Audrey Roloff Gets Real About Difficulties Breastfeeding Her Baby

11/14/2017 07:26 pm EST

Audrey Roloff hasn't been shy talking about her struggle to feed daughter Ember Jean after she was born in September, but the Little People, Big World cast member's latest update is a doozy.

"l always thought breastfeeding was a choice," she captioned a photo of her cuddling with Ember in the nursery. "People would often ask me if l was going to breastfeed when I was pregnant and l always answered with a determined yes. But after Ember was born, l realized that for some people, it's not a choice.
My breastfeeding journey has not been easy. After sharing with you all a little bit about the struggles l have had feeding Ember, l realized that so many of you have gone through, or are currently going through, similar pains, heart aches, and challenges."

Roloff then went into detail about her painful experience trying to feed baby Ember after she was born to her and husband Jeremy Roloff in September.

"About 24 hours after Ember was born, l became severely engorged," she continued. "The nurses at the hospital admitted to it being the worse case they'd ever seen. l couldn't put my arms at my sides or hold Ember - except to feed, and feeding was so painful because l was also badly blistered/bruised ... Not to mention, what they had to do to 'get me flowing' was excruciating. l thought the pain was supposed to be over once they laid her on my chest? But people just don't talk enough about the after labor pains."

Three days after coming home from the hospital, the TLC cast member came down with mastitis, which caused her milk production to "completely tank."

"l was devastated and even told by a pediatrician and lactation consultant that l would probably not ever be able to exclusively breastfeed Ember. She was having trouble gaining weight and they were concerned. They also thought l had insufficient granular tissue," she said.

Two months later, Roloff said she has been able to exclusively breastfeed Ember for the past 5 weeks, but just came down with mastitis again.

"l was reminded that even though this journey still poses its challenges, being able to feed my daughter from my own body brings me incomparable joy," she added, saying that she hopes her story can encourage any other new moms having difficulty breastfeeding.

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