Once an Eid day

What is your very favorite holiday? Recount the specific memory or memories that have made that holiday special to you.

I wrote about my favorite holiday being Eid yesterday. For this post I’d like to take a different angle and relate a memory associated with Eid, which ended up being very traumatic for me.

My son was born just a few days before Eid. My date was overdue and I suspect that my doctor didn’t want her holidays spoiled by me going into labor in the middle of them, so I was induced. I checked into the hospital just before midnight and my son arrived the next afternoon.

I had decided that I would breastfeed my child and I was confident that I would be able to do it. So like a fool I was not prepared for any problem and didn’t have a pump or even know how to prepare a bottle.

The first few days went fine but on the third day my baby would just not be able to feed. This was also Eid day and we had a lot of guests who were coming to greet us for Eid and the arrival of the baby. My son was hungry and I was not able to feed him. An hour passed.

I told my husband to get me a pump. The shops were mostly closed so he could just find a manual pump which didn’t work for me at all. My son was crying and I was getting frustrated. Many hours passed by.

I called my sister who is a doctor and has breastfed both her boys. She tried to help me but I was still unable to feed my child. There was too much milk and the baby couldn’t suckle properly.

Finally we decided to get formula milk as the baby was starting to look weak with hunger. By this time none of the shops were open. Later my husband told me that he told the guard that he needed milk and would break into the shop if he had to. The guard had pity on him and opened the shop for him and gave him the milk.

We quickly made the milk which my son drank with relish. That day I vowed never to breastfeed him again. All this was too much for me. I thought I would lose my son and my own overconfidence and stupidity were to blame.

A few weeks later my son was hungry and his bottle was not yet ready so I decided to give him my milk. I was able to do it. From then on I kept trying to breastfeed him as well. At first he would refuse since he had gotten used to the bottle but I didn’t stop trying. Finally at 4 months he didn’t want the bottle anymore and I exclusively breastfed him for a year. I only stopped later when I had to have some medication which was dangerous for him.