Mom Shows an Alternate Method of Breastfeeding with a Syringe: 'Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help!'

Breastfeeding isn't always possible – and that's no cause for shame.

That's the sentiment new mom Rebecca McKeever wanted to share when she posted a photo of herself feeding her newborn daughter with a syringe, because she was having trouble latching on to breastfeed.

"Mothering can feel like a lonely road, when you are the only one who is going through the epic experiences happening to your body," McKeever, 34, tells PEOPLE. "Even if there are many loving people around you supporting you, still you are the only one who can give birth to and breastfeed your baby. So to hear other women talk about their experiences is very encouraging, and helps the road to feel a lot less lonely."

In McKeever's case, she consulted a lactaction specialist at a hospital because her daughter, Andromeda, was too sleepy to drink from her breast. While McKeever, a Brooklyn-based doula, says it's not the most common method to supplement breastfeeding, what really matters is the method that works best.

"What's best all depends on the situation, and a professional lactation specialist can help each Mom to figure out what is right for them," McKeever says. "The syringe worked great for us because it did the work for her."

After the breastmilk from the syringe woke her up a bit, Andromeda was able to fully latch on, and McKeever says she continued to do a mix of syringe-feeding and breastfeeding for the next five days.

"After those first 5 days she has been exclusively breastfed," she says. "The first 2 weeks it was a lot of work to keep her awake, but now she is nursing like a champ! Thank goodness!"

McKeever shared the syringe-feeding photo on the Instagram account for her doula collective, where it filled up with comments from other moms who went through the same experience.

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"They have a movement on Instagram called #feedingwithlove about all of the different ways women feed their babies. It's really powerful," she says. "I think the more we share the better."

"Feeling isolated is one of the major aspects of postpartum depression. Our world is lived a lot less in community then it was generations ago, when a woman would be closely and intimately supported by her mothers, sisters, and tribe," she says. "Even if breastfeeding doesn't work for someone, to know that there are other women out there who have been through the same thing, and gotten through it, can be so encouraging and helpful! Don't be afraid to ask for help!"