Hello! I am Jonathan, husband of Maria, one of the founders of Lactana. I want to share with you a little about my experience as a dad during the breastfeeding period of my children.
Breastfeeding seems very interesting to me because it is a very efficient process - I am an Engineer by profession, so efficiency is my thing. Why is it efficient? Because the product is ready immediately, when it is needed, where it is needed, it does not require packaging, it does not expire, it does not require transportation or storage, the nutritional value is infinitely higher compared to artificial alternatives, and the sentimental value by strengthening the bond of The mother with the baby is priceless.
It is an act that requires a lot of love, effort, and above all perseverance. During these last 3 years, Maria has been breastfeeding approximately 70% of the time. It's a lot! The amount of hours he has had to dedicate to it is enormous.
I remember when Pablo, my first child, was born. In less than half an hour, María was already breastfeeding. Obviously she didn't know how to do it, so the nurses had to teach her. This, after something as demanding as giving birth. She was exhausted and probably all she wanted was to rest. But now I had a crying baby who needed continuous 24x7 care.
It's something no one is prepared for and you have no idea until you experience it. Anyway, after several attempts to get Pablo to grab the nipple, he finally succeeded. The nurse told him to hold the bubi like a hamburger, which I thought was very funny. And at first it is difficult because only colostrum comes out and not milk, so both mother and baby don't know what is happening and it can be a little frustrating. But after several attempts they finally did it.
As the weeks went by, the process began to become a little easier and more efficient, as the two of them were understanding what they had to do. But it continued to be heavy, since she had to keep getting up at night to feed. And Pablo has always liked to eat, so this caused the process to take longer than normal, also requiring a greater amount of milk. Like most people, I am zero functional in the middle of the night, so seeing - or listening to when Maria told me - the number of times she got up and the few hours she had slept, my admiration for Maria continued to grow. .
Maria's journey into the world of supplements began when we started dropping Pablo off at daycare. They asked me to leave 5 bottles, which was a virtually impossible task to accomplish in one round of pumping. She was lucky because she had no problem producing normal amounts of milk for one meal, but for 5? I was going to need help. That's when she started exploring supplements to increase her milk supply. Happily, the supplements helped her fill those 5 bottles more easily without having to resort to multiple rounds of pumping or freezing milk.
Pablo continued to grow, and thus came something that every breastfeeding mother fears – teeth! Now she had some sharp knives ready to destroy his nipple at any moment. Fortunately, Pablo hardly used his new weapon while receiving the white nectar.
Pablo's first birthday arrived and it was around then that he decided to start stopping breastfeeding, to start preparing for baby #2. She was a little sad because she was going to lose that personal and intimate time with him, but at the same time happy that she was able to make it to the year.
With Martina, the process has obviously been easier, María already knew what to do and it was a much simpler process for both of us. I think it has been something that both of them enjoy, since for Martina it is like a comfort before going to sleep. Martina is now 15 months old and happily continues to breastfeed without any problems.
One super cool thing about breastfeeding, as I mentioned at the beginning, is that it's extremely practical. We really like to travel, so it's super convenient that wherever you are, you don't have to worry about having to carry all the equipment to prepare formula, which takes up space and weighs. With babies you have to worry about a thousand things all the time, but to feed them, all you have to do is plug and play.
The truth is that it has been very cool to be part of this exceptional process in the first stage of my children's lives. Obviously not everything has been easy, but after seeing the benefits of breastfeeding and how happy the time she has with them makes María, I decided that I would do everything possible to continue supporting her in this process, even if it means sacrificing a couple. of beers on Saturday afternoons.
I applaud all the mothers for their dedication, for giving everything for the well-being of their children. Time, bedtime, hobbies – everything takes a backseat when it comes to providing the best for your children. Total thanks.