Both of my children were born by cesarean section and both of them were/are breastfed. However, both children in pregnancy, birth, and infancy have given me totally different experiences. I am very grateful for my children and I cherish every wonderful day we have had together.

My daughter was born by emergency c-section on St.Patrick's Day in 1993. She was one month premature but still weighed in at 7 pounds, .01 ounces. Luckily for the both of us, once she was delivered my medical problems slowly began to resolve themselves. We had incredible difficulty with breastfeeding. I was so discouraged and felt like such a failure. I kept at it though, and we successfully breastfed for about 3 months.

I had to learn everything about nursing on my own. As a result, my knowledge was very limited. Because of this and the fact that Caitlin cut her first tooth at 4 months of age -- I stopped nursing her. I was not prepared to battle a baby armed with a tooth!

Trey's birth was far less eventful. I did opt for a second c-section with him, however. This was mostly due to my fear of any complications with an attempt of a VBAC. You have to understand that Trey was my fourth pregnancy. Out of four pregnancies I had two births. The two pregnancies I lost were devastating. The entire time I carried Trey I was in fear of everything. To me, there were too many possibilities that could go wrong in an attempted VBAC.

Trey came into this world happy and healthy last September. He weighed in at 9 pounds, 5 ounces and was technically born 2 weeks early. So says the doctor anyway! My baby boy latched on immediately about 30 minutes or so after he was born. I have to admit, I read everything I could get my hands on this time! Books, Internet, lactation consultants -- you name it!

I look forward to sharing my continued experiences and hope that someone might find helpful insight or just good 'ol support from my entries. It all hasn't been a "bed of roses," but so far Trey and I are learning with love!

Dawn