#MommyMonday: The reality of a breastfeeding journey

Being a new parent is exciting, but it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Former patient and mom, Kate Zurenko, recently provided a first-person account of her breastfeeding journey and struggles.

When I played “house” as a kid, I used to pretend to breastfeed my baby like a “real” mom. There was no question about whether I wanted to breastfeed or not.

With my first son, breastfeeding went remarkably well from the beginning. So when I had Theo, I was confident and excited to breastfeed again.

I had no idea what I was in for.

From his first few moments of life, breastfeeding Theo began on shaky ground.

Looking back, I really needed time to get into a comfortable, quiet space for that first latch. But both the nurse and I were over-enthusiastic. The hustle and bustle of immediate post-delivery care was still occurring in the room, and honoring my wishes, the nurse tried getting him on my breast right away.

But something immediately felt off. From there I went on to face a variety of new and unexpected challenges breastfeeding Theo. And with those new obstacles came feelings of failure.

Read more about Kate’s journey by clicking here.

The Michigan Medicine’s Health blog is running a series named #MommyMonday in honor of Breastfeeding Awareness Month.