Disclaimer: This post is going to include some personal information about breastfeeding my daughter. If for some reason that causes you some issues, please don’t read any further. Thanks!
When I first found out I was pregnant I immediately knew that I wanted to try and breastfeed, for multiple reasons. Here are a few:
- Money. I am cheap. It costs me nothing to breastfeed (except for the expenses of the pump, but we will cover that later) and formula is expensive.
- Convenience. If Mikayla gets hungry I can feed her on the spot. I don’t have to worry about making a bottle, I just offer her a breast.
- Health. Breastfeeding is one of the best things you can do to help build antibodies in your child. Not to mention it would help me as a mother lose the “baby fat” faster because I would be burning more calories (selfish, but true).
Now you know my reasons, let’s begin with the journey of breastfeeding my daughter. The journey began within the first half hour of Mikayla’s life, her first latch. I was on cloud nine, I had a healthy daughter who was eager to eat. That eagerness continued for the first 24 hours. She was eating regularly (according to the nurses, a little more than some newborns) and it appeared things were going smoothly. And then it happened, the pain started. Some women might tell you that it all comes naturally and is a beautiful thing. They are lying!! Breastfeeding is a beautiful thing, but it is also a learning process for both mom and baby.
While in the hospital Mikayla started to bring up her lower lip when latching on, which caused some tenderness on my breasts. This only got worse the more she would latch on. I was very sore by the time we left the hospital. By the time we got home and struggled with it for a few days I was ready to quit. I was laying on the bed in tears because my breasts hurt so bad. To all you ladies out there, don’t be fooled, it hurts like crazy those first few weeks. I don’t think people want to talk about the pain, but I wish they had (I like to be prepared and don’t feel like I was for this aspect of mommy hood). If you can get past week two it gets better, and by week six it’s bearable! I digress though, back to the tears in bed. Ben was so supportive and was willing to do anything he could to help, but let’s be honest Mikayla wasn’t sucking on his breast every two hours for an hour at a time. No rest for the weary. If I was going to do this breastfeeding thing I had to persevere. I decided to use a lifeline and phone a friend. I called our friend Michelle and asked her to come over for a little Breastfeeding 101. She gave me some pointers, visuals, and encouragement and was on her way. If she had not come to my house that night I may have given up. Thanks Michelle for your help!
Travel down the road a few weeks to my six month check up with the OBGYN. I was placed back on birth control and all seemed well in the breastfeeding world. I was pumping once or twice a day to start building up a supply and Mikayla was growing at a consistent rate. However, after this visit, my milk started gradually decreasing and we couldn’t figure out why. We thought maybe it had something to do with pumping were uncertain. Mikayla was leaving feedings not 100% satisfied, the ounces I was pumping were decreasing and I began to get concerned. At her four month check up she had dropped to the 10 percentile in weight. RED FLAG! The doctor wasn’t overly concerned, he recommended a few things and off we were. Oh and he wanted to increase the amount we were feeding her from 4 oz a feeding to 6 or 7. This was not good news for a mom who was barely pumping a total of three ounces per session.
His suggestions included a few things. One – supplement with formula. Nothing against all those mom’s that use formula because it is a great thing, but I had my heart set on exclusively breastfeeding. (I realize that some mom’s just can’t nurse and I totally get that, but this far in we had no troubles so I wanted to press on until I couldn’t do it any longer). To me this would be a last resort. Two – increase my pumping sessions (just what I wanted to hear 😉 ). Three – take some fenugreek tablets a couple of times a day. We opted to begin with the latter option. After a week or two we were not noticing any significant change in my milk production and our freezer supply was getting dimmer and dimmer. Mikayla was eating a significant amount more than I was producing. Next came meltdown number two. I remember sitting on the couch one night trying to nurse Mikayla and there just wasn’t any milk there. I lost it. After all, I am her mom and I should be able to provide for her, but I just couldn’t. Ben got a bottle and while I fed it to her I was crying and contemplating what to do. If you know me at all, you know I have a little stubborn streak in me and once again giving up was not an option.
After another call to our pediatrician, a change in my birth control (turns out my OBGYN put me on the wrong type and this was causing a decrease in my milk production), more frequent pumping sessions, an increase of fenugreek tablets, and the occasional supplemental feeding with formula we were on our way. At Mikayla’s six month check up we were back on the weight check and I was producing just enough milk to feed her daily We are six months in and we are trucking along. I manage to nurse her at every feeding I am with her and pump at least five times a day to produce the milk needed for two bottles a day, but it is worth it in the end. Oh and I have a constant odor of maple syrup that follows me everywhere due to the Fenugreek tablets I am taking! We have overcome a couple of obstacles along the way and I am sure there will be more to come, but we are happily breastfeeding.
With all this being said, all you mom’s out there struggling with breastfeeding: Don’t give up!
