*ladies only please. :)
When I first found out I was pregnant there was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted to breast feed. My husband was behind that decision one hundred percent! I had no clue how to breast feed but I knew several women that did, so why couldn't I?
In the last month of pregnancy a friend loaned me her breast feeding books, I asked questions, and I went and bought the proper attire. I was set!
The day came and Luke was born. Alright here we go.... It was so awkward at first. His hand kept getting in the way and he wouldn't latch on properly. But he was still learning and so was I. I was on a lot of medicine. One that made me very weak. I had a hard time holding him for long periods of time. I had a nurse help me and she gave me some advice. Then the lactation consultant came in and she was great. But she told me something different than what the nurse had told me. Well that was confusing.
He wouldn't latch on without a nipple shield. I thought that was no big deal. Little did I know I should have been weaning him off of it. So much milk would come out that it would choke him. He couldn't keep up with the flow. I hated it when he would choke. So I started to pump instead of breast feed. With a bottle there would be a little bit more control with the flow.
Around this time little man started sleeping through the night. The doctor said this was fine as long as he was gaining weight. Which he had no problem with! Around five weeks I noticed little man was starting to get really frustrated when he was at the breast. And I was only able to pump about 1 oz. I usually was able to pump 4-5 oz. I started having to use our emergency supply in the freezer.
I also started pumping every 2 hours to try and get my supply back up. I would let him nurse and then I would pump afterwards. I also took the herb fenugreek. Nothing was working!!
My husband and I finally decided it was best to switch to formula. I was angry with my body but I couldn't let my son starve. Having my son drink formula was not in my plan and I really miss breast feeding!
Lord willing we have another child I hope to have a different experience.
Next time I will wean off of the nipple shield, pump at least once during the night, and pump after each feeding in the beginning to keep up my milk supply. And if problems start popping up I will go immediately to the lactation consultant.
If you chose to breast feed how was your experience?
Monica,
ReplyDeleteI wanted to give you some hope. My oldest would not latch without a nipple shield either...and my nursing experience with her was horrible. I cried and cried, and hated it......
BUT........ It was SO much easier the second time around. Ethan was so much better at nursing, or I was just that much more prepared for what it takes to nurse a baby! It was all so much easier, and I nursed him until he was almost 2.
The first time is the hardest because you have NO idea what to expect. Next time you will have a better idea going into it. :) Nursing is hard work, especially the first time!
I HIGHLY recommend contacting the LLL next time, it's like having a free lactation consultant. They become friends who will call and help you through the hard times at home...after you leave the hospital.
Christa,
ReplyDeleteThank you for the advice and encouragement! I can't wait to give it another try. And I will contact the LLL next time.
things went smoothly at first with Ben...we also supplemented with formula during one feeding so that I got a little break & Jay could feel like he was a part of all that. BUT Ben didn't sleep through the night for a long time...he would consistently wake up for feedings...so I guess you win some you lose some. I lost sleep for sure. :) I thought I'd try to nurse until 12 months but he had other plans :) Nursing started to be more of an alligator wrestling match around 6/7 months and I tried to "press on" through what I thought was just a stage since he'd started crawling...nope. He basically was weaning himself. So at we switched over to the bottle & formula completely around 8 months. I'm hoping Abi latches well...we'll see.
ReplyDeleteDon't feel too bad. I was only able to breast feed for 4 weeks. Kyle was born early and couldn't latch on either. Every nurse told me something different to do and it confused me too much. Then my body just stopped producing milk. I ended up having to switch to formula when he was 1 month old. He turned out just fine!!
ReplyDeleteJennifer I didn't know kyle was born early. How early?
ReplyDelete