12/03/2023
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When I meet people outside of work, and they ask what I do- it often leads to sharing a birth and postpartum story that was stressful, even traumatic. Many parents are surprised at how “hard” breastfeeding/ lactation is to establish, others are challenged to the point of early unwanted weaning.
Why is this happening?
✔️ Lactation is always a choice a parent makes about their body and their baby.
✔️Lactation is a learned skill/behaviour. Nobody knows how to breastfeed/chestfeed/lactate when they give birth for the first time.
But it’s not supposed to be hard or stressful. Nobody should be doing something that is so stressful it is harming them. This is not ok.
The reason it can be hard is that even though parents learn about how important human milk/ Lactation is for their health and their baby’s health- and the majority are choosing to start -
There are few who are being taught, led, supported or cared for to facilitate learning.
You are not supposed to figure it out alone. Through history there has been skilled midwives, mothers, sisters, friends and mentors. Knowledge handed down from generations before us. But due to historical factors beyond any of our control- we now exist in a world where
- birth and postpartum occurs largely with providers without bf knowledge or skills
- Our mothers and sisters and friends may live far away, be at work, or inexperienced in infant feeding.
Lactation is not supposed to be hard.
What can you do?
- find a Family Doc/OB/Midwife who supports lactation
- book with an IBCLC early. If you have a complex pregnancy or postpartum consider a Breastfeeding and Lactation MD.
There is zero reason you need to be stressed to feed your baby.
We believe all families regardless of ethnicity, education, income should be able to feed their baby they way they choose, free from financial hardship, and free from physical and emotional stress.
Our services are covered by MB health.
