Breast feeding not working

[cjmeck]

Its so hard as a mom when you want so desperately to breastfeed. I had a similar issue when my son was born. Long story short, I worked with lactation consultants, nurses, a midwife, friends, family, ect. My son would not latch. This went on and on for over a month, I was emotionally exhausted and grieved and blamed myself. Ultimately, I had to come to terms that my child needed nourishment; whether it came from my body or bottle. Some women's bodies fail them at this, some children cannot/will not latch. And you know what? Its okay! If this is something important to her, tell her to talk to the professionals and get all the help she can. But also, support her with a timeline. If at a certain point, its still not working, give her "permission" to stop. Tell her she has nothing to feel guilty about. I pumped and bottle fed the breast milk for a few months but ultimately, it was more stress than I could handle with a newborn and being a first time mom. My son is 12 now and is beautiful, healthy, and smart. Congratulations on the birth of your baby!