Despite reinforcing the connection between mother and baby and feeding and protecting the child, the breastfeeding process is not usually smooth from the beginning. From difficulties with attachment to pain and bleeding in the nipple, it is common for both parties to suffer until a perfect fit is reached.
“I had a lot of expectations regarding breastfeeding, I hoped it would be pleasant for me and my daughter. But the process hurt and bled, which left us both agitated”, says Poliana Trovão, 36, mother of little Mariana.
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Unable to find a way to feed her daughter, the woman from Brasilia saw the newborn drop rapidly: between attempts, she went from 2.36 kg to 2.22 kg. Eight weeks following giving birth, Poliana took Mariana to the pediatrician to try to understand what was going on. “I wanted the connection that breastfeeding establishes between mother and daughter. Insisting on it was my best decision,” she recalls.
The little one was diagnosed with restricted lingual frenum, a condition that hinders the movement of the tongue. It impairs the patient’s suction, speech and feeding. The girl began to be fed through translactation, a technique that uses a small hose to take the mother’s milk to the baby.
Pediatric dentist Janaína Vieira, who works in Brasília, says that the treatment is a frenectomy. “In the procedure, the frenulum of the tongue is cut. It is safe, fast, and the baby will be able to breastfeed right away”, explains the specialist.
grip difficulty
After the surgical procedure for her daughter, Poliana went following treatment for the pain she felt in her breasts during breastfeeding and underwent laser therapy and ointments. She also made a latch adjustment (when the baby latches on to the breast, the chin should touch the breast, the lips turn outward, and the nose is free).
“The most common cause of pain when breastfeeding is incorrectly latching on to the baby. In addition to making it difficult for milk to come out and compromising the child’s nutrition, inadequate attachment can hurt the nipples due to excessive friction”, explains nurse Camila Frazão.
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Poliana and Mariana only felt comfortable breastfeeding two months later. Today, the girl is 5 months old, weighing almost 7 kg, and is exclusively breastfed.
emotional adjustment
Poliana recalls that one of the main difficulties throughout the process was dealing with frustrated expectations and lack of motivation. “I had a good support network, both with the professionals and with my husband, who always told me that I was capable. But there were also those who told me to give up, that I would not be able to breastfeed my daughter 100% ”, she recalls.
Today, she can breastfeed Mariana calmly. Whenever she has the opportunity, Poliana encourages mothers facing similar difficulties not to give up. “Breastfeeding goes beyond nutrition, it is a bond between mother and daughter that needs to be respected”, she points out.
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The post “I insisted on breastfeeding. It was my best decision”, says mother first appeared on Metropolis.
