When I gave birth to my daughter, it was a scheduled C-section. The doctors were concerned because she was measuring large. So at 39 weeks, I delivered my beautiful, 9lb, 4 oz baby girl. I spend about 2 hours in recovery and then was greeted with a handful of visitors upon my return to my room. I was also pretty loopy from the drugs they gave me.
A few hours later, I was clearheaded enough to breastfeed her for the first time. From the beginning, she had trouble latching. We tried...and tried...and tried. We tried it with a nipple shield, we tried without. She was starting to loose weight and ended up loosing more than 10% of her bodyweight, which sent red alerts to the nurses. Luckily, my pediatrician let me go home with her with a rented breast pump.
The day I got home was also the day my milk came in, and did it ever!!! So here I am with two boulders on my chest (sooo painful) and a baby who will not latch on to drain them! I would try to breastfeed her for about 15 minutes. She would either scream her head off or fall asleep. After 15 minutes of trying, I would then pump and give her whatever came out. I was getting a few ounces so I would give it to her in a bottle. By the time I did this all, it took about 45 minutes. When you feed her every two hours, you can imagine how draining it was. This went on for about 3 or 4 days.
Then it got worse. The stress of being home, this demanding feeding schedule and lack of sleep make it hard for my milk to let down. I would pump and pump and get maybe an ounce! So feeding became fight with her on the breast, pump what I could, feed her what I pumped and then feed her formula to make up the difference. Feeding now was taking about an hour! To top it off, since her latch was so poor, my nipples completely scabbed over. The pain would bring me to tears every time she nursed.
Everyone told me to give up. They thought I was crazy to keep this up but I was determined! I knew how important it was for her to benefit from breast milk. I consulted with an LC. I talked to anyone I knew who had breastfed babies for advice, encouragement and support. The LCs from the hospital I delivered at called me at home to check up on my progress. The best support I got was from my pediatrician, who was also an LC. She sat with me on more than one occasion and watched me nurse. She was the one who finally got her to latch and in her office is where I fed her for the first time without pumping and without her crying afterwards because she wasn't satisfied.
Each day is got better and better. She got better at latching and the scabs slowly began to heal. It was a month before my nipples could touch anything without being sore but nursing became more comfortable. She started to gain weight steadily after that first week and a half and had never stopped. Soon I felt comfortable not pumping after feeding her, but trusting that she was drinking enough on her own.
She is now 5 months and I never thought I would say this, but breastfeeding her has been such a rewarding experience! Now feeding her takes 10 minutes! She nurses until she is full, pops off and looks up at me with the most satisfied grin. I take such joy in seeing her grow knowing that I am supplying her with the best food I could possibly give her.
I am returning to work in a few weeks and I've decided to continue to nurse her and pump throughout the day. I don't think either of us are ready to give up nursing. I never thought I would be able to say that!
I look back on that first month and I can honestly that it was the hardest thing I have ever had to do. I also am so proud of myself for sticking it out. I truly felt like a mother...sacrificing so much for her. I know if I had given up I would have regretted it always.
I now and will always make it a goal to lend support to any new mother who needs help getting started with breastfeeding. I think as nursing mothers we need to be there to support new mothers. I don't know that I could have stuck it out without all of the encouragement I got. I am sure there are many mothers out there who were pressured to give up if they found it difficult in the beginning and probably have regretted it like I would have. I would love to help someone else know the joy I have experience nursing my baby. It is truly one of life's precious gifts.
Kelly -29, Mom to Baby Girl, 5 months
Monday, June 14, 2010
at
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Readers, I need your feedback!!
Hey all!
I am taking a break from our regular posts to ask you all a couple of questions, as well as some general comments that I would like to make. Your feedback is really important to me. So thanks for taking the time to read this and respond. I want to continue to make this blog a place where women like me can come to read wonderful stories from other women.
1. To start I wanted to let you all know that if you submit a story and I don't respond to you quickly, please hang in there with me. My husband has deployed overseas for his job (He works for the military as a civilian contractor). I don't have family in town yet, (my sister-in-law will be moving here shortly) so it is just me and my baby. Sometimes life keeps me super busy, and on my toes, and by the end of the day I'm wiped. I do my best to check for new stories as often as I can, but if there is a little delay, I apologize.
