What is breastfeeding success? To me breastfeeding success is whatever you define it to be for yourself.

So what is it what does this mean?

This might mean that for you breastfeeding success is the first feed after the baby is born so as to provide them with immunoglobins from your colostrum. It may also mean that you breastfeed your baby until they naturally wean themselves at whatever age that might be. Or anything in between. Breastfeeding success looks different for all people. It can be a combination between feeding at the breast and breast milk feeding using an alternative device. That device might be an at-the-breast-supplementer, a cup or syringe, a bottle or any variety of tools that may be used to provide additional milk. Breastfeeding success may also be never feeding directly at the breast and giving breast milk to your baby using one of those devices or something else that you choose to use. breastfeeding success may be combination feeding. It isn't defined by the amount of breast feeds our baby gets, its not defined by how the baby gets the breast milk, it is not defined by how much breast milk the baby gets and is not defined by how long we breastfeed for.

Breastfeeding success is defined by our own journeys and over the course of that journey what we consider success may change. Initially we may have wanted one thing for our breastfeeding journey and that might change due to any number of factors but that doesn't mean that breastfeeding has not been successful what it means is that our priorities changed, our situation changed and that we made decisions based on what on what was happening at the time .

Breastfeeding isn't an all or nothing situation. Breastfeeding can journeys can take many different turns and have many different variables of experiences from one family to the next. What I want for parents who wish to breastfeed is that no matter what path their breastfeeding journey takes that they feel successful, that they feel that they met their own breastfeeding goals, whatever they may be. My purpose is always to ensure that, when I can, a parent doesn't stop breastfeeding or change the way they are breastfeeding or breast milk feeding their baby out of fear or out of lack of knowledge, that they do it with the information and support that they need and that they can feel happy supported and empowered in their breastfeeding journey no matter what turns it may take.

Doctors, midwives, lactation consultants or social media do not define you breastfeeding journey. You do.