A NON-PROFIT, COMMUNITY-BASED CENTER

The Breastfeeding
Resource Center (BRC)
is a nonprofit corporation
committed to providing
expert clinical and educational breastfeeding services. BRC is a 501(c)(3) corporation eligible for tax-deductible donations.

Milk Memoirs: Tasha Glass

"As a first time mother and a Doctor of Psychology, I always knew that I wanted to breastfeed.  I envisioned giving my child the best possible start to life by providing both her first essential nutrients and emotional sustenance through our breastfeeding relationship. I looked forward to that first moment of her nestled to my breast following her birth and the excellent guidance I would receive at the hospital in support of a blissful return home to nurture my child in the most natural way possible.  Fast-forward to postpartum in the hospital; “Every 4 hours”, “every 2 hours”, “on both sides each feeding”, “on alternating sides each feeding”; the breastfeeding advise changed as the medical staff changed.  I also found myself struggling with what I can only describe as torturous nipple pain.  I practiced all of the progressive muscle relaxation exercises that I had utilized with my patients to ensure that my pain and subsequent body tension was not felt by my daughter as I cradled her to my breast.

For the first 2 months I would remain tortured with terrible nipple pain, a blister, a clogged duct, and a “breastfeeding friendly” pediatrician who continued to advise me to supplement with formula, however I remained committed to at least 3 months of breastfeeding.  What I found once I hit the magical 3 month mark, was that my trials and tribulations in learning how to nurture my dear little girl, had only strengthened my inner motherly spirit.  I had withstood several obstacles which I knew to have defeated the best intentioned of mothers, I had researched possibly more than my dissertation had required and had ultimately developed a pain-free, amazingly intimate, breastfeeding relationship with my daughter. 

Although my struggle was not fully over, I continued to struggle to boost my milk supply in support of my return to full time employment, I felt re-energized and thus my commitment expanded to 6 months.  Now, 8 months later, my daughter continues to be a thriving breastfed baby.  My 6 month commitment quickly changed to a 12 month commitment and I feel amazing about myself as a mother.  I remain tremendously thankful to my breastfeeding partner, Anjoli, whom together we were able to cheerlead each other through several breastfeeding challenges, and Colette from the BRC whose advise greatly assisted in both boasting my milk supply and my motherly-confidence.      

My advice to other mothers, hesitant in committing to breastfeeding, is to set small short-term goals.  The beginning of breastfeeding can be filled with several potentially defeating obstacles; however, a commitment to small increments of time can give a tremendous boast to self-confidence and increase your motivation to continue.  Secondly, find as many sources of support as possible and utilize them as often as possible."

-- Tasha Glass

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