2. Recently I had the blog re-designed. I had a reader comment that while they liked the face-lift, it was hard to read. I love hearing things like this from readers, anything I can do to make reading these beautiful stories a better experience I would like to do. Unfortunetly I don't know to what the reader was exactly referrring. I would like your feedback so I can have it fixed. Is it the white background that makes it hard to read? The polka dots? The font color? I appreciate all your kind suggestions. Thanks!
3. Do you think only one story should be posted a day? Stories seemed to be submitted in waves. We won't have any for quite a while, and then boom 3-4. Do you like the one a day rule, or do you think I should just post them as I get them?
4. Please remember to include a title in your submissions, your first name/age, and your child(ren)'s name(s)/age(s). You don't have to include names if you aren't comfortable with it, but I would appreciate any information you are willing to provide. I personally think it helps readers like me connect with the story more. Also I try my best to correct grammar/spelling in the posts, but like any sleep deprived mother I don't catch everything. Please feel free to email me if you see something that needs to be changed.
5. How do you feel about an occasional product review/giveaway? I was recently given the opportunity to review a product and host a giveaway. While it is not directly related to breastfeeding, it is something that most of us mamas with babies would use. I would love to host it here, but don't want to start doing those reviews/giveaways if my readers would be offended/turned off by them. Please give me your feedback.
6. Also don't forget to grab our badge and post it on your own blogs. Anyway to get the word out about this blog so we can have more stories is great! If you have any other ideas on how to promote or improve the blog, feel free to through them out there. I appreciate your readership very much. If there is anything I can do to improve the blog I would love to do it.
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Emily
I am taking a break from our regular posts to ask you all a couple of questions, as well as some general comments that I would like to make. Your feedback is really important to me. So thanks for taking the time to read this and respond. I want to continue to make this blog a place where women like me can come to read wonderful stories from other women.
1. To start I wanted to let you all know that if you submit a story and I don't respond to you quickly, please hang in there with me. My husband has deployed overseas for his job (He works for the military as a civilian contractor). I don't have family in town yet, (my sister-in-law will be moving here shortly) so it is just me and my baby. Sometimes life keeps me super busy, and on my toes, and by the end of the day I'm wiped. I do my best to check for new stories as often as I can, but if there is a little delay, I apologize.
2. Recently I had the blog re-designed. I had a reader comment that while they liked the face-lift, it was hard to read. I love hearing things like this from readers, anything I can do to make reading these beautiful stories a better experience I would like to do. Unfortunetly I don't know to what the reader was exactly referrring. I would like your feedback so I can have it fixed. Is it the white background that makes it hard to read? The polka dots? The font color? I appreciate all your kind suggestions. Thanks!
3. Do you think only one story should be posted a day? Stories seemed to be submitted in waves. We won't have any for quite a while, and then boom 3-4. Do you like the one a day rule, or do you think I should just post them as I get them?
4. Please remember to include a title in your submissions, your first name/age, and your child(ren)'s name(s)/age(s). You don't have to include names if you aren't comfortable with it, but I would appreciate any information you are willing to provide. I personally think it helps readers like me connect with the story more. Also I try my best to correct grammar/spelling in the posts, but like any sleep deprived mother I don't catch everything. Please feel free to email me if you see something that needs to be changed.
5. How do you feel about an occasional product review/giveaway? I was recently given the opportunity to review a product and host a giveaway. While it is not directly related to breastfeeding, it is something that most of us mamas with babies would use. I would love to host it here, but don't want to start doing those reviews/giveaways if my readers would be offended/turned off by them. Please give me your feedback.
6. Also don't forget to grab our badge and post it on your own blogs. Anyway to get the word out about this blog so we can have more stories is great! If you have any other ideas on how to promote or improve the blog, feel free to through them out there. I appreciate your readership very much. If there is anything I can do to improve the blog I would love to do it.
Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Emily
Saturday, June 12, 2010
"I wouldn't trade this for anything."
As I write this I am not sure what will become of my breastfeeding relationship with my son, almost 9 months old. I have been back to work for 5 months and this boy is loving his bottles more and more. Two back to back ear infections and a cold have recently caused him to refuse all nursing except once around 4am. And so I pump and pump and pump. Not unlike the start of our breastfeeding journey…
I had a wonderful and easy pregnancy with grand plans for a pure and natural delivery, until week 35 when I was hit with the news of a “very breech” baby, non-stress tests 3/week and a c-section date. That didn’t last long. At 36 weeks exactly a non-stress test landed me in Labor and Delivery and smacked me with an extreme case of pre-eclampsia and hypertension. And a spot in the operating room. Not so minor detail: my husband was in another country and didn’t get to us for another 24 hours from the birth.
