One of the tasks of a postpartum doula is to support the new parents in their choice to breastfeed their child. You might be wondering why you would need this support, as you are already so sure of the benefits that it offers, or quite the opposite – might be feeling unsure about this decision, or feel that there is too much emphasis put on nursing your child. All I can say is that there is no one right way to raise your children or to feed them, but most medical studies do show that there is a certain benefit for nursing your child without supplementing at least until they are 6 months old. For me, the beginning of breastfeeding was very difficult. My son was not latching on properly, my breasts were sore and bleeding. It was supposed to be so natural (and I am all for natural), but it was not easy “natural”. There was a lot of crying and reading of the La Leche League guide involved and I learned a lot in the process, have nursed my children longer than I could ever imagined, have tandem-nursed and am ready to share my experience. For factual information about breastfeeding, there is a good online resource used for doula (and medical professional) training called Breastfeeding Basics.
karinadoula 