I have two children, and I breastfed my first child for 16 months. She was born at the beginning of Covid in 2020 and during that time we didn't get a lot of support for breastfeeding. During Covid there were many restrictions so we really struggled, especially those of us who were first time parents- even my mother was not allowed to visit me. I was all alone with my first child in lockdown, and that was so hard.

Then came my journey with the twins; they were born at 34 weeks gestation. They were kept in hospital, one was in ICU initially and then in high care for a week. The second one was in high care for a month. They were taken to two different wards!

With my first child, I was unable to breastfeed exclusively and stopped breastfeeding completely after five months. When I became pregnant with my second baby, I knew I wanted a different experience. I set my heart on breastfeeding for at least one full year.

My breastfeeding journey started off being more challenging than I expected. I struggled with my baby not latching properly, which made feeding very painful. She was choking during the let-down (milk release) and I didn't know what to do. I wasn't even sure what was happening. My breasts became sore, nipples cracked, and my milk ducts felt clogged, which made me feel discouraged and I wanted to stop breastfeeding.

I had my first surgery just after I finished high school in 2002. My one breast was smaller than the other one and I underwent surgery to make both the same size. The surgeon reduced the larger breast and put implants in both.

I would like to share my experience in case it may help another mother. My baby weighed 4.8kg when she was 10 weeks old. She was fond of sucking on her dummy and by 14 weeks she had not picked up much weight; she weighed only 5kg. My La Leche League Leader suggested that I stop giving my daughter the dummy and have her go back in one week’s time to check if she had gained weight.

As both a mother and a medical doctor, I have always known that breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for a baby. It was not just a preference for me, it was a commitment. I was determined to make it work.

It has been an amazing breastfeeding journey with my baby. Let me start off with saying that babies are smart, and they are incredibly instinctual. I think that combined with La Leche League’s support and information any breastfeeding journey can be properly navigated.

I'm a first-time mom of a beautiful six-month-old baby girl, and, like most other mothers - first-timers or not-, my breastfeeding journey has exceeded both my highest and my lowest expectations: it has been life-altering. Breastfeeding completely changed the way I view myself and the world and I could easily talk about it for hours on end. Instead, I decided to write my story down to keep it very specific.

As a grandmother, I was given the privilege of playing an important role in my daughter-in-law's life. Having breastfed my own two sons, who are now fathers themselves, La Leche League was my go-to for encouragement and support 30 years ago. It remains so today, as I care for my breastfed granddaughter while her mommy is at work.

Thank you to the mothers but especially to the Leaders of the Parow LLLSA WhatsApp support group for always being on top of responses. I will always remember your kindness and support through difficult times while being there for all the other mothers, and still finding the time to check in privately with me if something was wrong. May you be rewarded abundantly for everything you do for everyone.

I just wanted to share my experience in case it helps another mom. In the first week after bringing my baby home, she developed jaundice. Besides the blue light therapy, we were told the main way to clear it was for her to feed a lot so that she could pass the bilirubin out through her stools.

A year ago I rejoined the LLL community, after an absence of 10 years, when my third baby was born (2024). Having a baby again after so long made me feel like a first time mom and I needed all the breastfeeding advice I could get – especially since this time my experience would be very different from before.

I am a South African living in Germany. My baby daughter (now 9 months) arrived at 41 weeks and weighed 4,8kg. Directly after the birth, the hospital recommended observations for 48 hours at the neonatal clinic (a different section in the hospital) because she weighed more than 4,5kg and her blood sugar level and temperature had to be checked.

Our son was born at 37 weeks and spent his first two weeks in NICU. From a few days after birth he was visibly jaundiced (yellowish), but initially this was monitored without treatment.

I wanted to share my story in the hope that it brings encouragement to another mama who might be feeling the way I did just a few months ago.

Like many mothers, I was incredibly excited to begin my breastfeeding journey after my baby was born. Breastfeeding felt like such a natural and beautiful experience—I never imagined that anything could go wrong.

My first full-blown mastitis didn’t happen as a brand-new mother. It came with my third child – and not even in the early months. I woke up one morning with my breast swollen, an aching body, fever, and excruciating pain while breastfeeding.

I've been in the Parow WhatsApp group since 2023 and am so glad that I never left. When my second baby was born this year, I felt so uncertain of myself that I reached out for help again.

This is the story of my breastfeeding journey—a journey that started in confusion and pain, but thankfully led me to healing and joy. I share it with the hope that it might spare another mom the trauma I went through the first time around, and offer encouragement that things can be different.