Mercedez Moore shares her experience.
I am a Certified Lactation Counselor and Senior Breastfeeding Peer Counselor with WIC at my local health department in South Carolina. I was so excited to be able to do this course and become a Certified Hug Teacher!
I have breastfeed all three of my kids. They are now 13 years old, 9 years old, and 7 years old. My first baby, I was 18 and I didnt know what I was doing so I only lasted 2 months (but very proud of that 2 months). I did not know anything about breastfeeding at that time. By time my 2nd was born, I made sure I was prepared because I knew that I wanted to be more successful with her with breastfeeding. We breastfed for 2 year until she weaned herself, the week that I was already 15 weeks pregnant again. My 3rd and I had a great journey, though full of bumps, we made it to 3.5 years of breastfeeding. We also was able to donate over 9,000 oz. We not only made it to 3.5 years of breastfeeding but also donated and were able to get one baby to her 1st birthday that was adopted and the adopted mom only wanted breast milk for her, and then two more babies to 6 months of breast milk bottles! Now we did have a tough time with mastitis muliple times, severe oversupply (pumping 16 to0 20 oz out each session) and thrush but we made it!
I am very thankful for the HUG your baby workshop and I use it all the time in my clinic when needed. Thank you so much for this opportunuity.