Breastfeeding No Matter What!

by Kristina L. Palmer

In the pictures below, Patrick is about 2 months old. You'd never know he was born early and in Neonatal ICU for five days.

Breastmilk is God's wonderdrug. Patrick is 8 months old now and weighs 24 lbs. He loves the breast.

I am a working mother of two children. My daughter was nursed for ten weeks. It was the best ten weeks of my life. At that time I had to be put on blood pressure medication and zoloft. I had postpartum depression and didn't even know it. I went back to work on September 10, 2001 and the next day the World Trade Centers were hit by terrorists..

I struggled with huge amounts of depression and separation anxiety. I ended up going to a reduced work schedule. From that experience I learned a lot.

I told doctors after I found out I was pregnant with my son that I was determined against all odds to breastfeed for as long as Patrick wanted to. Patrick was born at 37 weeks and his lungs were not developed. He stayed in the NIC

unit while I recovered from an emergency C-section.

I was given 100mg of Zoloft immediately and progesta-care cream, to help with the post-pardum. I now continue to take methyldopa and 25mg of Zoloft.

I am sharing my story so that other moms will be able to communicate to their Doctors their passionate desire to breastfeed while on medication. It can be done while taking certain medications.

Five years ago my Doctor, who I fired, told me to stop breastfeeding. That it was the best thing to do. It wasn't the best thing to do. Knowing what I know now, I should have asked for other opinions and stated my desires to breastfeed.

I have an incredibly healthy son . He eats some cereal now and fruit but his life revolves around the breast. I try to pump twice a day to provide him with milk while I'm at work. I rush home to him, he tears at my clothing and we all climb into the recliner.

My son at the right breast, my daughter perched on the left arm of the recliner, and my husband walking in the door from his 10 hour work day.

My breasts are of comfort to my entire family including me. My Blood Pressure lowers drastically after nursing.

I love being a breastfeeding mom.