I was so scared my body was shaking like a leaf and that didn’t stop for the duration of my 6 day stay in the hospital. He was 5 lbs and had some breathing issues so he spent 6 days in the NICU. I was so doped up from the anti-seizure meds it was 24 hours before I could see him, and I hardly remember that first day. I also don’t really remember how it went down, but the bottom line was my son couldn’t come home until he was breathing, growing and eating. It wasn’t like they discouraged me from breastfeeding him, but they wanted to be able to measure what he was eating and bottle feeding took less effort from him.
And so I pumped, and pumped and pumped. My hospital roomie had twins in the NICU and there was a strange bond in us both waking up around the clock to pump (though who really sleeps in the hospital). And as soon as his feeding tubes came out he got breast milk. The nurses called it butter milk it was so golden. I was obsessed and proud to show up to the NICU for all his feedings with yet another little bottle. The nurses even starting freezing it and when they finally sent us home I already had a freezer stash. They did encourage me to breastfeed and before we left they showed me how to latch him well.
I honestly don’t think I needed the encouragement though. I was so determined! I think because my hopes for birth went so wrong, I was more determined. And because there was so little I could do to control both my health, and my son’s health, breastfeeding was the one area I could control and succeed. And so I gave myself no choice but to succeed. And from there it was easy. Painful, yes, but easy. Sure I may have walked around the house for a few days with my nipples hanging our, air drying. I will never forget one of the first nights at home, being so exhausted and changing for bed while crying and laughing at the same time as milk leaked in a steady flow all over the place. And for the first 10 or so weeks at home my son ate every hour or two around the clock. But it was fantastic. It made me feel strong, proud and organic. Family loved to ask his current weight and then marvel at how many pounds he gained (he’s 20 lbs now!).
Because we were not able to “bond” well at birth or through our stay in the hospital, breastfeeding allowed us to bond at home. And when I returned to work it was the precious time where only I could provide for my son. That is selfish in some ways, but I don’t apologize for that.
We’ve had a great run, and I hold onto hope that once he is well he might decide to come back to nursing. We’ve nursed in stores, restaurants, planes, cars and airports. On vacation we sat on the lawn in front of the White House and nursed, as well in museums and at monuments. I really wanted to nurse at least one year, and be able to say that he never received anything but breast milk. And so I’ll pump some more.
Erin, 29 Mom to Clinton, 8.5 months old
I had a wonderful and easy pregnancy with grand plans for a pure and natural delivery, until week 35 when I was hit with the news of a “very breech” baby, non-stress tests 3/week and a c-section date. That didn’t last long. At 36 weeks exactly a non-stress test landed me in Labor and Delivery and smacked me with an extreme case of pre-eclampsia and hypertension. And a spot in the operating room. Not so minor detail: my husband was in another country and didn’t get to us for another 24 hours from the birth.
I was so scared my body was shaking like a leaf and that didn’t stop for the duration of my 6 day stay in the hospital. He was 5 lbs and had some breathing issues so he spent 6 days in the NICU. I was so doped up from the anti-seizure meds it was 24 hours before I could see him, and I hardly remember that first day. I also don’t really remember how it went down, but the bottom line was my son couldn’t come home until he was breathing, growing and eating. It wasn’t like they discouraged me from breastfeeding him, but they wanted to be able to measure what he was eating and bottle feeding took less effort from him.
And so I pumped, and pumped and pumped. My hospital roomie had twins in the NICU and there was a strange bond in us both waking up around the clock to pump (though who really sleeps in the hospital). And as soon as his feeding tubes came out he got breast milk. The nurses called it butter milk it was so golden. I was obsessed and proud to show up to the NICU for all his feedings with yet another little bottle. The nurses even starting freezing it and when they finally sent us home I already had a freezer stash. They did encourage me to breastfeed and before we left they showed me how to latch him well.
I honestly don’t think I needed the encouragement though. I was so determined! I think because my hopes for birth went so wrong, I was more determined. And because there was so little I could do to control both my health, and my son’s health, breastfeeding was the one area I could control and succeed. And so I gave myself no choice but to succeed. And from there it was easy. Painful, yes, but easy. Sure I may have walked around the house for a few days with my nipples hanging our, air drying. I will never forget one of the first nights at home, being so exhausted and changing for bed while crying and laughing at the same time as milk leaked in a steady flow all over the place. And for the first 10 or so weeks at home my son ate every hour or two around the clock. But it was fantastic. It made me feel strong, proud and organic. Family loved to ask his current weight and then marvel at how many pounds he gained (he’s 20 lbs now!).
