Sheyonna Watson
"I knew I wanted to breastfeed and with both of my children it was a struggle. With my son, in 2013, I had to beg the hospital for a lactation consultant, his pediatrician discouraged breastfeeding because he was small and not gaining weight as quickly as they anticipated. I was recovering from a c-section, taking him to the doctor for weekly weight checks, in grad school and working. It was such a stressful and frustrating situation. Lactation consultant Jennifer Day and my doula Sara-Marie Kuntz were such an amazing support for me during that time. They sent me resources and were a judgment free space where I could vent and share my struggle, emotions, and fears. I stopped breastfeeding when he was 4months because my supply wasn’t meeting his feeding demands and I was supplementing more and more. I wish I could have breastfed longer but I’m glad I kept at it as long as I did. When I had my daughter this year the hospital was very supportive of breastfeeding. A lactation consultant came to my room every day that I was in the hospital. My daughter was also small and we had to do weight checks but the pediatrician is very supportive of breast feeding and referred me to a lactation consultant that I saw weekly and I met with Jennifer Day virtually. Again my doula, Elon Geffard this time, and Jennifer Day were so helpful with making me feel supported and giving me suggestions to increase my milk supply. I went from only pumping an ounce to pumping 4 ounces! I literally cried! I still supplement when needed because she is a very hungry baby :) but we’re going on 6months now and I don’t plan on stopping breastfeeding until she is ready. Breastfeeding is hard, it’s work, and sometimes I felt frustrated with my body not producing milk at the same volume as other people. Breastfeeding comes easy for some people but it didn’t for me and I was down on myself for not having a good milk supply. I feel like parents just need to feel supported no matter what their feeding choices are and know that they are not alone. It was monumental to have someone like Jennifer, Elon, and Sara-Marie affirm how I felt and provide meaningful advice and guidance."