why breastfeeding is best

although i was determinedto breastfeed, i found it really hard to start with. i had problems with sort of latching onand also with just soreness. i thought,"it's going to be very natural, so i'll just put him on the breastand he will feed, and easy life." it was difficult to feed her fora few weeks. she would kind of... ..faff about, and i'd be crying andshe'd be crying because she was hungry and... it was very hard. he was crying all the timeand he wanted to feed all the time.

and i mean... it would be fineif i had the energy to go, but it's like, "could somebody help me?" knowing that the milk is giving mydaughter, my kids, everything they need, and also in the long-termi'm protecting myself from ovarian cancer, breast cancer. i like the kind of me and baby time. i always knew it was the best for him, so that kind of just...overrode everything. there's less chance of a babydeveloping eczema, childhood illnesses,

and in the long-term, obesity too. you slim down quickly.you get your waist back quickly. all the muscles that stretchwhen you're pregnant, it helps them sort of ping backinto shape. i was lighter after breastfeedingmy first boy than before i was pregnant. i didn't quite understandall the benefits of it, but i found it helped me get into shapea bit quicker as well. it didn't ruin my relationshipor my sex life. i mean, normally, having a babyruins your sex life anyway.

when you've got a new baby,it's not at the top of your list. the top of your list is sleep. it'slike, sex, sleep? er, sleep! (laughs) i don't think it's ruined my breasts. they're bigger! it's improved them,actually. it's made them bigger. some people think that, um... breastfeeding should hurt.that's the number one myth. "oh, it's meant to hurt, isn't it?"no, it isn't. a difficult start, but got better.i did have quite sore nipples, but not as sore as some people.

i had a little bit of cracked nippleswith my second one. i was lucky, i never had mastitis. i didn't understandhow important the latch was. pain-wise, i kind of thought, "wow, howmany people are out there feeling this?" you needn't be sore. if baby latches onproperly, you shouldn't be sore at all. everybody feels that at the beginning,the feeding in public. "how will i deal with it?"but when your baby needs feeding, you kind of just go along with it. it really is discreet.

i mean, there are people out there, there are mums out there,that are not so discreet. (laughs)but that's not for me. you know, i'm... most people you can'ttell at all that they're feeding. third time round i had him in a carrier,feeding him on the way to school and no-one would ever knowwhat i was doing. some places, like sure start centres,are great. they provide a nice comfortable room with privacy for you and your babyto do what you have to do.

people don't even really notice.they notice if your baby is screaming and you're not doing anything about it,because you can't. but if you can breastfeed them,that normally calms them down. the main reasoni wanted to breastfeed to start with was because my husband'sgot some autoimmune conditions. they're all potentially inheritable,particularly diabetes. so that's why i was determined to tryand give my boys the best start in life. we know that breastfeeding protectsfrom ear infections, for example. um... it's lovely skin-to-skin contact.

no equipment. knowing i could just bringthe baby into bed at night and feed her and then put her back in. when we're going out, i needn't worryabout sterilising bottles and equipment. breast milk is easier to digestbecause it's our milk. it is convenient.you know, it's always on tap. he's a really good eater, because i think with bottle-fed,it's the same flavour all the time, whereas breastfed,they have what you do. new mums are anxious to get babyon the breast straight away.

sometimes you don't considerwhether you're comfortable. if you're comfortable,the baby picks up on that vibe. speak to your local breastfeedingsupport network and get all the support you want. don't feel shy about saying,"can you come to my house?" they really have seen it all before.they're there to help you. you think it'll come naturally, andit doesn't. there's a bit of adjusting. and keep at it because it's not alwaysthe easiest thing to do. two weeks and i was feeling comfortable.

four weeks and it's just a doddleand i've kind of never looked back. but up until the four-week point,quite tough. if it didn't get easier i couldn't havegone back to work. it does get easier. there's lots of places to get support.on the phone or at drop-in groups. and don't give up.keep trying, because it's worth it. for something that is so natural,it isn't easy and it is difficult. but the rewards and the benefits of itfor both mum and baby, if you're able to overcomethose problems, i think really outweighs not trying itor not finding that support.