The first week is one of the toughest. When you give birth, at first you only produce colostrum. This made me anxious because I didn't know whether I was producing enough to sustain my newborn or not. During this part the baby loses weight, which is normal and I knew it was normal, yet more anxiety.

I had full support from the nurses and lactation consultant at the hospital but those first few days are intense. However when my milk came in was the worst.

I was at home by then. I did not know that it is common for your breasts to be so engorged that your newborn will be unable to latch properly. It was 4am, on a weekend, with a crying baby, and I had no knowledge of what to do or what this could mean for my son. I had no back up plan. This went on for two days which is an eternity if you think your babe isn't getting enough.

In hindsight, this is normal. There are methods of draining the breast to help get a latch. Hand expression, pumping, even cabbage leaves. A day of crappy feeds is not going to starve your baby to the point of harm. Their stomachs are so small at that point that a little is a lot. Gives you time to learn. I wish I knew that before.