Because we were not able to “bond” well at birth or through our stay in the hospital, breastfeeding allowed us to bond at home. And when I returned to work it was the precious time where only I could provide for my son. That is selfish in some ways, but I don’t apologize for that.
We’ve had a great run, and I hold onto hope that once he is well he might decide to come back to nursing. We’ve nursed in stores, restaurants, planes, cars and airports. On vacation we sat on the lawn in front of the White House and nursed, as well in museums and at monuments. I really wanted to nurse at least one year, and be able to say that he never received anything but breast milk. And so I’ll pump some more.
Erin, 29 Mom to Clinton, 8.5 months old
Friday, June 11, 2010
Nursing and Torticollis
I nursed my son Joseph for 13 months. We had a very rocky start so sometimes it’s hard to believe that we made it that far! I didn’t expect to have these challenges. I had attended a breastfeeding class in my last month of pregnancy and knew there was a learning curve. My mom, aunts, and mother-in-law were once active in LLL, so I thought I’d have plenty of support if I ran into problems.
Joseph was born full-term after a physically exhausting delivery. I wasn’t able to push him out on my own and was running out of strength at the end. The doctor recommended a c-section but I requested vacuum extraction. I knew I could do it – I just needed some help. Fifteen minutes later, Joseph was born with the suction cup stuck fast to his head. A medical team was ready in case of complications, but Joseph was strong and healthy. I was stitched up and Joseph was brought over to me. I tried to nurse him in the delivery room without success.
Over the next 2-3 days in the hospital, I tried repeatedly to nurse Joseph. Sometimes he latched on right away, sometimes after 45 minutes of trying. Most of the time Joseph flailed around in frustration, and I began to panic with each failed feeding. The post-partum nurse(s) couldn’t help much and sometimes ignored my frantic pages. The lactation consultant in the hospital was able to get Joseph nursing within a few minutes. I couldn’t reproduce her magic. She gave me a SNS (supplemental nursing system) which is lovely idea but worthless when your baby won’t latch on.
At home, we had a couple of mediocre nursing sessions but suddenly Joseph wouldn’t latch anymore. He began to scream every time I moved him toward my breast. At first I believed that I could be successful nursing through sheer strength of will. I read every nursing resource I could find and called family for advice. Joseph, however, had a mind of his own and seemed to hate nursing. It was the first of many parenting lessons that he taught me. Joseph wasn’t the baby in the book. Try, try again wasn’t working for us and only making things worse. I slowly began to learn that if nursing was going to work, it was going to happen on Joseph’s terms. I couldn’t force him to nurse! I learned that my baby is a unique individual and if something isn’t working – STOP!!! Try something different. But it’s a hard lesson to learn your first week on the job.
So I pumped for the first week, always trying stay one feeding ahead of schedule. It was tiring but far less stressful than nursing! Bottles were an easy, happy experience. The pediatrician recommended a wonderful lactation consultant. She did an in-home visit and noticed right away that something wasn’t right with Joseph’s neck and jaw. It was asymmetric and difficult to get lined up properly with my breast. She gave me a nipple shield to make it easier for Joseph to latch. Partly because of the lactation consultant’s observations, my son was diagnosed with torticollis (twisted neck) at 2.5 weeks old. We began physical therapy right away. I cried a lot those first weeks, probably PPD but I was too exhausted and stubborn to give in.
I used the nipple shield exclusively for 2 weeks, and Joseph began nursing sporadically again. Joseph often nursed in contorted positions due to his damaged neck muscle but at least he was nursing. Our problems persisted and with a lot of hard work Joseph began to latch without the nipple shield. After 2-3 months, nursing became the wonderful, joyful experience that my mom and aunts told me about.
Not surprisingly, our nursing relationship ended on Joseph’s terms. I had been gradually cutting down feedings when he was 12 months old, and a few weeks later he just refused to nurse. Such a strong-willed child since the day he was born – I have no idea who he got that from! J The emotions caught me off-guard. I was ready to be done but so sad that this beautiful part of our relationship was over. I’m so glad to have had my nursing experience.
Beth N. Mom to Joseph
Joseph was born full-term after a physically exhausting delivery. I wasn’t able to push him out on my own and was running out of strength at the end. The doctor recommended a c-section but I requested vacuum extraction. I knew I could do it – I just needed some help. Fifteen minutes later, Joseph was born with the suction cup stuck fast to his head. A medical team was ready in case of complications, but Joseph was strong and healthy. I was stitched up and Joseph was brought over to me. I tried to nurse him in the delivery room without success.
