Workshop #2 - Baby’s Early Years; Breastfeeding

[Jacque Savageau]

Workshop #2 - Baby’s Early Years; Breastfeeding

Welcome to our second Natural Family Living discussion; Baby’s Early Years; Breastfeeding. This discussion will key in on Part 2 – Baby’s Early Years; Breastfeeding from Peggy O’Mara’s (http://www.mothering.com/sections/about_us/about_us.html#staff) book Natural Family Living (http://www.mothering.com/shop/index.php?target=products&product_id=29778).

Some of the topics we'll discuss are;


Advantages to Breastfeeding
The Politics of Breastfeeding
Getting Started
Nursing on Cue Versus Scheduled Feedings
Worries About Milk Supply
Overcoming Difficulties
Drugs and Breastfeeding
The Breastfeeding Father
Sex and Breastfeeding (keeping it family friendly of course :wink)
Social Support for Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding in Public
Breastfeeding at Work
Special Circumstances
The Advantages of Extended Nursing
Fears About Long-Term Nursing
Tandem Nursing
Child-led Weaning


We would like to invite everyone to join us no matter where you are in your thinking or feelings. These discussions are meant to be nonjudgmental so please keep in mind when reading members' responses that this is a true discussion based on Natural Family Living and not a place to debate or criticize. Feel free to tell your story; what did you do to prepare for breastfeeding? Do you feel you have/did have a good support network? What have you learned (or what would you like to learn)?

We’re excited to offer these workshop and hope it will give our members a glimpse into the grassroots of Mothering magazine and Natural Family Living.

This workshop will be facilitated by our moderators race_kelly (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/member.php?u=26013), shayinme (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/member.php?u=22806) and courtenay_e (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/member.php?u=39601). They are here to guide the discussion and keep it on topic. They will occasionally post references or ask questions to keep the conversation flowing. Please feel free to contact them at any time with questions, suggestions or concerns. Please keep in mind our workshop guidelines (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=874173) and current user agreement (http://www.mothering.com/mdc/mdc_useragreement.html) at all times.

We are compiling a Natural Family Living Resources Sticky (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showthread.php?t=876855) which we will update with each workshop. Please feel free to refer to it for more information. For articles and information on our current workshop, please see the Baby’s Early Years; Breastfeeding (http://www.mothering.com/discussions/showpost.php?p=10934981&postcount=4) page.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

:w
One of the things I miss the most about having older kids now is breastfeeding. I certainly wasn't always easy though, especially in the begining!

I was very lucky though. I had lots of support in the form of my mother. She's an IBCLC. It never really occured to me not to nurse. It also never occurred to me the amount of time it would take to get a good nursing relationship going. Collin spent his first 11 hours in the special care nursery, so I missed that first window. But we picked it up somewhat before we left the hospital, and then my mom visited the night that we came home. She was wonderful and supportive and made me feel much more confident. Unfortunately at that point, I was already very sore and had to work through that. Collin also lost more than he was suppposed to, but luckily, I had a very supportive doctor at the time too who sent us home with a scale and the instructions to make sure he nursed "at least" every two hours. Lansinoh saved my life and my nipples!

That was enough. My milk increased and Collin and I got the hang of it. Collin was one of those babes who liked to hang out at the breat all day long. He co-slept and we got so that we were very in tune, me waking a scant few seconds before him and he would latch on laying down without even fully waking up and we'd gently drift off again.

I nursed Collin until I was pregnant 2 months pregnant with Jack. Collin was 17 months old. Jack and I got off to a more difficult start in some ways. He had shoulder distocia and spent his first few days in the special care nursery, but again, I had the lactation consultant with me and one of the neonatologist on my side. We were able to get through it without having to supplement. I was very very very lucky to get the support I had. I know that often in those situations, you don't. Once Jack got home, he was a business nurser. He nursed 15 mntues on each side and was done, thank you very much! I still laugh at that fact that I wasn't sure exactly what to do with a baby that didn't want to be held all the time or nurse all the time. He actually liked to be put down. Dh and I were always amazed by that. We just thought that all babies liked to nursed all the time. Jack nursed unti lhe was 2 and I was pregnant with Thomas.

Now's a great time to mention my biggest support in the whole process. My dh! He came from a family where out of 21 grandchildren, only my three were breatfed, but he knew the importance of it (thanks in part to my mom) and to the fact that we are both in the wildlife field and it just seemed to make sense that that was the way things worked. We were mammals, after all! :lol He brought me water, did all the burping, diaper changes, took Collin out in the car for a ride when I needed a few peacful moments to shower. He stood between me and my in-laws and all their lack of support. For a man who came from an extremely mainstream family, he took to things amazingly well.

Thomas was a little from column A a little from column B! He'd hang out at the breast for awhile, but he also liked to be involved in whatever was going on around him. But he was my first baby that got to stay with me from the moment he was born. It was wonderful! Nursing him was a breeze. He just seemed to know exactly what to do and how to do it. Maybe it was me, maybe it was the fact that he got to nurse so soon after being born. I don't know. But I will always remember the look of absolute heavenly joy in his eyes as my milk came in and he started gulping it down. I can still hear those little gulps in my head when I think about it, and it makes me smile. He nursed until he was 3.5. Okay, yes, I just got teary eyed. snff.

