The reason im so passionate about breastfeeding isn't just because i breastfeed myself, it's because a lot of women can't. When I first saw someone breastfeed I didn't see all the hard work it took them to get there, I just saw a baby quietly suckling a nipple, as my due date grew closer breastfeeding was at the back of my mind, I thought it would be such an easy and natural thing to do, how naive of me to presume a baby just knows how to latch onto a nipple! The first feed was quite sore, but I thought I'd give it a go, the more feeds we went through that night the more painful it got, 2 sleepless nights later and it was clear to me we had no idea what we were doing, by the third night I was pretty much running on adrenaline, Id had no sleep, baby constantly needed feeding and I had no idea how to latch him promptly, my nipples were red raw through blood, I begged and pleaded with the midwives to help me and they told me I obviously couldn't feed him and needed to express. Expressing was not an option, I HAD to breastfeed my boy! I think it was about 4am in the morning, Id used all the nipple cream in my tub and had lost all hope, I screamed for a midwife and demanded she get me a professional, and along came Elizabeth from breastfeeding support, she led his head back, pushed him onto the boob and I could feel my milk flowing properly, ID DONE IT! But that was just the first obstacle we'd have to face, we both had to learn different positions in order to get some sleep through the cluster feeding stage, we both had to learn to feed in public which was far from a normal thing in my day to day life, but I look back now 3 months into this journey, with a happy healthy baby and I thank the Lord for Elizabeth and people like her who can offer support at the lowest moment, breastfeeding doesn't come naturally, it's a skill you have to learn and I think so many women forget that! It's hard, it would be so much easier to pop a bottle in and be done with it, but there are times at night, when he looks upto me while on the boob, and smiles, gives my boob a little pat as if to say 'well done mum' and suddenly all the pain I went through means absolutely nothing. Never let anybody tell you that you can't do something if you truly believe you can, I have a 3month old, happy, chunky ljttle man and i can look in the mirror and feel proud of this body of mine, for sustaining a life beyond the 9 months of pregnancy, I wouldn't have it any other way, this message isn't to shame anyone for not breastfeeding, it's just to let you know that it really isn't the 'easy' option, and not every mum gets the support they need to preserver with it, ❤️