Breastfeeding is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart. Why? In my first pregnancy I never worried about breastfeeding, my mother managed to breastfeed me for 9 months and my younger sister for 2 years, so I always thought: “Peanuts”. Something so natural will go well for sure.

However, when my son was born it was nothing like that. He was born with a sturdy good 3,140kg, but he was losing more and more weight without ever regaining it. Then he reached 2,600 kg, he didn’t poop and the pee started to come with the crystals of someone who is dehydrating. Panic for a first-time mother. At the same time, I was caught in a power struggle with my own extended family who, ever since I came back from hospital had been pressuring me to give him formula. I always refused.

Until my doula recommended a doctor who is also a Lactation Consultant, this doctor accompanies smaller babies in Lisbon, probably. She supported us until he regained his weight, but she remains with us to this day. And, you know what? We did top up with formula for up to 6 months, then when he started solids was solely breastfed. And so it remained until he was 3 and a half years old. This was such a personal victory.

I had had breast reduction surgery due to my breasts being asymmetrical 14 years ago, and that may be why I don’t ever seem to produce enough milk to breastfeed exclusively for my baby´s first six months of life. I could have tried to supplement with my milk through pump stimulation, but there came a time when it was all getting so tiring that I had to give in and accept I gave the supplement with a tube and baby fed at my breast at the same time. It’s all right. It’s okay to give breast and formula milk at the same time. It’s okay that not all is what we dreamed it would be. Our dreams can also be flexible, and I never thought I would be able to breastfeed until he was 3 years old. So, for me, breastfeeding my son was a success. But this success was only possible because I was surrounded by professionals who believed in breastfeeding and in me. Therefore, information is not enough, but also being surrounded by those who believe in us, in breastfeeding and in our choices.