For something so natural, breastfeeding is not as easy as you imagine, according to Monica McGhee. �It was so difficult at first,� says the 16-year-old, from Erskine, cradling her daughter, Niamh-Kathleen, who is 20 weeks.
For something so natural, breastfeeding is not as easy as you imagine, according to Monica McGhee.
"It was so difficult at first," says the 16-year-old, from Erskine, cradling her daughter, Niamh-Kathleen, who is 20 weeks.
"After labour it's such a big shock - everything changes. It is hell at first, with the baby screaming, and you can't get it to attach, and you're bleeding and everything's a mess. It's only a day after birth and you're already crying your eyes out.
"If I had a bottle on standby, like the midwives told me to, I would have taken the easy option. And if I'd followed their advice I'd probably still be bottlefeeding today.
"But I didn't have a bottle, so I had to get through it, and I'm glad I did, because once you get past those first few weeks, it becomes so easy - you never look back. I don't see how people could bottlefeed - it must take so much time. Of course, everyone's got their own opinion on what I should do.
"People tell me - that baby's not putting on enough weight, it's time she went on the solids, but I'm the mother and I know myself that Niamh is doing fine, so I keep breastfeeding.
"That's my advice to mums - as a mother you know best."
Miss McGhee has benefited from the support and advice from volunteers at Paisley Threads, one of several initiatives targeting women in areas with some of the lowest levels of breastfeeding take up in Scotland.
"Breastfeeding is still not normal in this country," says Maria Laverty, Infant Feeding Promoter, working for the NHS in the Paisley area.
"It should be normal, but it is not.
"In a lot of areas, women just don't see breastfeeding. They don't think it's a normal thing to do. So they need a lot of support and information - not just leaflets, but people who will talk to them and listen to their needs.
"That's why we are training health professionals to offer better support to women. We also have a group of peer volunteers - women who have been through it themselves, who can offer support and advice."
The Breastfeeding Network and Support line is 0844 412 4664.
