Hello Judy
I hope you are well. I took your advice on how to wean Ross from my breast and it is all working out well.
As this incredible nursing journey comes to an end I have to take a moment to thank you, to acknowledge that without your council and support this journey would have ended much sooner and very differently.
I am very familiar with feeling like a mom who just hasn’t got what it takes, like breastfeeding wasn’t meant for me, and giving in to the pressures of society, friends and family to “just give it up”. These were the lies that overwhelmed me with my first born. Like that wasn’t enough, I kept shaming myself: “how could something so natural be so hard for me?”
As Ross’s due date drew near I braced myself for eminent failure in the breastfeeding department. To make matters worse Ross had to be taken out earlier and kept in NICU. And then you showed up!
From day one, I just felt comfortable with your presence near me and my baby. This isn’t the case with all medical staff for me. I don’t know how I would have survived NICU without you. I know the nurses in that unit are there to take care of sick babies and I had a team looking after me too, but you took care of something much more precious. The gift I was going to give Ross for the rest of his life. Your support and knowledge at this time was just on a different level to anyone else I had at my disposal.
Those 12 days with Ross in NICU was particularly hard for me and your consultations really kept us on track. I wish your service could be part of the hospital experience for everyone. Every mom deserves to feel how you made me feel during that time. Empowered, skilled, accepted and good enough.
I haven’t even touched on your support after hospital up until now, or the fact that YOU discovered that Ross had a posterior tongue tie. I can go on and on… So, dear Judy, thanx for every second you put aside to help the two of us, every WhatsApp you replied to, and every “out of the blue” msg from you to hear how we are doing, just when I was ready to throw in the towel. I believe you were a necessary person in my life for the past 7 months, meticulously put there by God. The breastfeeding benefits totally outweigh the challenges I had to face. For 7 months I could rest in knowing that I am giving Ross the best I possibly can.
I wish you all the best. Please continue to do the amazing work you are doing. I am so glad our paths crossed.
Much love
Marlee Van Der Merwe
28 Jul