Wednesday, March 12, 2008

(Breast)feeding Carnival


I missed the boat on this (it was technically yesterday), but the lactivist in me can't resist.

Visit SarcasticMom to read her story and lots of others if you're interested.

I was bent on having a natural delivery. But at 38 weeks 2 days I agreed (wholeheartedly!) that is was time to induce. I'll skip the labor story and just say that I did NOT get my natural childbirth despite the best efforts of EVERYONE involved. I felt cheated. And I was in worse physical and emotional condition than I had ever been.

Deuce was born a beautiful 9 lbs 6.75 oz and hungry. He gulped so hard that he made this little honk through his nose - Deuce the Goose. My milk came in right away and life was wonderful.

Until about day 2 when jaundice set in and Deuce became lethargic. DeuceFamily wanted (needed!) to be sent home, so his pediatrician agreed that so long as his bilirubin level stayed low enough we were just to pump him full of fluids and keep bringing him for tests, but we could go home. To help him get healthy faster, we agreed to feed him bottles of breastmilk because he would drink more from the bottle than he would from me. Deuce quickly developed what is mislabeled nipple confusion. It's better described as a nipple preference - and he prefered the bottle over me. I pumped and bawled while DeuceDad bottle fed him because I could hear the goose honk even from upstairs, and I could hear my dream of motherhood dying.

It was 4 more days of trying and sobbing (more from me than Deuce) before DeuceDad gently insisted I either call the lactation consultant or quit pumping. My choice. So I admitted I needed help. Only someone who's been there understands the feeling of needing someone to teach you something you feel should come naturally to you. The feeling of failing as a mother.

And only someone who's been there understands how WONDERFUL an LC can be. This woman came to our home, was respectful, understanding, gentle but confident... and got Deuce latched on and fed and both of us happy and comfortable within 90 minutes. Amazing.

When I returned to work Deuce accepted the bottle of breastmilk, and when I stopped pumping at work eventually began taking formula from the bottle as well. We still nurse in the evenings and in the morning, and although there are times that nursing is a pain (bottom teeth anyone?), it's been a joy for us.

So there's my breastfeeding story.

2 comments:

Marketing Mama said...

Thanks for sharing your story! I'm so happy to hear the LC was able to get you both back on track. Yay! Those little teeth can really hurt, can't they. :)

Rebecca (Ramblings by Reba) said...

Yay for you!