Happy ending - breastfeeding

[LotteryWinnersOnAcid]

This was me 18 months ago:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/breast_and_bottle_feeding/1144365-Can-I-stop-my-milk-production-DS-2-4-weeks-Desperate

Thanks to the help I received on Mumsnet, National Breastfeeding Helpline and peer support groups, I did continue to breastfeed and am actually still breastfeeding DS who is now 18 months. In fact, I am now a peer supporter myself and help women in the same position as I was.

I just wanted to post to update as I had a positive outcome thanks to these resources and just want to say that it can be so hard in the beginning but you are not alone! I felt so isolated in my pain and guilt at the beginning, but thanks to the support I received I was able to continue feeding without pain, long-term. So if you are experiencing difficulties breastfeeding please please do talk to someone, the helplines are staffed with amazing counsellors and your local peer support group will do everything they can to help you too.

None of this is a stealth boast at all, I sometimes feel astounded that we are still feeding but mostly don't even think about it, it is such a normal part of our lives. Hope this post can help someone out there in a small way. :)

That's awesome Lottery, fantastic story!

I've just read your old thread; what a lovely story. Well done, and thank you for coming back and updating.

That's fantastic, your what my supervise refers to as the ripple effect. You had some good support so want to go on to help other.

Great job you should be proud :-)

Lovely story. I love mumsnet.

ThIs is a great story, well done op. I have had similar horrible early bf experiences and had pain until dd was 10 weeks. She is now 14 weeks and I love bf'ing her and am so delighted to have gotten this far. I too couldn't have done it without bf helplines and counsellors but the biggest support for me was mumsnet. Just knowing other people have been through similar experiences helps to normalise your experience - especially in relation to breastfeeding which is supposed to be such a natural thing to do!

Our local bf support group has recently been reinstated and I have become involved with this as a peer supporter - more ripples!