There are so many beautiful innate miracles that happen when you become pregnant to when you give birth, and after. However, a lot of the time, some processes may not function exactly how you expect them to, like breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a skill that needs to be learned and practiced to master. Many women have issues with breastfeeding because the majority of new moms have little to no breastfeeding exposure prior to giving birth.There are so many factors involved in order to have a successful breastfeeding experience that it is not uncommon to have challenges and these challenges can be exacerbated by not being armed with the knowledge or support needed to ensure the breastfeeding process. Many new mothers don’t know there are lactation consultants out there, specialized in helping mothers with their unique breastfeeding experience.This is much like our guest on today’s episode. Otilia, working mom of two, expected her breastfeeding journey to go a lot differently than it did, and didn’t know that lactation consultants existed. She struggled with her first born, along with some birthing complications, however, she armed herself with the knowledge she needed for the arrival of her second child and has been breastfeeding her for 6 years and is now a breastfeeding advocate and mentor/coach. Talk about a success story!Tune in to hear Otilia’s journey with breastfeeding and what inspired her to become a breastfeeding advocate.Topics discussed in this episode:

• Otilia’s exposure to breastfeeding prior to giving birth
• How Otilia dealt with difficulties breastfeeding
• Identifying the cause of engorgement
• Otilia’s experience with a retained placenta and unseen birth complications
• Issues with a sleepy baby and nursing
• Understanding a baby’s personality
• How to cope with uncertainty when breastfeeding
• The importance of contacting a lactation consultant early
• Issues with pumping and breastfeeding after returning to work
• How Othelia educated herself to prepare for her second child

To connect with Otilia, head to her Instagram page here!Head to Apple Podcasts or Spotify for more episodes!Join The Milk Making Minutes Facebook Group to reduce breastfeeding anxiety and build your confidence and be a part of a community that gets it.To get individualized lactation support from me, Lo-- go here!To buy books about pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding and parenting and support the show while doing it, go to my bookshop!Follow me on IG @milkmakingminutespodcast Follow me on IG @milkmakingminutespodcast to laugh about breastfeeding and to see photos of guests!  ---   Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/milk-making-minutes/support