Over the next 2-3 days in the hospital, I tried repeatedly to nurse Joseph. Sometimes he latched on right away, sometimes after 45 minutes of trying. Most of the time Joseph flailed around in frustration, and I began to panic with each failed feeding. The post-partum nurse(s) couldn’t help much and sometimes ignored my frantic pages. The lactation consultant in the hospital was able to get Joseph nursing within a few minutes. I couldn’t reproduce her magic. She gave me a SNS (supplemental nursing system) which is lovely idea but worthless when your baby won’t latch on.
At home, we had a couple of mediocre nursing sessions but suddenly Joseph wouldn’t latch anymore. He began to scream every time I moved him toward my breast. At first I believed that I could be successful nursing through sheer strength of will. I read every nursing resource I could find and called family for advice. Joseph, however, had a mind of his own and seemed to hate nursing. It was the first of many parenting lessons that he taught me. Joseph wasn’t the baby in the book. Try, try again wasn’t working for us and only making things worse. I slowly began to learn that if nursing was going to work, it was going to happen on Joseph’s terms. I couldn’t force him to nurse! I learned that my baby is a unique individual and if something isn’t working – STOP!!! Try something different. But it’s a hard lesson to learn your first week on the job.
So I pumped for the first week, always trying stay one feeding ahead of schedule. It was tiring but far less stressful than nursing! Bottles were an easy, happy experience. The pediatrician recommended a wonderful lactation consultant. She did an in-home visit and noticed right away that something wasn’t right with Joseph’s neck and jaw. It was asymmetric and difficult to get lined up properly with my breast. She gave me a nipple shield to make it easier for Joseph to latch. Partly because of the lactation consultant’s observations, my son was diagnosed with torticollis (twisted neck) at 2.5 weeks old. We began physical therapy right away. I cried a lot those first weeks, probably PPD but I was too exhausted and stubborn to give in.
I used the nipple shield exclusively for 2 weeks, and Joseph began nursing sporadically again. Joseph often nursed in contorted positions due to his damaged neck muscle but at least he was nursing. Our problems persisted and with a lot of hard work Joseph began to latch without the nipple shield. After 2-3 months, nursing became the wonderful, joyful experience that my mom and aunts told me about.
Not surprisingly, our nursing relationship ended on Joseph’s terms. I had been gradually cutting down feedings when he was 12 months old, and a few weeks later he just refused to nurse. Such a strong-willed child since the day he was born – I have no idea who he got that from! J The emotions caught me off-guard. I was ready to be done but so sad that this beautiful part of our relationship was over. I’m so glad to have had my nursing experience.
Beth N. Mom to Joseph
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
New Layout!!
Come on in and check out our new layout!! Thanks to Becca at www.jumpingjaxdesigns.com we have a wonderful new look. I couldn't be more happy with the finished product!
Also please notice our new button in the upper right hand corner. If you would be so kind as to post it on your own blogs I would be very appreciative.
The goal of this blog is to have a place for women to come to and read about all different kinds of breastfeeding experiences. No two are exactly alike, but the hope is our readers will find a connection with some of the stories and feel like they are not alone in the amazingly simple gift.
As we all know breastfeeding is not always simple, but it really is a gift for both baby and mom. I hope to have more stories to post soon!
Hope you all like the new look. Becca does wonderful work for us computer/time challenged mamas!
Best,
Emily
Also please notice our new button in the upper right hand corner. If you would be so kind as to post it on your own blogs I would be very appreciative.
The goal of this blog is to have a place for women to come to and read about all different kinds of breastfeeding experiences. No two are exactly alike, but the hope is our readers will find a connection with some of the stories and feel like they are not alone in the amazingly simple gift.
As we all know breastfeeding is not always simple, but it really is a gift for both baby and mom. I hope to have more stories to post soon!
Hope you all like the new look. Becca does wonderful work for us computer/time challenged mamas!
Best,
Emily
Sunday, May 23, 2010
ONE YEAR!! :)
First off, I can't believe that it has already been a year since I started nursing, and my son was born!