In general, breastfeeding was a wonderful experience for me. Of course you have to take into account I haven't breastfed in a year, and I haven't breastfed at night for about 2.5 years. I'm sure I've blocked some of the more tiring parts of it (the sore nipples, the mastitis, the leaking when out!).:lol

[jaxinsmom]

wow, all three of those sound like great experiences and really teach us how individual all children are!
When I was pregnant with ds I knew I would breastfeed. Like you, I didn't think of other way to feed this baby, just assumed breastfeeding would work and all would be good :)
My ds was born with the help of the Kawartha Midwives in a hospital in Cobourg, ON. It was a difficult labour, although I didn't realize that until after -- being my first I just assumed it was supposed to hurt the ENTIRE time (he was posterior and came out with his fist held firmly to his face...worst pain of my life!).
But, within 45 minutes one of the midwives latched him on to my right breast and I wept. My dh was worried and asked if it was OK, and did it hurt?
I just looked at him and said,
Throughout my life my breasts have served a number of purposes...to fill out a shirt, look good in a bikini etc... but until this moment they have never served the right purpose. This just feels right.

It was wonderful! As I say to ppl, ds has been hungry since conception :lol
He could stay on the boob for hours if I let him!

I only nursed him for 6 months. Truthfully, the reason was that I wanted my life back. I was 30 when I had him and missed being around friends and having time to myself. I figured that weening him and letting dh watch him overnight was the solution. To a certain extent it was. I went for weekend camping trips with friends that summer while ds and dh bonded -- but I did miss it.

Enter dd. She's now three months old and a totally different nurser than ds! When she was born she cried for the first three days, I can only assume because my colustrom wasn't enough for her. She would frantically latch on and suck away to no avail...She lost close to a pound, and I felt totally inadequate. By day four when my milk came in, she relaxed and was a totally content baby!

Unlike ds, she'll nurse for 10 mins and pop off, smile at me have a good burp and she's happy!
I nurse her when ever she seems to want to, and I've decided to bf for at least the first year. I realize that it's such a special time, and that it will go by quickly; and even if I do stop -- I still have no life! :love just kidding!

Oh, as a quick aside -- when ds was born I just assumed we would circ him as dh is circ'd. Then, our mw gave us some info about circumcision, and the thing that stuck with me was that "studies have shown that babies that are circ'd have a difficult time looking at their mothers when they bf". I started crying when I read that and told dh that even if it wasn't true I didn't want to chance it; I loved bfing so much and that beautifully intense gaze that babies have when you look into their eyes as their nursing.
Now that I have researched it, I realize that there are MANY more reasons no to circ, but that was the catalyst.

[goodearthmama]

My ds is 10 months old. We've yet to have major issues with breastfeeding. He was born at home and immediately place on my chest. His intense little personality gave us a fight getting him to latch at first, but my mws helped us through it. After that, I don't think he's left my breast for very long. ;)

I have to say that my dh is an amazing source of support. The first few months, he literally did everything! He cooked, cleaned, changed dipeys, and all while going back to school fulltime and working nights. He's come to my defense with naysayers and he's praised my bfing to his friends. He's a lactivist in his own right. The support from one's partner is key to nourishing a wonderful breastfeeding experience.

I love the bond that breastfeeding has facilitated between my son and I. We are very connected with one another.

And yes, there are tough times. He's always nursed everal times during the night, but we cosleep so that makes it so much easier. And then, there are tougher times, like this week as he is cutting his eye teeth and biting. But we truck on through it!

I love knowing that I am giving my baby such goodness! We will do clw and as much as he loves his milkies we may be here until he moves out! J/K, but ykwim!

[Kraysmommy]

My DS is 16 months and I am so proud of our nursing relationship. it was and still is a struggle. I had a bad c-section and way too many drugs so needless to say we didn't get off to a great start. When we finally got to try I was adamant about no supplementaion. After everything else that had gone wrong I was NOT about to let anymore interference get in the way.

We were lucky to find low cost BFing support groups which sustained me through the first three months. DS was colicky and just wanted to suck. But I had so much milk, he kept getting milk when all he wanted was sucking. I also had a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance so i had to pump off the beginning of my milk or DS would have never gotten to the hindmilk! BWing and a paci helped us through the beginning. Co-sleeping was great too, though now he sleeps better in his crib and I really do miss our nighttime cuddles. But he was never a good sleeper by any stretch of the means, and still is not. He will almost never settle down to sleep with us, he seems to need his space, (though i can occasionally nap with him when DH is at work if I get him into a solid sleep before I unlatch him) but even in his crib he wakes a lot and I go in and nurse which is draining on me. I have started sending my DH in 1 out of 3 times to just rub his back. This has been working. At some point I would like to nightwean to help with my TTC, but DS doesn't seem to be ready and I won't push him. I had always hoped to tandem nurse, but first I have to conceive, and it seems my body is just not ready though my heart and mind are.

