's Hospital at Centennial. When a baby doesn't latch correctly, a mother's nipples may ache and become cracked and bloody, making her resistant to regular feedings.
A poor latch may also lead to milk-transfer issues. If the infant isn't getting enough milk, he or she won't gain weight, which can create an unsatisfied and inconsolable baby — and an upset mom.
"(Nipple discomfort) is a little, bitty, tiny snowflake that turns into an avalanche if you don't get it resolved," Sparkman said.
Related
* Where to find breastfeeding support groups
Anxiety overwhelmed Olivia Orendorff when she fed her first child, James. She had mastitis, a painful breast inflammation usually caused by infection, and nursing was unbearably uncomfortable.
The daughter of a La Leche League leader, she knew where she could go for support. The Nashville chapter of the group meets twice a month, once in the morning and once at night, and covers a series of topics, including breastfeeding benefits, difficulties and weaning.
It was a while before Orendorff was comfortable exposing her problems in public. Once there, however, she realized she didn't need to remain isolated.
"It's really good to talk to someone who has been there," said Orendorff, who is now a group leader. "It is a safe place to cry."
Getting rid of guilt
It's not just first-time moms who have feeding issues, either.
Monica Blake breastfed her first child, daughter Aniyah, for 18 months without issue. But when her twin sons arrived in September, her milk production didn't meet their demands.
"It was very difficult for me to accept that my body did not respond to this pregnancy like it did with my daughter," Blake said. "I felt like I was failing my children."
Perceived and actual low supply of milk is another common source of concern for breastfeeding mothers, Sparkman said. Mothers worry that their children are not getting enough to eat and fret because they can't measure how much comes out of their breasts.
To help pacify that worry, infant scales are available at StoneCrest Medical Center support groups, which meet every Wednesday afternoon, and at Nine Months and Beyond. Babies can be weighed before and after feedings to estimate how much is being taken in and help monitor growth.
Blake visited Nine Months and Beyond twice a week for three weeks with her sons, Preston and Patrick. She learned pumping techniques to help increase her supply, and also received valuable encouragement.
"Knowing we could come there to get good, reliable answers made a difference," she said. "It let me know, even though it seemed like I was going through it by myself, I had a group of people around me hoping I would pull through."
Now 2 months old, Blake's baby boys are thriving. With support, she staved off her feelings of inadequacy, but Sparkman noted that even if a mother can't breastfeed, it doesn't mean she has failed.
"If you have done your best and reached out and sought help, you should not in any way feel guilty about not continuing to breastfeed," she said. "We are all doing the best we can as mothers, and that's the best we can do."source: www.tennessean.com
Job at home
Whether you are looking for a profitable work at home or whether you dream about getting money live; yes, after all, you located it!
Obtain economic independence
No pc skills needed. You can be completely new to manage our platform - you don't need ANY skill. This is actually easy.
You can stay at home and work at your free time. Even whether you don't have computer you can do this job in Internet cafe or on Internet cell phone.
How it works?
We build a online-shop for you with ready to operate e-commerce solution. Your work is very simple; you have to post information about your internet-store to the Online sites. We will provide you with pretty simple step-by-step instruction how to do this. The typical instruction requests you to open a web site and fill in a form with material about your web-store and software.
You will be paid from US $20.00 to US 180.00 for every purchase which is comes via your internet-shop.
There is no restriction for your income. No matter where you live your pay outs are 100% guaranteed.
Apply Now...Register now to get financial freedom. All you need is the simple: apply now and makepersonal internet business!
