Masochistic Mommy

Breastfeeding is seldom a breeze, but what if it becomes yet another stick for your abusive husband to beat you with? That’s precisely what happened to the mother in the following story. Trapped in a controlling relationship, thousands of miles from her home country, this new mom was subjected to incessant emotional terrorism at the hands of her husband and his family, which gradually escalated to physical abuse. Yet throughout it all, this mom held onto one of her most cherished goals: breastfeeding her baby girl. Despite the challenge of breastfeeding - or perhaps because of it – she found the strength and courage to escape her nightmare. For this mom, breastfeeding was empowering. It solidified the bond between mom and baby, a bond that no amount of bullying could demolish. “I have been preparing for a long time to share my story on The Alpha Parent. I hesitated because I was not sure whether I wanted to reincarnate these memories or not. But then I realized my story may help other...

Guilt, resentment, regret – all common millstones of the formula feeding mother. These emotions can be so chronic, that mothers carry them around for years, often becoming bitter and envious in the process. Yet it doesn’t have to be this way. There is a ‘get out of jail card’ for formula feeding mothers. There is salvation. This is the story of one mother, whose attempt to breastfeed was sabotaged by medical professionals, family members and her own naivety. Consequently, she became a fully fledged formula feeder. But there's a twist. She discovered relactation – a way to reverse the cycle of sabotage and win back her maternal dignity. “I had my mind set on breastfeeding. While pregnant I attending breastfeeding workshops and read book after book.  I was induced on my due date, due to Obstetric Cholestasis of Pregnancy.  Labor was a long process, induced on a Tuesday and finally born on the Friday morning. The birth itself wasn’t exactly the miraculous experience I had dreame...

When a mother is blessed with nipples the size of dinner plates, can this interfere with her baby's dining experience? Indeed it can. Very large nipples can make it hard for the baby to get enough of the areola into his mouth to compress the milk ducts and get enough milk. Fortunately, the latch for babies of mothers with very large nipples will improve with time as the baby grows. However it can take several weeks to get the baby to latch well. In the meantime, if your baby is losing weight and you're being bullied by relatives and health professionals, how's a mom to preserve her sanity as well as her breastfeeding relationship? This is the story of one anxious new mother. Her breastfeeding journey was so stressful that she ended up collapsing and being sent to hospital. If this story had a soundtrack it would surely be the Queen song 'Under Pressure', thankfully followed by their other great hit 'Don't Stop Me Now'. “From the start, my parents didn...

Failing at breastfeeding can often turn usually compassionate and courteous family members into bitter, green-eyed saboteurs. When a headstrong member of the group ruptures the status quo by successfully breastfeeding, the rest of the kin can close ranks on her. Her success makes them look bad. This is the story of Marcia, a South African currently residing with her husband and their two children in France. Thousands of miles away from her native country and her own supportive family, Marcia faced an array breastfeeding hurdles which she overcame under the watchful resentment of her in-laws: Marcia. “ I am a South African currently residing with my husband and our 2 children in France. I’m the mother of 2 beautiful children: a boy of 4 years and a girl of 18 months old. My Wise Mother Although my mother breastfed all her children, which added up to 8 years of her life in total, it never occurred to me as something I would do.  I did not want to end up looking like her with a child...