I was on a phone conversation with my cousin here in the Uk who gave birth last year in July 2023. She’s quite young and very tender and because of this, I have assumed she wasn’t going to breastfeed her daughter and I wasn’t going to push it because breastfeeding a child comes from the mind. It is YOU that will first make up your mind to say I want to breastfeed, of which no one can make that decision for you before you’re able to do so.
Prior to her delivery, I have asked her, what are you doing breastfeeding or formula milk? She smiled and said she was going to give breastfeeding a try, which she eventually did. From time to time, I would call to check up on her and see how the breastfeeding is going and she’ll share her experiences and I’d advise accordingly.
I remembered the second time I visited her after birth, we were all sitting in her lounge, I, my sister, her husband and my children. All of a sudden, she stood up, carried her baby and went to the room. I was honestly thinking she was going to change the baby so after a while I went in to check up on them and behold my cousin was breastfeeding her daughter. In my head I was thinking, “why did she not breastfeed her in the lounge when none of us were stranger to her?” Who could she be possibly be shy of? At the same time, I thought to myself wherever she chose to breastfeed doesn’t matter really, but what matters most is the fact that she’s breastfeeding her child and this gives me so much joy considering the fact that she’s doing the right thing for her child. She only just needed to choose a place where she was comfortable.
After a month or so, she visited me in my house with her husband. You know that with a child, a cry for feed can start at any time, irrespective of the place. This precious baby of ours started crying obviously for a feed, I noticed that my cousin confidently and comfortably brought her breast out and breastfed her daughter even when I said to her you can go to the bedroom for comfort, I’m fine thank you, she said. She breastfed her daughter until she is satisfied. Yesterday, the baby was 6months old and was exclusively breastfed.
This is absolutely one of the things breastfeeding in the marketplace does for you. It helps you build the confidence to be able to breastfeed anywhere, anytime without thinking about people’s opinion. It helps you understand what it means to lay the right foundation for your child. It tells you that it is a good thing to breastfeed and makes you feel the universal pride of breastfeeding as a mother. It reminds you that your journey is unique between you and your child without comparing yourself with others. This book also teaches you how to bond and connect with your child. Also, having the understanding that there are people that genuinely want to breastfeed, but for one reason or the other, they’re not able to do so, it gives them the confidence to say that, we empathize with you and whether you are able or not, you are part of our great motherhood and you’re still a super mother and that’s the fact.
If you’re reading this post and you’re still thinking whether or not to breastfeed or perhaps you know anyone in that space, I’ll encourage you to do yourself and the people a favor by grabbing a copy of this book breastfeeding in the marketplace now. Available on amazon. It’s a book you would read and be grateful for. https://authormarydumebi.com/
