BREASTFEEDING MOTIVATION - 10 TIPS TO KEEP YOU GOING

Are you finding yourself in a spot lately where breastfeeding feels impossible? Breastfeeding is hard and requires a lot of commitment. Find these 10 breastfeeding motivation tips to help you keep going on those hard days.

For me, breastfeeding was harder than I could have ever imagined when I was pregnant. It was a lot of work and required consistent commitment from my end. Till the time I was at home with Mishika, it was easier to breastfeed but once I was back to work after maternity leave breastfeeding felt like a completely new challenge.

I found myself extremely emotional as I missed my baby at work so much and always struggled with the thought that I was not producing enough to feed my daughter. During those days, I was very tempted to quit breastfeeding as besides having to pump every few hours at work and carry all the breastfeeding essentials to work, I was also very scared at the idea of what if my daughter rejects formula on days when I am not producing enough because she wasn't used to the taste.

All these worries took a toll on me, and after seven months of breastfeeding her, I finally quit. It was one of the hardest decisions I had to make at that time but looking back at it I realized, that it was cry and vain for nothing.

Yes, as a breastfeeding mom you will often find yourself in situations like these when you would just want to quit but if you look on the other side, there are plenty of benefits of breastfeeding why you should continue to breastfeed your baby for up to a year.

In today’s blog post, I am sharing the top 10 breastfeeding motivation tips to help you keep going in those tough days.

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10 Reasons for breastfeeding motivation to help you keep going

1. Think about the benefits of breastfeeding for your baby

After I became a mom, I felt this overwhelming love for my daughter that I had never felt before. I wanted to do everything in my capacity to protect this little baby that I was lucky to have.

So on days when I was struggling in my office to pump or just tired of waking up in the middle of the night to sit upright to feed my daughter, I would take a few seconds to remind myself of how beneficial it is breastmilk for my daughter.

Breastmilk is the best form of food for your baby. It can help boost their immunity, provide them with all the nutrition and vitamins needed, and help reduce the chances of allergies in babies. Thinking of all these great benefits, helped me to keep going even on those days when I didn't feel like it.

2. Talk to other breastfeeding moms

There is no stronger feeling than having a strong mom support group to share your challenges and wins in motherhood. Talking to another mom who is also breastfeeding can help you realize that you are not alone in this and provide you the much-needed motivation to keep going.

3. Also, think about the benefits of breastfeeding for you

Breastfeeding has been proven to be beneficial both for the mom as well as the baby. It can help a mom in her post-pregnancy weight loss journey as breastfeeding can help you burn a lot of calories.

Also, there have been studies that breastfeeding can help contract the uterus and return to its original size faster and reduce the risk of postpartum depressions for moms as breastfeeding helps them stay in a positive mood.

4. Set daily goals and celebrate the win

One of the ways that I was able to motivate myself to breastfeed once I was back to work was by setting daily goals. I would target to pump regularly and always try to pump a little extra for the next day.

This helped me keep a relaxed mind as I had a plan in place. Also, since I had started to create a freezer stash from a few weeks before it was time to get back to work, I was not too worried about the days that I was not able to meet my daily goals.

5. Breastfeeding will get easy with time

Breastfeeding takes a completely new turn, once your baby turns six months old as he can then start taking solids. As time goes, breastfeeding will get even easier, as your baby will need fewer feeds in the day.

6. Discuss your breastfeeding journey with a professional

This was a big help for me. As a new mom, I found it really difficult to get my daughter to latch on and every breastfeeding session felt like a big struggle. At that time, I turned to my doctor and lactation consultant who guided me on how I could easily get my daughter to latch on.

It was a huge blessing to be able to talk to them whenever I was faced with a big challenge in my breastfeeding journey and also a huge motivation to keep going.

7. Keep all the breastfeeding resources handy

So important to stock up and keep all the breastfeeding resources handy in one place. When I was breastfeeding, I would constantly find myself reaching out for my water bottle as breastfeeding can make you really thirsty or my phone charger as I would often find myself breastfeeding and would often run out of battery.

Eventually, I created a breastfeeding station for myself at home, where I could breastfeed comfortably without having to look for things. You can read more about setting up a breastfeeding station at home here.

8. Breastfeed comfortably

You have no idea how much your life can get easier if you have a comfortable position to breastfeed and the resources for it. Things like a boppy pillow that can help you position your baby comfortably while breastfeeding or a rocking chair that can provide the much-needed back support post-pregnancy, can make your breastfeeding journey easier.

9. Take help from your partner or family members

It takes a village to raise a baby and that is so true. As a breastfeeding mom, you will often find yourself sitting in one place, and hence instead of worrying about the other important household tasks, seek your partner’s help in getting them done.

10. Lastly, just relax and go with the flow – Don’t try to overdo it

Finally, the more you will stress it will affect your milk supply. It’s good to set goals and try to achieve them, but somedays are always going to be harder than the others. So, on days like those instead of stressing over low milk supply or missing a pumping session because you could not get out of a meeting at work, just let them go.

If you as a breastfeeding mom will enjoy your breastfeeding journey, then it will be a fun experience for you as well as the baby and that will help you go longer in your breastfeeding journey.