Everyone always raves about the rewards of breastfeeding and how excellent natural milk is for babies, however they don't always realise the stress they are putting those new mothers under if they don't quite come up to scratch

If you are a new mother, and you're finding it difficult to adjust to breast feeding, the last thing you want to hear is everyone raving on about what a wonderful experience it is, especially if the whole experience leaves you feeling like a milch cow!

Many visitors who come to see you and your new baby always want to know how you are feeding her, and depending on their point of view, they will make you feel worse by trying to assure you it doesn't matter that you can't or won't breast feed, (Whilst making it obvious they think you should and can), or they will hit you with downright disapproval and give you all the reasons why "Breast is best"

When you're a new mother, your hormones are flying about everywhere. You're tired, cranky, you probably feel unattractive and the thought of having to take on the task of breast feeding your baby yourself can appear daunting to say the least.

If it's your first child, you have a whole new world to discover, and if you've been a career girl up to now, motherhood can come as a short sharp shock!

Breast feeding is a personal decision and yes I am going to say "Breast is best" (sorry), but on the other hand if you do decide you want to bottle feed your baby, that's fine. Bottle fed babies grow up strong and secure just like breast fed babies do.

Breast feeding can be very rewarding though, as a person who made the conscious decision to bottle feed my baby 28 years ago, I look longingly at that same baby, now all grown up and nursing her own babies and delighting in breast feeding them. If I had the chance to do it all over again I would love to have the opportunity to breast feed my child.

If you do want to give it a go, start early and prepare quite early on in your pregnancy. Breast feeding is a natural act, but it's not an instinctive one (I never found it to be so anyway). It's a good idea to attend breast feeding classes if you can. It's here you will discover how to help your baby latch on and commence feeding. Many people feel these types of classes have no value, but it would have been pointless my daughter asking me advice about breast feeding wouldn't it?


Once your baby is born, put him to your breast straight away, it may not come instinctively to you, but it will certainly be instinctive to him! He will start to nuzzle and suckle you immediately and may even latch on to your nipple.

Breast feeding is wonderful, and when you think about it, it's as old as time itself.