The B Team

When you're in hospital, or hanging out with midwives and health visitors as much as i am, you soon come to realise that there's a very magic word that we believe they are commisioned to throw into every other sentence. "Breastfeeding" Midwives are trained to use this word every time they speak to brand new over-emotional mothers. Bill and i call them the B Team! Does it work? Probably, but after a while i was like shut up with your magic word already, i am fucking trying, okay! Simply put - breastfeeding is hard! But, and this is a big but, i think Tallulah and i are evidence that everyone can breastfeed because we've had our fair share of issues. 1. Lulah was premature 2. I had a c-section 3. She was (is) tiny and has a tiny mouth 4. I have massive boobs 5. It took about five days for any milk to appear 5. Tallulah is tongue tied. I cried when i had to give her formula those first few days. I might not have had a birth plan but i had a feeding plan, i was going to breastfeed! So what did we do? We tried boob every single time she was due a feed. That is a lot of hard work, and it probably would have been easier to give up and give her the bottle. We also do skin to skin every single day. I got nipple shields to help her get on. This enabled me to chuck the formula on day five. We had a lot of tears and tantrums, from both of us, i squeezed tiny drops of colustrum from my boobs until my nipples were sore. But guess what happened? One day she just did it! So i guess the B Team are doing a good job really! As frustrating as it was when the strict African midwife had baby's head in one hand and my boob in the other and basically shoving the two together, it did work in the end. And i am so proud! And so so pleased! I even think i need to join the B Team myself and become a breastfeeding support person. Coming to a boob near you soon!!!