As far support with BFing, I agree it is so important. My DH is supportive, thank God. I won't say he totally 'gets' it, but he knows it is important to me and he is 100% supportive of my motherly instincts. My parents don't really get it, and that is hard for me to take. My Dad all but tells me it is gross that I still nurse. My Mom tries to get it, but I think it makes her feel guilty about not nursing her own kids, so she struggles to think it might be a 'better' parenting choice. Thankfully, I have found message boards and some local Moms that share my views. This is where I turn when I feel misunderstood by my family. But I'm sticking to my guns on this, and I know in my heart this is the right decision for my family! BFing in public I'm okay with, sadly, it's BFing in front of my family that is difficult b/c their approval means a lot to me... :(

I really enjoyed reading your stories ladies, and can't wait to read more! :thumb

[Nillarilla]

DS is 2yrs old now. We did not have the greatest start. I had a traumatic C-section and ds spent his first 2 days in the special care unit. Thankfully dh and I had talked about it and he knew no bottles. Ds had a low blood sugar so they gavage fed him (through a tube in his nose). He had 3 supplements of formula which were too much so he was used to that at first and very frustrated and angry our first few nursing sessions when he didn't get much of anything out. As soon as he was released I convinced my midwife to discharge us. He still would not nurse and I got a friend who was my nurse that day to bring me a syringe and a tube to attach and I pumped like my life depended on it. I got him to eat that way on the boob. We went home after that feeding and then we just kept trying and we did the syringe trick one more time.
My milk came in like a flood. I was so engorged and I got mastitis twice. Worst experience of my life. My midwife visited me every day sometimes twice. We rented an electric pump and after every feed I emptied the boob he fed on. He was a one sider his whole nursing career. We got through that first week although I'm not sure we would have without my midwife. I am a nurse and I know the benefits of breastfeeding but I never really knew just how hard it could be. We even had nipple confusion to boot although changing the paci fixed that. Ds would nurse every 2 hrs and then every hour in the evenings.
We breastfed until 17 months when he self weaned himself. The last nursing he dropped was the morning one. I went back to work fulltime when he was 6 months and worked 12 hour shifts and a combination of days and nights. I sent pumped milk with him to daycare and we bought a bottle that looked like a boob for the night for dh to use to feed him.
Our nursing relationship was tumultuous much of the time. I would never have survived without my dh's loving support. He never gave up. His mother had 4 children and breastfed them all for at least a year. She was also a great support to me.
Now I know I can do it. I believe we had an extremely difficult start and hopefully the next will be easier. I still miss it and you know what my boobs still leak!

[triscuitsmom]

I always knew I would breastfeed. It is the norm in my family, which I am so grateful for. I also was blessed to have been nursed to 18 months. When I was almost nine my youngest sister was born, and my stepmother breastfed her until she self weaned at 2.5. What a gift she gave my sister, but without knowing it she also gave a gift to my children. When I got pregnant I not only knew I'd breastfeed, but also that I would go at least until two years old, that was my minimum.

Before I had my son I thought nursing until 2 was normal, nursing to 3 was ok, I would if my child wanted to, but nursing to 4??? That I couldn't even fathom. Then I found MDC :lol Being here, being with like minded Mamas... it's opened a whole new world in my parenting, and one of the things that has changed is my perception of "extended" breastfeeding (which I now realize and embrace as "normal" breastfeeding). I am now comfortable nursing until whatever age my child/ren are when they are ready to stop.

When my son was born it was a highly intervention filled hospital birth :( Much different from the gentle homebirth I had wanted but been bullied out of. He latched like a pro from the start though despite all of that, and we went home a happy nursing couple less than 24 hours after his birth (much to the upset of the staff at the hospital!).

Then the pain started. They had given me antibiotics during my labour without informing me and I had thrush :( I was in brutal pain every time he even came close to my nipple. He was full term and healthy and growing fast. He wanted to eat frequently and vigorously. All good things except when you feel like there is glass in your nipple. :angry I pumped, I cup/spoon fed him, and I nursed when I could.

Thank goodness for midwives. And Dr. Jack Newman. They got me a script for his APNO. That started me on the course back to healing. I was taking probiotics like mad, keeping hydrated to help with pumping supply, and APNO on my nipples to heal them. Finally it worked, and I got him back to the breast full time.

Ever since then we have been good to go. There have been some challenges along the way, but nothing medical related. He'll be two in August and still nurses many times a day. I wouldn't trade this relationship for anything :love

[LeighB]

Dd is almost five months and we've had a great breastfeeding relationship so far. I had a hospital birth, but luckily they were very pro breastfeeding. She started nursing within a half hour of being born.
Before I had her, I don't think I ever saw a bfing woman. I knew I was going to breastfeed, but only because it was free. Then I started reading and gave birth. Now, I can't imagine it any other way. I also thought "Ok, I'll try until 6 months...then stop." But now I'm not letting her stop before 2 without a fight!
I've had wonderful support from Dh. He is all about what's best for her and does whatever I need to make that happen.
I love the bond I have with her and how nursing truly makes her happy.

[Arwyn]

Oh yay! Breastfeeding is one of my favorite Natural Family Living topics. When things go well, it's the perfect combination of good for baby, good for mother, and good for the planet! What better to feed our babies with than perfect containers that can be reused endlessly without needing extra washing? ;) (Ok, about half my diaper laundry in the first few months was from catching my overflow, but that barely counts. :lol)

Naked Baby is 14 months old, and we've had a practically perfect nursing relationship from the beginning, which I credit to luck, MDC, my partner, my midwife, and my mother.

Luck because I know even when we do everything "right", some rare times things still don't work out as planned, but they did for us.