Jacob was born early in the morning on Saturday April 18, 2009. I put him to the breast within 5 minutes of him being born, and he seemed to latch on just fine. I thought to myself, cool this is going to work great! After they cleaned him all up, and gave him back to me we headed to the mother and baby recovery area. He fell into that deep sleep, would wake and nurse and fall back to sleep. I figured that we were set and nothing was in our way with the nursing business. The lactation consultant had stopped by my room and watched a feeding, gave a few pointers, but was impressed that we were doing so well. Then that night, after the LC had left and gone home, I started having trouble getting Jacob to latch and stay nursing. After struggling with it for maybe an hour or two, I decided that maybe a walk around and a change of scenery would maybe help settle my nerves and we could try again.
While I was out walking the halls, one of the nurses came and walked with me! She wanted to make sure that I was ok, and if there was anything that she could do to help me. I was explaining to her the troubles that I was having and she asked if I would like some help. She was so nice and came in and spent over 2 hours helping me. With her help, I came to the realization that I have flat nipples and Jacob was having trouble latching. She suggested that we try a couple of different things to get him to latch and stay latched. The first thing that we tried was putting a few drops of formula on my nipple to give Jacob instant gratification and encourage him to start sucking. He would somewhat do this, but his latch was not good enough. She then suggested using a shield. I was not opposed to the shield, as I knew that my mom had to use one while nursing my younger sisters. She brought me a couple so that I could find what one fit the best and was the most comfortable. After finding the right one, we once again put a few drops of the formula on the tip to give Jacob something to go after. As soon as he realized that something was there he nursed for almost a full hour!
I continued to use the shield and drops of formula until my milk came in on day 3, as after it came in he would latch with the shield right away. Once I was released from the hospital, I started to work with the LC at our pediatrician’s office. She was also so very helpful with all my questions. We had to see her a few times the first 2 weeks of Jacob's life due to the amount of weight that he lost before my milk came in. But once it did and he started to be a champ a nursing, he started to put the weight back on. There have been many days that I thought along the way how nice it would be to wean from the shield, but it is what has allowed us to continue nursing for this long and will allow us to continue. I have always believed that because of the shield, I never had to deal with cracked or bleeding nipples. I never had the pain that some women complain of when they are first starting out with nursing. I also truly believe that because Jacob was so used to the rubber feeling of the shield, it made giving him a bottle of breast milk so much easier.
When Jacob was 1 month old at the recommendation of our pediatrician, we gave him his first bottle of BM. I pumped it, and my husband fed it to him. When he was first offered it, he gave my husband a weird look, but then realized that it was his normal milk and drank it right away. We never had any issues with it, and still do not. We also had no issues with him going between the breast and a bottle.
Now that we have reached a year of breast feeding, I have reached my initial goal. From here on out I will allow Jacob to determine when he wants to self wean. Since starting him on solids, I have noticed that his nursing sessions are getting shorter and he is getting close I believe to dropping one as he doesn't always want to nurse now before his nap. When I think of not nursing, at first it makes me sad as I will miss that bonding time that I have with him. But on the other hand I realize that he is growing and we can find other ways to bond.
In a nutshell, I have really enjoyed my nursing days and look forward to being able to do so with any future kids that Hans and I have. I am thankful for the shield as I don't know if we would have made it this long without it! I also want to encourage any moms that have to use one. It is not bad to use...the design of shields has come a long way in the years and they should no longer interfere with your supply according to the LC that I worked with.
I also want to encourage women to nurse your baby when they need to be nursed no matter where you are! I understand some women are uncomfortable about nursing in public (NIP) or are worried about what other people will say about them. Bottom line is that it doesn't matter what they think, you are feeding your child! No one thinks twice about a baby that has a bottle in its mouth, so why do we need to make a fuss about a nursing baby. I hate it when I have to read about women who fell the necessity to nurse or pump in the bathroom. I understand nursing in the car or at the back table in the malls' food court as I have nursed in those areas many times in the past year. If I am in a mall I will also go and use a stores dressing room as most stores are willing to let you do that.
Samantha 25 mom to Jacob 1 year
Jacob was born early in the morning on Saturday April 18, 2009. I put him to the breast within 5 minutes of him being born, and he seemed to latch on just fine. I thought to myself, cool this is going to work great! After they cleaned him all up, and gave him back to me we headed to the mother and baby recovery area. He fell into that deep sleep, would wake and nurse and fall back to sleep. I figured that we were set and nothing was in our way with the nursing business. The lactation consultant had stopped by my room and watched a feeding, gave a few pointers, but was impressed that we were doing so well. Then that night, after the LC had left and gone home, I started having trouble getting Jacob to latch and stay nursing. After struggling with it for maybe an hour or two, I decided that maybe a walk around and a change of scenery would maybe help settle my nerves and we could try again.
