5/27/08

Breast feeding

Do you? Did you? Ever? Please help me out!
I tried so dang hard with lil man & while I did everything in my power
(Remember I was just 2 weeks shy of 19 when he was born)
I was not very successful. It lasted about a week before I was ordered
by his Dr. to start giving a bottle 2-3 times a day because his
weight had dropped almost 2 pounds.
Once he had that 2nd bottle he would never ever touch the breast again.
I tried. Dang it I tried.
I had a really rough time with him. He didn't even eat for the first 36 hours of his lil life.
We had to stay in the hospital an extra day due to that fact.
My nipples were so small & would not stay hard so he
had such a hard time latching on.
My nipple have changed a lot since then & I really think I may be OK
when it comes to this part of feeding Layla.
But the point is, I really really really want to breast feed her.
If you have any pointers, tips or info you are willing to share please pass them along.
Leave me a comment here or feel free to email at:
SpaceCadetStac23@aol.com
Just 8 more days to this sweet baby girl joins our lil family!!!!
I cannot wait to hold her!
To meet her!
To get to know her!
Say a prayer for us!
I love you all!

4 comments:

dont eat the token said...

Best of luck and sweet feelings during her birth!

April said...

I nursed all 3 of mine for at least a little while.

Baby#1 it lasted about 4 weeks. She was such a ravenous eater and I could not keep up with her demand.

Baby#2 it lasted 6 weeks. I quit because she didn't care either way and it was getting too difficult to chase my toddler and nurse the baby.

Baby#3 it lasted 8 weeks. By far my longest. I really wanted it to last longer all 3 times but it just didn't happen. I never produced as much as needed so I started off having to supplement.

Some babies have a harder time latching on. Just keep trying and trying. It can be a really great bonding experience. I loved it. Good luck and you can email me with any questions girl. My email is on my blog at the top now. :)

Anonymous said...

my first one had the hardest time latching on. It was miserable! Not a joy feeling at all! But I was to broke to buy him formula! He was a month and a half early and they say that was a major reason for him not latching on. THe only person to get him on was the lactation specialist! But once he got the hang of it (it took a good 3 months) he didn't stop until he was a little over a year!

Carrie said...

Gosh...you're inching closer and closer to meeting your sweet baby girl! I'm so excited for you! :)

I'm currently nursing Eibhleann, we're six months in and we've done wonderfully. I nursed Keegan for 9mons. when she began to self-wean. I had hoped to go longer with Keegan but I had made the mistake of pumping into a sippy cup and that was it, she was all about that sippy cup! I continued to pump for her until her first birthday, and she went right to whole milk in her sippy. My hope is to nurse longer with Eibhleann, we're definitely aiming for the one year mark, hopefully longer. It's up to her.

My best advice is to just keep at it!! Nurse on demand. You may feel the first few weeks, to first few months that all you do is nurse, nurse, nurse, but keep at it! Supply and demand. Unless the pediatrician expresses concern that baby truly isn't getting enough to eat determined by weight, then do your best to not supplement. I know the first few days are SO tiring, and difficult because you & baby are learning together, and your milk has yet to come in. It's okay to feel frustrated at first, do your best to be patient. Know that you're not alone, and that it DOES get easier. There were nights where I thought I couldn't do it any longer, and despite the tears and frustration, I stuck it out. Now I couldn't imagine making a bottle of formula because it seems like so much effort. LOL
If you find Layla having latch difficulties try using a contact nipple shield, worked great for Eibhleann the first few weeks!! There were a few nights in the first few weeks I don't know what I would have done without one. Medela makes them, you can find them at Target, and Babies R Us.
If you need help, do ask for it. Have a number of a lactation consult on hand, and check out kellymom.com. A lot of great advice. It's brutal at first, painful, frustrating, but it so definitely gets better! HTH! :) You can e-mail me ANY time. XTiGGerRoo@hotmail.com