Hello

Since classes, I realized that breastfeeding was undoubtedly the most important thing after the birth of a child, without babies nearby, with distant friends, I had never realized how important and demanding it would be.
Without ever having spoken much to anyone about breastfeeding, I realized that I had flat nipples, I did some research and from an early age I realized that it was going to be a struggle, because it wouldn't be easy at all. Before going to the maternity ward I bought silicone nipples, without really knowing if the size was right, but sure that something would have to be done and that I really wanted to breastfeed my baby.

João was born on 12/16, after more than 24 hours of induction. The birth ended up being very quick, the emotion was so great that João spent about 1 hour doing skin to skin, always screaming and I was fooled by that being, it didn't occur to me to put him to the breast, even today when I remember this I feel sad, I was hungry and I didn't have the ability to remember such an important thing, neither the father nor anyone from the nursing team did :(
When she was being taken by the nursing team on the stretcher, someone remembers, "that baby should have been breastfed", it hits me, but... the "worst" happened, João wasn't latching on, the nipples were shallow and small. He was crying so loudly that the doctor, Dr Pitorra, to whom I owe a lot, a 5-star doctor, said: "please, take this baby upstairs, he doesn't cry, he screams." The beginning was no longer the easiest.

In the room, after many attempts, a nurse says, “Do you have silicone nipples?” Of course I have!! I think, Angela, where are you going? Was it you, without anyone telling you to buy them and now you don't remember everything you learned and what you thought about doing?
Even with the nipples, João cried a lot, he caught a fever, they did screening tests, but thank God everything was fine, they just said he was dehydrated.
One of the nights when he wouldn't shut up, they took João to calm him down and when they brought him back they said: burp him because he just drank milk. Did you just drink milk???? and I don't know anything??? I cried endlessly, it's true that João, after drinking the adapted milk, fell asleep, calmed down, wouldn't my milk be enough?
Not wanting to stretch me, João started to breastfeed and drink adapted milk in the maternity ward, he drank around 4 bottles, I was always controlling to give him as much of my milk as possible.

On the day of medical discharge, the pediatrician was recommending the milk that João should drink and how he should prepare it but I didn't have my head in what she was saying, I just thought, I can't believe I'm going to leave here with the milk prescription , everything is happening in reverse. But does a mother want her child to go hungry? On the way home, like so many couples and how many times I've heard this in preparation classes, my husband went to buy adapted milk, so the first night won't be the most fearful of all. But... and what was the name of the milk? I didn't pay attention to what the pediatrician said because I really didn't want to have to give him that milk, so I had to call the maternity ward to ask!

In the midst of so much uncertainty and insecurity on the first night, in the middle of the night João was crying so much that his father and I decided to give him adapted milk, we said to each other, we are doing it wrong, we are still going to give in to his temptation. leaving the breast, don't you remember what you learned in class? After the first night I felt that I had more milk and with a lot of willpower I started to breastfeed João, always with silicone nipples. I was always anxious for the day to weigh in to see if he was ok. One of the following nights I started to feel feverish, my breasts were too full, I was having mastitis, it must have been the milk let down.

Today, I can say that I have been exclusively breastfeeding João for 3 months, it took a while, but we have already removed the silicone nipples and the nipples that were shallow have become history. Speaking of stories, this was mine, I feel so good about breastfeeding and going through all these obstacles and never giving up. The can of adapted milk is still here at home, but intact :)

I send a photo captured by the godmother during one of the breastfeeding moments, João, the breast, a good latch and it all comes down to this moment :)

Thank you for everything
Angela