While I was out walking the halls, one of the nurses came and walked with me! She wanted to make sure that I was ok, and if there was anything that she could do to help me. I was explaining to her the troubles that I was having and she asked if I would like some help. She was so nice and came in and spent over 2 hours helping me. With her help, I came to the realization that I have flat nipples and Jacob was having trouble latching. She suggested that we try a couple of different things to get him to latch and stay latched. The first thing that we tried was putting a few drops of formula on my nipple to give Jacob instant gratification and encourage him to start sucking. He would somewhat do this, but his latch was not good enough. She then suggested using a shield. I was not opposed to the shield, as I knew that my mom had to use one while nursing my younger sisters. She brought me a couple so that I could find what one fit the best and was the most comfortable. After finding the right one, we once again put a few drops of the formula on the tip to give Jacob something to go after. As soon as he realized that something was there he nursed for almost a full hour!
I continued to use the shield and drops of formula until my milk came in on day 3, as after it came in he would latch with the shield right away. Once I was released from the hospital, I started to work with the LC at our pediatrician’s office. She was also so very helpful with all my questions. We had to see her a few times the first 2 weeks of Jacob's life due to the amount of weight that he lost before my milk came in. But once it did and he started to be a champ a nursing, he started to put the weight back on. There have been many days that I thought along the way how nice it would be to wean from the shield, but it is what has allowed us to continue nursing for this long and will allow us to continue. I have always believed that because of the shield, I never had to deal with cracked or bleeding nipples. I never had the pain that some women complain of when they are first starting out with nursing. I also truly believe that because Jacob was so used to the rubber feeling of the shield, it made giving him a bottle of breast milk so much easier.
When Jacob was 1 month old at the recommendation of our pediatrician, we gave him his first bottle of BM. I pumped it, and my husband fed it to him. When he was first offered it, he gave my husband a weird look, but then realized that it was his normal milk and drank it right away. We never had any issues with it, and still do not. We also had no issues with him going between the breast and a bottle.
Now that we have reached a year of breast feeding, I have reached my initial goal. From here on out I will allow Jacob to determine when he wants to self wean. Since starting him on solids, I have noticed that his nursing sessions are getting shorter and he is getting close I believe to dropping one as he doesn't always want to nurse now before his nap. When I think of not nursing, at first it makes me sad as I will miss that bonding time that I have with him. But on the other hand I realize that he is growing and we can find other ways to bond.
In a nutshell, I have really enjoyed my nursing days and look forward to being able to do so with any future kids that Hans and I have. I am thankful for the shield as I don't know if we would have made it this long without it! I also want to encourage any moms that have to use one. It is not bad to use...the design of shields has come a long way in the years and they should no longer interfere with your supply according to the LC that I worked with.
I also want to encourage women to nurse your baby when they need to be nursed no matter where you are! I understand some women are uncomfortable about nursing in public (NIP) or are worried about what other people will say about them. Bottom line is that it doesn't matter what they think, you are feeding your child! No one thinks twice about a baby that has a bottle in its mouth, so why do we need to make a fuss about a nursing baby. I hate it when I have to read about women who fell the necessity to nurse or pump in the bathroom. I understand nursing in the car or at the back table in the malls' food court as I have nursed in those areas many times in the past year. If I am in a mall I will also go and use a stores dressing room as most stores are willing to let you do that.
Samantha 25 mom to Jacob 1 year
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Breastfeeding helped me face the challenges of motherhood.
Anticipating the birth of my first baby boy, Colton, was joyous. I loved being pregnant and labor was great. I was a nurse at the hospital I worked, so there was an endless stream of visitors, happy friends and relatives. Our new baby was absolutely perfect, and we were thrilled. We were looking forward to getting to know our new addition and adjusting to parenthood together. I didn't know how soon things would change...
The day after we had Colton, my husband went home to shower and feed the dog. The phone rang in my room, it was an ER nurse I had worked with a few days before. My husband's father had a stroke and was coming in via ambulance, he was in critical condition. She needed my husband in the ER right away. My father-in-law spent the next month in ICU and was close to death several times from the massive injury to his brain. My husband spent everyday with him, helping his mother make medical descions and supporting his parents. Needless to say it was not the homecoming we had planned, but that's life.
