We asked Sonni Abatta about motherhood, breastfeeding and her favorite mom essentials. Read on for some great advice to all nursing moms.
Even though there are some things about motherhood that come naturally, breastfeeding usually isn’t one of them. When I was a first-time mom, I was surprised to learn that it was something that moms and babies really have to work at.
All I knew when I had my first child, my son, was that I wanted to give breastfeeding a shot. I didn’t know for how long, but I did know I wanted to try. And we had a good start. Thankfully, he latched right on after my c-section delivery and kept latching well, but that was hardly the end of the story.
In the first three days, while I was still at the hospital, I called the lactation consultant about a dozen times to come in to help me with a variety of issues—latching position, sore nipples, and supply. Then, when I got home, I dealt with clogged ducts and a baby who never seemed to want to be off the breast (hello, cluster feeding!). It was painful and exhausting, but I called the lactation consultant time and time again in those first two months, and eventually, my baby and I found a routine that worked for us.
So how did it turn out?
Well, I ended up nursing my son for 16 months—way longer than I ever thought I would. When we finally got the hang of it, I found breastfeeding to be the most convenient way to feed him.For a mom who was ambivalent about breastfeeding to begin with, I surprised myself at the length of time I stuck with it. With my daughter, my second-born, I nursed for a year; and currently, I’m in month two of nursing my third baby, another girl.
As my comfort with nursing each child increased, I have officially become “That Mom” who nurses just about everywhere. Malls, restaurants, park benches—no place is off limits. In fact, I may be the only mom who has ever nursed while riding the Frozen ride at Disney. Yep. That in-ride picture they snapped has gotta be priceless, though I have yet to see it.
What can I say… when the baby’s gotta eat, I find a way to make it happen! Thankfully I have found some fashionable ways to keep me covered when I do it, like my NuRoo nursing scarf.
Her final advice:
In the end, although I’m a huge breastfeeding advocate, I always say, “Fed is best.” Try hard for breastfeeding if that’s what you want and stick with it as long as you can. But if it doesn’t work out for as long as you expected, or at all, forgive yourself and move on. Your baby needs a happy mom. And you can’t be a happy mom if you’re always struggling to live up to an expectation that’s not working for you.
Every mom and baby have a different story; here’s to all of ours!
You can find Sonni blogging at sonniabbatta.com or on Facebook.
