When it comes to breastfeeding, there are a lot of different ways to do it–and it’s important to note that not all moms can breastfeed their babies in the traditional way. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
New mom Rebecca McKeever recently posted a photo of herself breastfeeding, but not in the usual way. She breastfeeds her baby through a syringe. She told The Huffington Post she does this because her daughter can’t latch properly:
“A lactation consultant came to our hospital room to ask if we needed help. She saw that I was expressing colostrum but that Andromeda [her baby] wasn’t latching, so she brought in little cups and syringes so we could get some food in her. I expressed some colostrum into a cup, then put it into the syringe and fed her little drops at a time.”
McKeever knew about this technique because she’s a doula. The photo was shared on the Carriage House Birth’s Instagram account, where many other moms shared similar stories in the comments:
“My baby had to go to the special care nursery as soon as he was born. I remember my beautiful midwife helped me hand express into a syringe straight away so we could send it down to the nursery.”
Posting photos like this raises awareness to the fact that all babies and bodies are different, and it’s important to keep that in mind–not just to ease your anxiety that something may be wrong with you (because there isn’t), but to educate families on different ways to raise and feed a baby.
McKeever believes this to be true, as she hopes that new moms are able “to recognize that things might not always go as planned in a perfect picture, to be encouraged to go with the flow and let go of expectations, to meet their baby where they are at with no judgement but just with compassion and love.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself.
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