A Working Mother's Experience of Extended Breastfeeding

When I discovered that I was unexpectedly expecting, I decided that I would give breastfeeding a try. My late mother bottle-fed all three of her children, so I had no idea whether or not I would be 'able' to do so. During the pre-natal period, mothers are led to believe that breastfeeding is exceptionally difficult, and the message we are given is that breastfeeding is usually safely abandoned after about six weeks! But I decided to throw caution to the wind and try anyway.
Soon after Maryanne was born, the midwives in the hospital showed me how to breastfeed her. I could not believe how easy it was! We both took to it like ducks to water, and soon Maryanne was thriving. I have found breastfeeding to be the most natural thing in the world, and certainly one of the most rewarding.
However, we attended my ante-natal class reunion when she was about four weeks old, and several mothers had already stopped breastfeeding – one had never even bothered trying! I have been in contact with several of these mothers since then, and most of them gave up breastfeeding at around six weeks, thinking that this was sufficient to set their babies up for life! So the midwives' unintentional message had got through: you are meant to breastfeed your baby for six weeks, and then give up!
Unfortunately, many mothers today are forced by their financial obligations to return to work at around the six week mark. I must admit, the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my entire life was to return to work three months after the birth of my daughter – as all my instincts were screaming at me that my most important duty in life – indeed, for the next twenty years – is to care for and nurture her.