MDC because I learned so much here, most especially the wide variation of "normal", and how to prevent or treat all the common complications of establishing breastfeeding: a gentle birth, constant contact and skin-to-skin time, lots of probiotics prenatally, and eventually block feeding to help with my plentiful supply and fast milk ejection reflex.

My partner, well, I can't sing his praises enough. He gets it, and he did everything right, from learning all about breastfeeding before the birth to offering all kinds of practical and emotional support throughout, and never, ever wavered in his commitment to us and to breastfeeding. I even wrote and drew a series of comics before getting pregnant, about Nursing Mother, Supportive Partner, and Amazing Babe (super heroes all, of course), about the things a supportive partner can and should do for a nursing mother, and he did them all and more after Naked Baby was born, as a matter of course, without thinking he was doing anything special. And I suppose he wasn't: his help was as miraculous and as mundane as nursing itself is.

My midwife because she exuded confidence in me and my baby and our bodies' abilities. Naked Baby was slow to start eating, and didn't really nurse for the first 24 hours. He was never out of my arms, though, and got lots of time at the breast, just smelling and nuzzling me, and sleeping of course. Rather than try to force him to latch on before he was ready, she just stayed in the background and held the space for us, creating, through her expectation that all would go well, the environment in which it could. It wasn't so much what she did as what she didn't do that was so helpful: she never suggested with her words or actions that that start was anything but normal for us, and thus I never worried about it, and indeed it was just fine, and after the first day, Naked Baby took to nursing like, well, a mammal to the breast!

My mother, of course, for nursing me for two years, for talking about breastfeeding as normal, and for raising me on the stories of how simple and wonderful nursing was for her. I firmly believe that breastfeeding is 90% a mindgame, and that one's conscious and unconscious beliefs about it are often the main determinant whether breastfeeding is ultimately successful, which is why breastfeeding awareness and education are so important, and why I believe nursing in public is a public service! I am endlessly grateful to my mother for setting me up for success through her stories and attitude.

[jaxinsmom]

I firmly believe that breastfeeding is 90% a mindgame, and that one's conscious and unconscious beliefs about it are often the main determinant whether breastfeeding is ultimately successful, which is why breastfeeding awareness and education are so important, and why I believe nursing in public is a public service! I am endlessly grateful to my mother for setting me up for success through her stories and attitude.

:clap

I absolutely agree with ALL of this (except the mother bit, unfortunately my mom didn't have the support, or desire to bf me :( but is very supportive of my bfing relationship with my dc).

Well said.

[courtenay_e]

Hello!

Well...my support came in so many forms. My grandmother had 13 children and nursed them all until they weaned. My mother was one of seven sisters, and they all nursed their children. I grew up within a five mile radius of most of my 40 cousins, and saw each of my younger cousins at their mothers' breasts.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I think that I may have been accosted by my mother and aunts had I chosen NOT to breastfeed. But that thought never EVER crossed my mind. I would be a breastfeeding mother.

I read. I read every book published about breastfeeding. When I met my husband, right around the time we got engaged, I came across a family owned book store that was going out of business. They had a BUNCH of wonderful natural family living books for sale. One of them was The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding. I would never actually recommend it to a new mother because it is just so fulllll of information...if you're looking at it at two in the morning trying to figure out why you have bloody nipples you might just give up. BUT it was just so FULL of wonderful information that I could soak up like a sponge when I had all that extra time (read: before I had kids! ;) ). I learned that, had I NOT been considering a natural birth beforehand, I wouldn't do it any other way, because doing so made it easier to establish a strong breastfeeding relationship.

Then I found all the rest of the great books out there, the ones I WOULD seek out at 2am with issues and a screaming baby if I had to: The Nursing Mother's Companion and The Ultimate Breastfeeding Book of Answers were at the top of my list of favorites.

I sought out a midwife. My husband was from a medical family, so with my first I KNEW that it would be easier all around if we birthed in the hospital. The midwife I found I loved. We had a pretty darned good pregnancy. To make sure that I got that birth that I wanted, I read all I could, I took a hypnobirthing class, and I planned and practiced for a relaxed birth in active poses. I planned to have my mother and sister present along with my husband for support. It all went as planned. She was born to my chest, latched on, and nursed like a champ. She stayed there for two hours, until she latched herself off. :) Even when my milk came in and my DD pregnancy sized breasts turned into GGG post partum breasts, and I had an oversupply and overactive letdown...she nursed like a champ. Nary a blister, bruise, or crack in site. She LOVED to nurse and nursed constantly. She loved to be held, hated to be put down, and only slept if she was in contact with me. I was home, so I happily obliged. She nursed like a little vaccuum cleaner. Every twenty minutes for ten minutes at the most. Efficient, happy, content...as long as her needs were met.

Three weeks in, she started projectile vomiting when she nursed. She wanted to nurse constantly, but cried constantly, too. Her poor skin broke out in a horrible red crusty rash. I called the pediatrician at just after dinner time when she threw up worse than she had up to that point...it seemed like MORE than she had eaten! The doctor wasn't as concerned as I was and said it sounded like protein allergies to food that was passing through my milk. She asked me what I had had for dinner. I had had lasagna. She laughed and said that that was the top five allergens easily, all in one meal! She had breastfed her kids, too, and rather than suggesting that I quit breastfeeding (good for her! I would have left the practice that minute if she had!), she suggested that I go on a total elimination diet for a minimum of two weeks and then reintroduce the most likely to offend foods to see what it was she was reacting to. It worked like a charm. Within a handful of days of reintroducing foods, I figured out that she is allergic to milk, eggs, soy, peanuts, tree nuts, cherries, and chocolate.

