Viral Video Details Struggles Many New Moms Face While Breastfeeding
For new parents Ali and Joe, having a baby has been one of the best, most amazing things to happen to them. But with any new adventure in life, there are unexpected difficulties that arise.
In a new web series from My Baby Way, Philadelphia native Ali discusses the many things she’s anxious about now that her 2-week-old Sebastian has come into the world, especially her struggles with breastfeeding a new baby.
“He lost weight after he was born, which, pretty much I think all babies do,” Ali says, unsure. “They say it’s really normal, but at the same time, they still want to get them back up to their birth weight.”
As My Baby Way writes, there are a million different things a new mother can stress over when it comes to breastfeeding a new baby.
“Is my baby getting enough food? When do I breastfeed? How much should I pump? Am I doing enough?” the company wrote on their website.
Ali’s frustrations are compounded in that Joe has already returned to work just two weeks after little Sebastian was born, something Ali found out wasn’t an ideal situation for the couple or the baby.
“Ya know, I said ‘It’s hard to pump cause Joe’s back at work,'” Ali says of a discussion she had with her lactation doctor. “And [the doctor] was like, ‘Well, you really shouldn’t be by yourself yet.’ And I’m like, ‘What am I supposed to do?'”
Ali even goes on to demonstrate a breast pump, which seems easy enough, until Sebastian wakes up shortly after Ali gets herself hooked up.
“This is inevitably what happens, ya know? I decide, ‘OK, I’m going to pump now,’ cause he’s asleep and then I put him down and he wakes up.”
While Ali does enjoy all the time she gets with her baby, the uncertainty and the questions “get in the way” of allowing her to fully embrace motherhood.
“It is hard sometimes. If I just gave him formula, or if I maybe just pumped all the time, and gave him from bottles, we would know exactly what he was getting. But even that, I would have to pump a lot and then how can I take care of him during the day if I’m pumping all day? … Everyone says, ‘Just enjoy this time.’ And I really want to, and there are moments where I am, but I’m just worried most of it, and stressed, and I wish I didn’t have to worry about all this other stuff. I just want to enjoy my baby.”
What do you think? Are you a mother who breastfeeds and are experiencing similar difficulties? Do you have any advice for Ali? Let us know in the comments and please SHARE this story with any mother you know who is breastfeeding a new baby.
Watch the full video below and head to My Baby Way for more in the web series.
