He unfortunately came three weeks early and did not have an easy start in life, hence the subject of breastfeeding was a story in itself.
Every other week we ask a Real Mom if they would like the NurtureGoods experience. These moms use a breast pump from NurtureGoods in order to describe and share their experiences. In this way, we hope to raise awareness of the NurtureGoods experience and help you make a choice. This week, it's mom Jule's turn. Will you read along?
All's well that ends well
Our story began in October 2022 when my son was born. Unfortunately, he came three weeks early and did not have an easy start in life, hence the subject of breastfeeding was a story of its own.
Because my son was still very small and very tired from birth, he was bottle fed from the beginning. It took a few days for my milk to come in. During that time, the little one was only bottle-fed.
The time until my milk came in was quite a challenge for me as a mother. The delivery was very surprising for both of us. Having to spend the time after the birth separately was particularly emotional for me as a new mother. My husband could only come during visiting hours and I was alone in my room for several nights. I missed my baby completely and was totally overwhelmed by the emotions of the postpartum period. It was a difficult time for us.
From the moment I had enough breast milk, I was very grateful to have the NurtureGoods breast pump. Because if feeding at the breast didn't work out, at least via the bottle with my own breast milk in it. So after giving birth, we spent another whole week in the hospital. Unfortunately, we could not spend our time together at home. During that time, my little man and I formed a very strong bond, which is very special. I knew that in the future we would master everything together, here I had gained a lot of confidence.
When pumping, it was especially important to me that pumping was really easy and preferably fast. With a hungry baby who does not sleep much, there is not much time to pump between meals, also for free time and so on.
When I got to test the breast pump from NurtureGoods, I realized what I really value in a good breast pump. I especially like the fact that you can take the breast pump anywhere without the need for electricity. After all, as a non-breastfeeding mother feeding breast milk, you always have to be ready and have bottles in stock. Plus, you can pump both breasts at the same time, which saves an incredible amount of time. There are different modes on the breast pump so you can try what is most comfortable for you.
The flask has a beautiful and modern design, it is a flask to put on display.
Before we decided to switch completely to bottle feeding, we still tried breastfeeding. Since I often have flat nipples myself, the pump helped shape and prepare the nipples for the breastfeeding attempt. So a super convenient feature.
Still, the whole process of trying to breastfeed - giving the pumped milk - and then pumping again was very nerve-wracking. Eventually, I decided to start pumping full-time and stop breastfeeding. I would have been super grateful if breastfeeding had worked out for me, but my little one always tended to cry at the breast and not get a good grip on it. Then you have to make choices and do what is best for both.
Ultimately, it was important to me that my little one got any breast milk at all. That succeeded thanks to the breast pump about five to seven weeks after birth and then my breast milk slowly decreased. I am really very grateful that we were able to use the pump so I could still give my little one my breast milk.
Much love, Jule
Want to know more about Jule? Then follow her on Instagram @julless