When she was nine months old, I got pregnant with my son. I had had one cycle. We nursed through most of the pregnancy, but she weaned (I now think it was probably a nursing strike, but didn't think about it when it happened) when she was almost 15 mos old. I had hit my third trimester, my mom taught her how to drink her rice milk out of her cereal bowl (the girl whou would NEVER take a bottle started drinking out of a CUP!), and we moved to a new house. I think there was just too much change.

My son...we planned a homebirth. The midwife didn't believe I was in active labor. Because I was a hypnobirther, I was being very calm during and between contractions. She my home, we left for the hospital, and my son was born an hour and a half after she left my house because I "wasn't in labor." Unfortunately, my son was born to my chest but not left there. 45 mintues later I had to remove the nurse-midwife's hands from the needle (I had torn, he was born very quickly without pushing), and threaten to get up from the bed and get him myself before they brought him to me.

He nursed for a good while, too, but I think that the damage was done. He had a poor latch for the next six weeks and gave me a blister within the first 24 hours. He was very different from his sister, too. He, too was MORE than content to be away from me. He was a slow-poke when it came to nursing. It would often take him more than an hour to finish up. Whereas I had been able to sit down for a quickie with his sister before we left for church so she'd be okay for the ride over, if we sat down before we left the house with HIM, we'd miss church by the time he was done!

When he was three days old, we were readmitted to the hospital because he had jaundice, his numbers were higher than the docs were comfortable with, and still climbing. When we got to the unit his bili levels were 23. We sat and nursed, and then he got down under the lights for three hours. THen he started his nightly blockfeed. I had to literally call the doc in at 2 in the morning to fight off the nurses and tell them that his numbers were falling (now 17!) and that he NEEDED to breastfeed to get the bilirubin to go down faster. *sigh*

When he was ten days old I hemorraged. I was rushed to the hospital, given an emergency D&C, and nursed him pre and post op (the doc was wonderful and made sure that the baby was brought to me as SOON as I was wheeled into recovery). I chose not to stay for a transfusion, because they told me he wouldn't be allowed to stay the night with me to nurse. I went home and went to bed...and stayed there for several weeks.

When my son was six months old, his father was found to have a tumor in his abdomen. The docs thought they were opening him up just to tell me how much time I had with him. In the end, they removed a 12 pound tumor. My husband was in the hospital for four weeks. During half of that time, the baby was allowed in the room with us, but the second half, when my husband was on a post op unit, the baby was not allowed with us. Luckily we had a HUGE support system, many of whom were happy to sit with the baby in the waiting room (and luckily, he was VERY different than his sister was as an infant and would LET me leave him with friends for an hour at a time) for an hour, and then I would come out and offer to nurse, and play with him for forty minutes or so, and then go back in. He would also take a bottle, which helped, as at bed time I would nurse him, and then my mom would take him home and put him to bed...when he woke up she would give him a bottle, and give me a few more hours with my husband before I had to go home.

He also showed allergies to proteins in my milk and I payed very close attention to my diet to figure otu what they were. Milk, eggs, soy, wheat, pea and tree nuts, berries...and the list goes on.

My son, who LOVED to nurse, who has always been a very happy, content child, who took his own sweet time to nurse...but who didn't really care if I held him or not in between...who was happy to look around and be involved in whatever was going on...nursed until he was 4.5. His sweet, sweaty hands and his big HUGE blue eyes looking up at me will stay in my memory forever.

My husband did everything in his power to make absolutely sure that whatever I needed and whenever I needed it, I got it (without asking he would get me water, make me dinner, bring me snacks, do laundry, whatever I needed)...because I was doing what he couldn't...I was nourishing his children with the most perfect food they could possibly get. He defended me against his family when they gave us a hard time about the length of time we nursed, the frequency of nursing...

We had a wonderful support system, and were very blessed to have the nursing stories that we had.:love

[ellemnop]

Unlike the people that have posted previously, I never intended to breastfeed. I had not really been exposed to breastfeeding until my best friend had her son and nursed him. I really had no problems with breastmilk, but the concept of breasts being non-sexual and feeding my child was something I could not quite wrap my head around.

At my first midwives appointment I told my midwife that I was interested in exclusively pumping. Her response was "Why would you do that? I'm writing down breastfeeding". I told her that it was just my preference and she kept telling me that my breasts were mine, not my husbands. In the time since then I've done some mental "work" and have realized that I have reasons for that discomfort. Anyway, I felt kind of bullied and decided that I would breastfeed my baby (since it didn't sound like I had any other option) - the thought actually crossed my mind as she was telling me that I couldn't pump that I would change my mind completely and formula feed, though.

My baby was brought into the world with a beautiful homebirth. She was not put to the breast for quite some time though, as my midwife (who I DO love, but was not perfect) was concerned about giving me a shot of pitocin to aid the placenta delivery and giving me stitches than me nursing. That being said, I never asked to nurse, and when they handed the baby to me, I just wanted to stare at her... I could have used a gentle push when I first had her to nurse for the first time, though.

