New mama Mihiārangi Munro-Harris is the first to admit her breastfeeding journey wasn’t easy or what she expected and is grateful for the support from her Whānau Āwhina Plunket lactation consultant.
“The connection I have with my mum, I believe, came from breastfeeding – and then being able to connect with my son, my firstborn, this way it just means the world to me that I’m able to do this. He’s able to get what he needs.”
Mihiārangi, who has Ngāpuhi and Waikato whakapapa, gave birth to her beautiful pēpi Aloali’i in March.
“Right from the start, my milk was delayed, so I wasn’t able to get that time to bond or for him to latch straight away. But we used donor milk, and then once my milk did come in, he wasn’t able to latch. We tried other methods, and we eventually got him on the shield. Now we’re solely breastfeeding.”
Mihiārangi says she’s so happy her midwife referred her to Plunket lactation consultant Jo.
“Even after one phone call from her we were away – he was on the nipple and we were on. And then when she came to visit, she checked my latch, taught me new positions, and yeah… and here we are, nine weeks later and I haven’t looked back!”
“Your support system makes a big difference. The wraparound services like Plunket that you can get referred to by your midwife help. I found the less I stressed, the more I was able to produce. But if I was overthinking things, he didn’t get a good kai, if that makes sense.”
Mihiārangi is sharing her story to encourage other mama to reach out to Plunket for support.
You can call PlunketLine for free any time, day or night, on 0800 933 922 for advice and support with breastfeeding. The PlunketLine nurses can do an assessment over the phone or via video call and can refer you to one of our lactation consultants if needed. You can also directly book a free video call with a lactation consultant on our website.
Breastfeeding consultations are free and available for all breastfeeding people – even if Plunket isn’t your Well Child provider.
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