I focused on my job of caring for our new little one. Like almost all moms, I didn't find breastfeeding easy in the beginning. Colton had a great latch at the hospital but when we got home we had some troubles. About day 2, my nipples were raw and I had to clench my teeth when he nursed, but that passed quickly, resolving within a day or two. I was so engorged my breasts were like rocks on my chest and the bags of frozen peas weren't helping. I had my husband pick up a cheap pump at the Wal-Mart on the way home from his daily hospital vigil. I used that cheap Evenflo pump with both my babies, best $40 ever spent! The pump did the trick and we were getting the hang of this breastfeeding stuff. I always tried to stay positive and not complain about anything. I didn't want my husband to feel like he had to care for his parents, me and Colton.
My breastfeeding challenges were pretty much overcome by week 2 and we never looked back. I never considered stopping breastfeeding, I just knew that we would be successful after we got over the learning curve. Being a mom was hard, tiring work but I could do it and I felt capable. Moms don't need to breastfeed to be good mothers, I know that. But overcoming the challenges to breastfeeding made me feel empowered, like my body was made to give birth and nourish my baby. When you stop and think about it, it's pretty amazing that we moms can make and deliver everything our babies need to survive and thrive right inside our bras! It's pretty cool when you think about it.
During my first month as a mother Colton was my constant companion in a mostly empty house and I was glad to have him. I missed my husband and I wished things would have worked out differently. There was a lot of sadness around me and a grim realization about living with a severely disabled person from now on. But, I had a new life to care for and he was my only priority, the mourning happened outside of my bubble that was relevant to me. I knew it was occurring and I could discuss it and sympathize, but not much more.
Figuring out how to be a mom is kind of a solitary journey for us all, you have to find your groove for yourself. Breastfeeding is leg of my journey, kind of rocky in the beginning but quickly became a frequent reminder that I could handle motherhood and the million challenges that come with it.
Helen - Co-founder of Milkies and mom to 2 little boys Henry 2 years and Colton 4 years old.
Check out her website at http://www.mymilkies.com/
The day after we had Colton, my husband went home to shower and feed the dog. The phone rang in my room, it was an ER nurse I had worked with a few days before. My husband's father had a stroke and was coming in via ambulance, he was in critical condition. She needed my husband in the ER right away. My father-in-law spent the next month in ICU and was close to death several times from the massive injury to his brain. My husband spent everyday with him, helping his mother make medical descions and supporting his parents. Needless to say it was not the homecoming we had planned, but that's life.
I focused on my job of caring for our new little one. Like almost all moms, I didn't find breastfeeding easy in the beginning. Colton had a great latch at the hospital but when we got home we had some troubles. About day 2, my nipples were raw and I had to clench my teeth when he nursed, but that passed quickly, resolving within a day or two. I was so engorged my breasts were like rocks on my chest and the bags of frozen peas weren't helping. I had my husband pick up a cheap pump at the Wal-Mart on the way home from his daily hospital vigil. I used that cheap Evenflo pump with both my babies, best $40 ever spent! The pump did the trick and we were getting the hang of this breastfeeding stuff. I always tried to stay positive and not complain about anything. I didn't want my husband to feel like he had to care for his parents, me and Colton.
My breastfeeding challenges were pretty much overcome by week 2 and we never looked back. I never considered stopping breastfeeding, I just knew that we would be successful after we got over the learning curve. Being a mom was hard, tiring work but I could do it and I felt capable. Moms don't need to breastfeed to be good mothers, I know that. But overcoming the challenges to breastfeeding made me feel empowered, like my body was made to give birth and nourish my baby. When you stop and think about it, it's pretty amazing that we moms can make and deliver everything our babies need to survive and thrive right inside our bras! It's pretty cool when you think about it.
During my first month as a mother Colton was my constant companion in a mostly empty house and I was glad to have him. I missed my husband and I wished things would have worked out differently. There was a lot of sadness around me and a grim realization about living with a severely disabled person from now on. But, I had a new life to care for and he was my only priority, the mourning happened outside of my bubble that was relevant to me. I knew it was occurring and I could discuss it and sympathize, but not much more.
Figuring out how to be a mom is kind of a solitary journey for us all, you have to find your groove for yourself. Breastfeeding is leg of my journey, kind of rocky in the beginning but quickly became a frequent reminder that I could handle motherhood and the million challenges that come with it.
Helen - Co-founder of Milkies and mom to 2 little boys Henry 2 years and Colton 4 years old.
Check out her website at http://www.mymilkies.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