The first time my baby girl nursed was beautiful. She was a strong, alert girl, and looked so precious at the breast. However, I could have used a bit more guidance. When she stopped sucking, I assumed that she was done and I just pulled her off. I did this for at least 24 hours before my best friend (who came to help following the birth) explained that she would just stop on her own or it was necessary to break the latch. Damage had already been done to my nipples at that point. Lemmie was the type of nurser who would take a few swallows and then just sit there latched for what seemed like forever - especially when the pain was bad.

I didn't want to nurse my baby... I dreaded her waking up because she would want to eat again and it would be painful and she would just sit there latched without actually eating. I felt like the worst mother in the world.

I decided after 4 days that I needed to pump in order to allow my nipples to heal, and cup feeding was so frustrating for me... it seemed messy and unproductive. I pumped so efficiently that I made a quick decision that I would continue pumping for Lemmie and filled up that first bottle with breastmilk... she drank it... it was painless... it was beautiful.

My supply as an EPer was huge in the beginning.. actually it was huge until 3 months. I was pumping double what she was drinking in a day. Unfortunately, right at the 3 month mark I became sick with strep throat at the same time as getting my period back... I now am lucky to pump 10 oz a day. Thankfully, I have a freezer full of EBM.

I'm still pumping (and washing bottles, and sterilizing bottles, and washing pump parts, and sterilizing pump parts, and replacing pump parts, and packing bottles, and packing pump parts), and trying to get every last drop of breastmilk for babe that I can.

Interestingly enough, my mother told me after I stopped breastfeeding that she had tried to breastfeed me, but she was a young mother and I was a month early and in the hospital. Though she tried to show up for my feedings the nurses would tell her that they had already fed me from the bottle and I assume that I had nipple confusion. She hadn't wanted to tell me because she didn't want to tell me a negative breastfeeding story.

If I have another child there are a few things that I will change. I will invest in proper support for the baby (a boppy pillow or something of that nature) and I will read a bit more. I also will NOT take baby from the breast just by pulling them off. I do want that breastfeeding relationship if I have another child.

Also interestingly enough, although I don't nurse, I have nursed a friend's 15 month old while watching her. So although my baby is 4.5 months old and exclusively pumped for, I have some experience breastfeeding a child who is over a year old.

So there's where I am on breastfeeding/exclusively pumping. I'm looking forward to reading more responses and possibly chiming in again.

[shayinme]

Hello all! :)

I have 2 kids, my ds who is 16 and my dd who is 2.5. I did not breastfeed my son, he was born in 92 before the internet took off and at that time I had no one ever mention breastfeeding to me. Though looking back now, I do recall being in the hospital a day after he was born and putting him to my breast thinking don't babies have breastmilk? Of course with no help, it didn't happen, he didn't latch on and that was my first and last attempt at nursing him.

Fast forward to 2004, when I got pregnant with dd, I knew I was going to birth at the freestanding birth center, honestly not because I was a birth junkie but because I was a cheapskate :wink. Well at my first meeting with the midwives in Dec 04, I was given a complimentary copy of Mothering, it had a cover of a Black mama nursing her baby, as a Black woman, that picture touched a spot in me, it was incredible. That said, at that stage in my pregnancy I figured maybe I would try breastfeeding but surely I would use formula, after all how could I produce enough milk to feed my baby? :wink Silly questions but looking back I see how easy it was to have those questions.

As my pregnancy progressed, my MW's (one whom had recently had a baby) kept asking me was I going to BF? My goodness, she was pesky but I am so grateful she did pester me. I joined this board, started reading everything I could about breastfeeding, met some local Mamas one who at the time was nursing an almost 3 yo.. at that time I was stunned, I thought surely that Mama had issues, how could she be doing that? LOL (little did I know one day I would be her). I also got a copy of the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding and a few other books to read while pregnant. I devoured them along with just studying the boards here at MDC.

A few weeks before my dd was born, my MW had me talk to the center's LC who addressed some of my fears, by the time dd was born, while I did have a stash of formula, just in case, I made the committment to BF for at least 6 weeks.. mind you as a Black woman who had no relatives who had BF, this seemed huge to me.

Well I went into labor and due to unexpected circumstances ended up transferring to the hospital, I'll spare the details but as soon as dd was born, my MW put her on my chest and said get her on the breast. She latched on, so I thought all was good.

The first week at home was painful, her latch was not right but thankfully both my MW and the LC made a housecall and showed me how to latch her and well she has been nursing now almost 3 years.

I remember when I exceeded the 6 week limit, I said I will stop at 3 mos,then 6 mos then a year.. don't ask why, guess it was the fears in my head. Now while I am not 100% CL, to a large degree I am following her lead.

It helped me to have access to local support such as LLL, and the local birth community, plus a dh who early on brought the snacks and drinks when I was on the couch during the early growth spurts with dd latched on for hours. He also became the diaper master so I was not overwhelmed.

These days I tell all pregnant women who are planning on breastfeeding that they need to get information, connect with LLL and understand its a process and it may take a few weeks for it to feel natural (goodness the early days were anything but natural feeling).

[Red Pajama]

Hello,
I'll tell my story.
I knew I wanted to breastfeed even before I got pregnant. Incidently, I also assumed I'd cloth diaper--it worked for my mom, after all. Very quickly, we learned we were having twins. I was still determined, and my husband was willing to let be determined with out telling me I was crazy.

