To start off my "World breastfeeding week" series I wanted to interview my husband on his side of this journey. I gave him 4 questions and he emailed me the following answers:
Question One: What were your expectations of breastfeeding while we were still pregnant?
His answer:
"When my wife first told me that she wanted to breastfeed Opal, I was excited. As a husband and soon to be father, I was rejoicing at the fact that my wife wanted to save money just like I did! Expectations were at an all time high. Weeks and days before the birth I was just thinking, "I'm going to be rich! I don't need to buy formula or anything!" The thought was that life was going to be easy, (well as easy as possible with a newborn baby during the winter months of DC). I can remember the first night in the hospital with Opal trying to get her to latch on and I was thinking to myself, "are you sure you want to breast feed?!" Thankfully though, Opal stopped being stubborn and realized that if she didn't eat that she was going to be hungry. I can safely and confidently say that I'm proud of my wife for sticking with breastfeeding and couldn't be more thankful for it."
Question Two: What was the reality of the first couple of months?
His answer:
"Reality set in quickly as stated before, when we were up for a whole night listening to her scream for milk! Even though we could officially call ourselves "parents" we were more lost than a chicken with its head cut off. It wasn't until the second day with Opal, that we were getting the hang of breastfeeding. We were incredibly blessed when a Lactation Consultant talked to Chelsea and helped with her engorged breasts. She confirmed that even though the first couple of days would suck, if we kept up with nursing our baby girl she would grow fast, learn quicker, and be smarter. Over the months to pass I would come to love that lady for her advise and admire my wife for her total dedication to helping our daughter be the best she could be. I got to see my daughter say her first "papa" and "mama", be able to sit on her own, and grow taller. She did all these things before kids her own age got the chance to even do half of that stuff. I can honestly accredit it all to my wife. It's because of her restless nights, drained afternoons, and early mornings that my daughter is as smart as she is now."
Question Three: What do you wish you knew then, that you know now?
"I now know that mother's produce milk because it's what God designed BOOBS for!"
His full answer:
"When I was first learning about breastfeeding, I thought of it as a cheap way of feeding my daughter. I now know that mother's produce milk because it's what God designed BOOBS for! Guys, if you didn't know, you do now. I am also blessed with the knowledge that if your wife is going to breastfeed you will NEED milk storage bags and need to make sure you put these in the fridge as soon as possible... because if you don't, you will regret it. Guys, also remember a key saying that my dad taught me... "Happy wife, happy life". Remember those words when you don't want to do something but your wife needs it done!
Question four: What advice would you give to new or expecting breastfeeding fathers?
His answer:
"What would I tell you dads-to-be? Honestly, suck it up and learn how to feed your child with the breast milk your wife recently pumped. Give her some rest, because she will truly need it."
-Dillon Gonzalez (Chelsea's Husband)
I want to say a HUGE thankyou to my wonderful husband for participating in this post! I hope you ladies share with the men in your life.
Good luck, xoxo.
