Guilt for not being able to breastfeed...

by Fifi

I really felt and in some ways still feel a sense of guilt for not being able to breastfeed my first child. I was living through a very stressful situation when I gave birth.

I could not produce enough breast milk, only 1-2 ounces per feed, even though I pumped all the time for weeks and took herbal supplements, some part of me still feels I really did not do enough. Its like a dark area for mothers and the emphasis is on trying harder and the inference that you are not doing enough if you cannot increase your milk supply.

My post natal midwife was great saying worrying about increasing milk and spending a lot of time doing this and being stressed was not what being a mother is about. I still worry even though my son is healthy and alert that I did not give him the best start and will we be close when he is older, even though I feel a deep bonding with him.