Oh-my-gosh- my SIL is a lactavist!!!!!!!!

[sparklett]

:

(oops- I misspelled Lactivist!)

I am seriously freaking out here.

Okay, so my sister in law is just about as mainstream as it gets. She and I don't see eye-to-eye on ANYTHING. Five years ago when her daughter was born, she didn't breastfeed and I didn't bat an eye since I knew nothing about breastfeeding at the time.

Then I had my DS, and we've been breastfeeding for 15 months. She had a baby 8 weeks ago and was determined to breastfeed. I really thought she'd quit after a few days. I did absolutely everything I could to help... and I mean everything!! It actually brought us alot closer than we've ever been.

And here we are, eight weeks later, and despite having a horrible case of thrush, as well as bad latch, sore nipples, low supply, an unsupportive husband, an unsupportive doctor, and her DS having severe jaundice, SHE IS STILL NURSING!!! I seriously can't believe she stuck it out. And she has been in screaming pain for the past six weeks because of the thrush (long story short- her stupid doctor refused to treat her for thrush, but now she's finally getting help).

She e-mailed me today and said that she really feels like if she can do it, anyone can do it. She said that she wants to write an article about her experiences, and send it out so that others can learn from her experiences and keep going.

So does anyone know how she should go about sharing her experiences? She's about a semester away from getting her RN, so I suggested she go all the way and become an IBCLC, but I think she wants to take some action now. Any ideas?

I'm so happy for her! I love success stories!

[xochimama]

No ideas here on how to proceed, but this is a GREAT story!! Yahoo!!

(ps: my only rec is that she start writing now, while the passion and fire is at its peak-- where/how to share her story will become clear... )

[Smokering]

Even a letter to the editor-type letter in a parenting magazine would be something. Not sure where else she could pitch her article, but I'm so glad she's persevered! Good for her!

[menomena]

Join message boards and post all over.

Start attending LLL mtgs and see if LLL would be a good fit for her - then consider becoming a Leader applicant when her baby is 9m old.

[BeccaSue1029]

That is so wonderful! Woo!

[Angi]

I think it's great that she is sticking this out! Great for her.

Bu this...

Originally Posted by sparklett

her stupid doctor refused to treat her for thrush, but now she's finally getting help

This concerns me. How can her doctor REFUSE to treat her? I would get a new doctor.

[sparklett]

Originally Posted by Angi

I think it's great that she is sticking this out! Great for her.

Bu this...


This concerns me. How can her doctor REFUSE to treat her? I would get a new doctor.

She did get a new doctor, and her LC called the old doctor and chewed him a new one.

Apparently, the LC said A MONTH AGO that she thought my SIL had thrush. So my SIL mentioned it to her OB, who said, "I don't think so", and left it at that. My SIL is a nurse-in-training, and at the time still sort of trusted everything her OB said (even though this is the same guy that gave her the cytotec that caused a complete placental abruption that resulted in an emergency general anesthesia c-section and a NICU stay for her baby!).

Then last weekend, we were sitting together, and she told me that she's in screaming pain that starts in her nipple and travels into her chest cavity, and that they only way she could get through each day was to tell herself that she could quit tomorrow. I didn't know about the previous thrush diagnosis, but told her that something was really wrong, as her son was 7 weeks old and most of the issues should be almost ironed out by now, not getting worse. That night I sent her a ton of info on thrush, and she e-mailed back the next day saying that her DS' mouth was completely covered in white patches and she had every single symptom of thrush! So I bought her ALL of the stuff- grapefruit seed oil, gentian violet, etc., and she went back to her doctor to get on some diflucan.

When she got there, they absolutely refused to look at the bay, and said diflucan isn't approved for nursing moms!!!! Then she left the office and went to urget care, who called the doctor to see what happened. The nurse practitioner said "oh, thats the one who caused a scene in our office just now" (my SIL gave the NP apiece of her mind before she stormed out of the office). So the urgent care staff thought my SIL was a wacko and decided to back up the OB and wouldn't give her meds. So she went home absolutely beside herself in tears and called the LC again, who screamed at the doctor, who then agreed to write the prescription. Once she got the diflucan, she dumped the doctor and went with one that her LC suggested. My SIL is a very strong person, and is rarely driven to tears. I felt so awful for her.

She's going to file some sort of complaint against the doctor, and is even thinking of suing at this point.

So the fact that she made it this far despite ALL of that CR^P is so amazing. I could totally hug her.

[mytwogirls]

Originally Posted by Smokering

Even a letter to the editor-type letter in a parenting magazine would be something. Not sure where else she could pitch her article, but I'm so glad she's persevered! Good for her!

I agree, those mainstream moms need to hear all the success stories about breast feeding they can! It would sure help. Congrats to her by the way.

[Meredith&Alexander]

Oops- wrong thread!

[Khourtniey]

Good luck with her suing lol... I think thats taking it a bit too far. Im glad she dumped that doctor though.

Glad to see that she is BFing and trying to make a difference for others.

[guest^]

ITA she should just get busy(HA! As if she probably has time,huh?) writing her experience,while her passion and anger fuel her determination.

Awhile ago,there was a momma here,who wrote in a column in the family section of the paper. She wrote an awesome story once,that portrayed several mommas who overcame huge obstacles to bf.

Yay! For SIL!!: I ampraying that my own sis who just had a baby on July 24,will continue to bf- Iam shocked that she is still doing it almost two weeks!!