The boys were born at 38 weeks by c-section because one was breech. There's a whole different story and life lessons there, but I'll leave it.
The hospital honored my request for exclusive breastfeeding, and the boys nursed within an hour of my surgery. One nursed well from the start, baby "B" had a bad latch and behaved much like a... dinosaur. It hurt to nurse him. The lactation consultant in the hospital suggested a breast shield, which helped a bit. By day three, my nips were hurting terribly, but I was still nursing. Probably not frequently enough, in hindsight. Baby "b" was fussing lots, the dissatisfied baby fuss, and his latch was still poor, and it hurt to nurse him. He began supplementation on about day 5 post partum. He would get an ounce or so after my attempts to nurse him. I started to pump, too, in efforts to build up a supply and maybe even build a freezer stash.

After a day or so home, the lansinoh was working, and I was sick of the breast shield. "B" was getting pumped milk in a haberman feeder after nusring sessions. While he nursed, I pumped. It was exhausting. We sooned weaned him off the bottle, but I still pumped after most nursing sessions. We used pumped milk for one baby when we were out in public, as I couldn't figgure out how to nurse two in public, and there was no such thing as waiting with two hungry babies. Later, we started bring the tandem nursing pillow, and I"d retreat to the car to nurse them.

I went back to work 6 months post partum, as a teacher. I pumped twice while at work every day. I only worked that one year, and my husband stayed home with them. Except for the first two or three days, they had no formula. They nursed until 26 months, when they weaned due to my pregnancy.

My current nursling is 6 months old. She was born after 36 hours of labor that ended in a C-section. She nursed about an hour after my surgery. They were just "showing her to me" as I was wheeled down to my room, but I asked for her, and they gave her to me. She latched on instantly, and they were not going to take her from me. So she rode along, and I avoided the mandatory "get settled in your room first" BS.

She has done well, except for a period in her 4th month. For some reason, at that time she became very particluar about when and where she would nurse. Only side-lying, in bed. She'd take a pacifier anywhere, even if hungry. I ended up doint the bait and switch on her lots-- once she was asleep with the paci, I'd switch to the breast. THis lasted about a week, and it was a very hard week. I felt minimized by the preference to the paci, and exhausted from trying to comfort a hungry baby who wouldn't nurse. In those moments, I could see why someone might turn to a bottle.

This time around, I'm also pumping, but for my sister. She's got a baby 4 months younger than mine, but is unable to produce milk due to a reduction. I am able to pump about a third of his daily needs. Of her three children, this is the first to have milk. And I'm so happy to be able to help.

[savvybabygrace]

I've loved reading all of your stories and experiences! Here is mine:

I always knew I wanted to breastfeed my babes. When I was pregnant with dd#1 (Emma) I would daydream all day long about holding my newborn and nursing for hours. :) I never thought we'd have problems bf, but unfortunately we did!
Emma was born via c-section due to induction (I just didn't know to question coming in to the hospital immediately for a slow leak!). I begged to bf on the table but of course the answer was no. We were able to bf briefly in the recovery room but they whisked Emma away to the nursery because "I needed to rest" *grr!*
My nipples cracked and bled, I had mastitis and blocked ducts, and I saw our N.P./LC in the ped's office every 3 days or so, until one of them finally gave me a nipple shield. I used it for 3 months, working to wean off of the shield and we finally did it! I LOVED the feeling of Emma breastfeeding without the shield; I finally felt like a natural mama! When she got her teeth, at 5 months, her latch changed and my nipples slowly started to crack and bleed again. I was suffering with severe PPD and the stress of this was too much. We went back to using the shield and she weaned around 12 months (I was about 2 months pregnant with her little sister). I believe that she could definitely sense how painful it was for me to nurse her with her poor latch, the shield hurting me, and my breasts very sensitive from being pregnant with her little sister.

Flash forward to dd#2 (Savannah):
With Savannah I was once again bound and determined to breastfeed, only this time I had some experience! I had a wonderful, empowering VBAC and breastfed immediately. She nursed for 11 hours straight after birth and my nipples were so sore, her latch needed a lot of work, and I asked for a nipple shield. I used it with her for a few months and worked daily to wean her off of it, and we finally did it! She was exclusively breastfed for almost 9 months (she's about 10.5 months now) and despite her latch changing when she got 6 teeth almost all at once we've worked through it and haven't had to use a shield (a big victory for me!). I look forward to nursing Savannah for years to come - however long she wants!

I can't wait to use my breastfeeding knowledge and experience while working as a birth doula! I am passionate about bf and NIP and love spreading the correct info and facts to my friends who (some of them anyway) dont' have a clue about bf!

