Milky Mamas, meet Yesenia Aguilera, our Milky Mama of the Month! Yesenia has an amazing journey and great advice for moms wanting to breastfeed. Keep reading to learn more from Yesenia.
“Now at 8 months my son is a pro and I love our nursing sessions.
I am so glad I did not give up.”
Yesenia has been breastfeeding her son for 8 months. Yesenia stated it took her and her baby about 3 months to finally feel like they got comfortable and the hang of breastfeeding.
Yesenia’s Rough Start
While Yesenia is now loving her breastfeeding experience, it did not start with smooth sailing. “My breastfeeding journey started out rough”, Yesenia explains. Her son had tongue and lip ties that “destroyed my nipples”.
At three days old her baby had his tongue and lip tie revised. She used nipple shields for the first month. However, the pain was so excruciating, she dreaded nursing her baby.
For the first two weeks of her baby’s life Yesenia used donor milk due to her baby having a tongue tie issue. She felt like her baby was not getting enough milk from just breastfeeding and it just wasn’t going well for her. She thought about exclusively pumping because it was so painful.
Yesenia Recovers
Yesenia did not give up. She reached out and talked with a lactation consultant. She was able to get tips on latching as well as learning what to look for to make sure her baby was getting enough milk. Now, at 8 months, she says her son “is a pro” and she is “so glad I did not give up”. So are we, Yesenia!! Way to go!
Yesenia also suffered from clogged ducts a handful of times. She tried epsom salt with the haka, hot showers, pumping and massaging. What helped Yesenia relieve her clogged ducts was having her baby suck it out. She now takes sunflower lecithin daily and hasn’t gotten a clogged duct since! We are so glad Yesenia has found what works for her!
Yesenia’s Back To Work
Yesenia is currently nursing and pumping while at work. Yesenia went back to work 4 months after having her baby. She said, “I am lucky enough to be able to work from home, so I am able to pump while I work. I will even find myself pumping during meetings via zoom.”
Yesenia’s Advice for Pregnant and Breastfeeding Mothers
Yesenia knows from experience that breastfeeding is not an easy task, and that the saying holds true, sometimes it takes a village. Yesenia offers up some excellent advice for breastfeeding families.
“Have a good contact for a lactation consultant right away. If breastfeeding is really important to you, surround yourself with people that will support and encourage you. And don't be afraid to ask for help so you can focus on you and your little one.
What really helped me get through those first two months was the support and encouragement of my husband and family. They helped out a lot so I could just focus on breastfeeding.”
We are so glad Yesenia was able to feel supported by her husband and family. We know that support is truly so beneficial and can be a deciding factor on continuing breastfeeding or looking for alternative ways to feed your baby.
If you are wanting to find more support, reach out to us at Milky Mama. We also have a supportive facebook group you can join,The Official Milky Mama Lactation Support Group. You can also share encouragement to Yesenia for sharing her story with us.
