FEATURE
MY SNS STORY By Bec Hancock Like many women I faced challenges with our first three children which ended our breastfeeding journey far sooner than I would have liked. I was determined with our fourth and final pēpi, that I would give her breastmilk for at least 6 months. I knew the ways I could achieve my breastfeeding goals were to engage with maternity care early, share my concerns, fears and aspirations, birth where I felt calm, safe, and supported, have immediate skin to skin, and finally ensure that my family understood how important breastfeeding our pēpi was to me. At 41 + 5 in the comfort and safety of our home with our midwife present our baby arrived. We enjoyed uninterrupted skin to skin where she nuzzled my breast and latched on for the first time. It was at that moment I thought, “I can do this.”
We decided to not have any visitors for the first week, this included family and friends. We acknowledge how difficult that was for our parents and siblings, however, it was an important part of our bonding experience and ensuring our baby had unlimited access to my breasts.
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14 PALMY PARENT . PALMERSTON NORTH PARENTS CENTRE MAGAZINE
