Say Yes, Spring 2003: A Mother’s Story

The best nourishment for a newborn child is to be breastfed exclusively from birth for at least the first six months of his or her life. Breastfeeding reduces the possibility of infant mortality, strengthens the child’s immune system and promotes development. It is the most natural start a child can have in life. However, it is sometimes difficult for a new mother to start breastfeeding her child. This is how one woman overcame that problem.

About ten days before I was due, my friend Liz from the United States came to visit. She knew that I was expecting and was keen to come and see how I was doing. Liz had recently given birth herself and at one point, she asked: Who’s going to support you while you’re breastfeeding?

I hadn’t thought of this before. Although it was my first pregnancy, I knew all about the benefits of breastfeeding and I fully intended to breastfeed my baby. I thought it would simply be a matter of course.

Liz said I’ll be here if you need me.

The day came and I had a little girl. My family and friends were there to see how I was bearing up and of course admire the new addition while the nurses and obstetricians offered more practical attention. So I had a lot of people around me as I struggled to feed my baby for the first time.

But it was a hopeless failure. Everyone, apart from my mother and the assistant took the view that breastfeeding is all very well and good if the baby takes the breast, but that I should use an infant formula otherwise. Even my husband, seeing that she was hungry, insisted I give her something.

I carried on offering her my breast, in spite of their advice. But the milk wasn’t coming out and, try as I might, I couldn’t make it. Eventually I relented and we gave her some formula on the advice of one of the doctors. I was determined to breastfeed her, however, so I kept offering her my breast as well.

Within three days my little girl had contracted newborn jaundice. I was already stressed out because of my failure to breastfeed her. My breasts had swollen-up hard as stones and although my mother and the assistant helped by massaging them, I was very uncomfortable. My mother-in-law kept blaming the baby’s attack of jaundice on too many visitors. The atmosphere wasn’t good.

By the fifth day, I had quite big scars on the tips of my breasts but I was determined to persevere with breastfeeding. I wanted my little girl to experience the affection whether or not she tasted the milk.

At the end of the first week, I thought of Liz and what she had said so I called her. Within a quarter of an hour she was at my side, brimming with words of comfort and reassurance. You love your baby and you want to feed her, she reminded me, that’s good and you can do it. I’ve been breastfeeding for ten months and I want to show you how easy it can be.

Eventually, under her gentle encouragement and guidance, I was able to breastfeed my little girl for the first time.

After that, Liz became a regular visitor. She would bring her own baby and we would breastfeed our babies together. I learned how to use a pump so that I could store breastmilk to feed my baby when I would be away. My nipples hurt badly for ten weeks after, but I carried on with the support of my mother and Liz.

I’ve never forgotten the anxiety of that first week and I know that I was very fortunate to have had support. As we talked, Liz told me about breastfeeding support groups in the United States and I had the idea of setting up a similar network in Turkey which I went about doing with the help of a small group of like-minded friends and colleagues. A lawyer friend suggested that we could set it up under the formal umbrella of an association.

As part of their Country Programme of Cooperation (CPAP), the Ministry of Health (MOH) and UNICEF currently have a breastfeeding programme which aims to reduce infant mortality rates and generally promote breastfeeding as the best start for a newborn baby. As I was formulating my plans, I was asked to take part. I accepted and for three months offered training to health workers on the benefits of breastfeeding.

In early May of this year, we got permission to set up our association and, after completing the formalities, the first General Assembly of the Association gathered on the 2nd of November. At present, there are fifty-one members and eight of them have agreed to work in the Health Personnel Support Group. One of our first public events was a panel discussion on Maternal and Infant Nutrition during Antenatal and Postnatal Periods which featured the participation of Professor Ayşe Baysal.

For my own part, I have managed to give support to eight new mothers.

As for my little girl -- she’s twenty-one months old now and I’m still breastfeeding her -- it’s the greatest pleasure and source of happiness to see her feeding at my breast.

Read more about the Baby-friendly Hospitals Initiative (BFHI) in the February 2002 issue of Say Yes. The Ten Steps to Successful Breastfeeding is in the Resources Section. See Exclusive Breastfeeding during the First Six Months and Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Activities in the Programmes section.

See the following page for more about the benefits of breastfeeding.

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