I am sure all breastfeeding mothers will tell you that it is not a simple endeavor to take up breastfeeding. It takes a lot of blood, sweat and tears — literally.
We have gone through the initial stage where he was weak at latching, so we nursed, supplemented (with breast milk after the initial days) and pumped to boost supply. That went on for at least a month. He had jaundice and lost about 10% of body weight, so the pediatrician strongly advice us to supplement with formula (**cringe**). We did use some formula at the beginning because my milk has not come in. I saw a lactation consultant as soon as I can to figure out what I can do to avoid needing formula in the long run, and the nurse-bottle-pump was the plan of attack. She told me to let baby D nurse each side for only 15 minutes so that he is not burning excessive calories trying to get milk. She also warned me not to wait too long after the baby nurses to pump, so that I can continue the stimulation to signal my body to make more milk. I was glad to have someone else there to feed the bottle while I head over to my pumping station. This went on for about a month.
We have gone through the distractable stage where he would just pop on and off for a few minutes and want to do something else. The solution I have gathered online is to nurse in a dark, quiet room. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. It all depends on baby D’s mood. People have suggested a nursing necklace, but I do not want to spend extra money on something that most likely would not work. I have asked my lactation consultant over and over again about these short nursing sessions and whether or not he is getting enough, but she kept saying to just nurse in a quiet place. Plus, he gets more efficient as he got older, so it does not take him long to nurse now. We are still going through this phase actually. He is highly curious of his surroundings.
We are going through some sort of teething stage, where he will bite down on me at the end of a nursing session. I have tried pulling his head in so he needs to take a break to breath. Only works some of the time. No teeth has cut through yet, but that does not mean it doesn’t hurt when he bites.
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7 months in and I am still working out different uncertainties. The bad thing about being the “adult” is that I think too much about it. Every little thing makes me question, even if I keep reading that, as long as he is gaining weight fine and thriving, he is probably feeding well.
I have been thinking about slowly weaning him, but I do not think I am ready. The closeness to baby D cannot be replicated and I am not emotionally ready to give that up.
{Final thought}
I know my experience so far is NOTHING compared to some other moms. So, I have great respect for the nursing mother. (I do get very envious of those who has it easy.)
Share with me: how is/was your breastfeeding journey?
