Actress turned blogger Paula Peralejo gave birth to her first child, Pablo, just two weeks ago and so far, she's found that motherhood isn't quite what she was expecting.
"Now I understand why some mothers say breastfeeding is harder than birth itself. I mean, sure, my pain was intense during my labor, but being a milk machine to a baby who’s on a feeding frenzy every 2-4 hours isn’t exactly a walk in the park."
In her blog, which she renamed Mama the Explorer, she's been documenting her motherhood journey so far.
"Now I understand why some mothers say breastfeeding is harder than birth itself. I mean, sure, my pain was intense during my labor, but being a milk machine to a baby who’s on a feeding frenzy every 2-4 hours isn’t exactly a walk in the park," she confided to her readers in her most recent blog entry.
"Like many moms before me have said, 'breastfeeding is not the easiest journey!'. It can hurt (especially when you're both learning how the proper latch is - sometimes a success, sometimes a struggle!," lamented the 32-year-old first-time mom. "It can get so frustrating. But when I see this satisfied look after a good feed, all that frustration is gone. I think it's very important to know the benefits of breastfeeding, if only to keep you going. 9 days of direct feeding only, hopefully 721 days more."
"It can get so frustrating. But when I see this satisfied look after a good feed, all that frustration is gone..."
"To be honest, I am so tempted to just pump. But I know that nothing beats the benefits of direct feeding, and because my work is mostly from home, I have the privilege to do direct feeding as often as possible. With all the pain, frustration, and crying episodes in between, I decide to stick with the plan," admitted Paula on Instagram.
Despite the struggles, Paula is learning a lot during her first month of motherhood. For instance, she knows Pablo was satisfied with his feeding when he unlatches on his own and smiles.
"I know Pablo had a good feeding (I always wait for him to unlatch instead of timing his feeding for each breast) once I see him smile after he detaches," shared Paula in an adorable post-feeding selfie.
"I know Pablo had a good feeding (I always wait for him to unlatch instead of timing his feeding for each breast) once I see him smile after he detaches."
More on Paula's breastfeeding journey so far!
In the post, she also offered advice on how breastfeeding moms can create their own nursing nook at home--starting with a comfortable nursing chair. She also stressed the importance of having a side table with essentials--books, hand sanitizer, lotion, lip balm, nipple cream, and coconut oil--within reach.
The right kind of nursing pillows and blankets will also come in very handy.
After she gave birth, she shared a photo of her breastfeeding Pablo for the first time. In the post, she also emphasized the importance of having breastfeeding pillows.
But cushions aren't the only kind of support she believes are important. Her husband, Charlie Fernandez, has also offered her a huge amount of support during this journey.
"Cannot stress enough how important your partner's role is during pregnancy and after birth. I get to sleep / rest more during this post-partum stage because he changes his diapers, gives him a bath, swaddles him, and takes care of him at night when he starts to cry," wrote Paula on Instagram.
"He just wakes me up when it's really needed (like when I need to breastfeed), and at one point, while I was in deep sleep, he just helped Pablo latch on me properly so he could feed even when I was sleeping," continued Paula. "This guy is the secret to every little success I make at this thing called motherhood. Pablo and I are so lucky to have him. We will literally be a mess without you."
You can read her full blog entry here.
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