[mytwogirls]

As I type this I am battling a nursing strike that has gone on for over two weeks now. My 10 month girl refuses to nurse and those who have been following the thread "Panic Attack" knows the long story. It has been a struggle and I have tried everything under the sun. I got some great suggestions and most importantly I got some much needed support from mamas. It is amazing how hearing words like "we are rooting for you" and "you are a great mom and doing a great job" really boost your day. I am so happy I found this site! So happy! I am still pumping, just not as often and my girl is getting breast milk in her diet still, supplemented by whole milk. I wanted to be one of those moms who was nursing her LO at 2 years of age, but it was not meant to be.
I am the first person in my family and my husband's family to breast feed. I feel very proud of this accomplishment. I was able to nurse two healthy girls and I am very proud lactivist of it. I went into nursing thinking "Well if it works out fine, if not, then I will use formula." Once my first daughter was born and after five minutes after delivery I had her sucking at my breast, that was LOVE. It was so incredible to see a chubby baby growing because of ME and what I was producing in my body. It was more amazing to me than pregnancy. I felt such a huge responsibility and pride and joy in nursing. After the birth of my second daughter, I suffered from extreme placenta accreta and I had to have an emergency hysterectomy. I waved off morphine and took Motrin just so I could nurse her. I knew how vital supply was to a tiny baby and I didn't want to NOT nurse her. I suffered through the pain and I am so glad I did. Now, with her on strike I was not ready to wean her by any means. But, I am thankful for the time I had nursing. It is a special time in a woman's life and it can't be relived. It should be cherished because that time flies by. I will forever and ever remember those quiet early morning hours when she would nurse and fall asleep and I would tuck her in with just a little milk running down her tiny chin. I smile and cry at the same time when I think of that. My heart still hurts because I want to nurse her, but you can't force them, babies are, after all, human.

[peaceful_mama]

I don't have time to read what others have said right now, but I would like to chime in with a 'worry' of mine.

DD (16 months) is the first child I have nursed. I am currently 16 weeks pregnant.

My supply has dropped (at least this is my guess) and she is incredibly PO'ed at the lack of milkies at bedtime. (At least this is my assumption as to what is going on, she is all of a sudden very ticked off when she tries to nurse to sleep.)

She is frustrated and so am I. Nothing I do seems to help her most nights. Last night, she finally collapsed on her tummy and fell asleep with me patting her back within about 5 minutes. :(

I think I made a mistake by not starting to transition her to another way of falling asleep and another sleep-place outside of my bed sooner. :( (like maybe when I found out I was pregnant?)

I sometimes feel like maybe the idea to not use other BC was the mistake. (don't get me wrong I want and love this baby too, but DD is SO NOT READY to quit nursing to sleep and the situation has been forced upon her...)

I transitioned DS (not nursing but co-sleeping) slowly to sleeping alone by me starting to leave his bed at 10 months. He was fully alone-sleeping at 18 months or so.

DD has NEVER spent a night outside my bed.

I don't know what I'll do with a third. Now that I've experienced this, I wonder if I should start a transition when I get AF back? (with DD that was 9 months)
Is one year better?

I know I can't go through this hell of forced pregnant bedtime weaning again.

[LoganBsMom]

I love all your great stories! They give me hope that this time around maybe it will work out.
My Story
Ds, now 3, was born in a hospital, with a midwife, and other than an episiotomy, everything went exactly as planned. I nursed him pretty quickly after birth, maybe 10 minutes or so. He latched on like a champ and nursed for about an hour before he seemed done. The nurse took him to do the wash him up thing, noticed he was very shaky, and figured out his blood sugar was very low. She cup fed him some formula, and held off on his bath because he was also a little cold. We were transferred to our room about 3am, ds had to go to the nursery because he was still cold, low sugars. 3 hours later ds was still in the nursery, I went to check on him, there were half a dozen people around him, some I recognized as I work in this hospital, and I was scared. His blood sugars were low, temp was low, they were working him up for everything. The next time I got to attempt to nurse was about noon the next day, his blood sugar was 27 (critically low) and the nurse told me to try to nurse him while she arranaged a transfer to nicu, but the low sugar made him lethargic, nursing was pointless.

He spent the next 5 days in the NICU with low sugars. I had many frustrating encounters with nurses. When DS was awake I would want to nurse him, the NICU was on a strict 3 hour scedual and ds needed to have a sugar check before feeding, by the time I convinced the nurse to check, ds would be starting to get lethargic, and shock, sugar was low.:angry I did get some support from the ped and lactation after loudly complaining. So DS finally came home at 5 days old, I had to go home without him, but slept in a chair in the NICU at night because I didn't trust the night nurses. So I was emotionally and physically exauhsted. The ped said to continue to supplement with formula due to low sugars, but try to gradually decrease the formula amount. So, for each feeding we would nurse 10-20 minutes on each side, then bottle feed for about 15 minutes, start all over less than 2 hours later. In the end my milk never came in. I went to see a LC, she gave me a hospitla pump, got a prescription from the midwife for reglan, and tried to increase my supply. For the next month our schedual went something like this: nurse 20 min each side, bottle feed 15-20 min, pump for at lease 15-20 minutes. It was exauhsting. DH would bottle feed while I pumped if he was home, otherwise I was on my own. We tried syringe feeding with the tube attatched to my breast so he would nurse, what a nightmare to get a good latch with that.

After about a month of exhausting myself, I decided to give it up. I stopped pumping. I continued to nurse for every feeding, then gave a bottle after. The few times when I had to pump because ds was not around, the milk output was pitiful. Les than 2 ounces each feeding. We continued nursing and bottle feeding about 3 months, dh hit a big growth spurt and had no patience for nursing.

In all our trouble we never had latch or diet problems. Once I relaxed I realized how much I loved nursing, it felt so right and natural. The only explanation I got from the lactation consultant for my lack of milk was that my breasts are small. I thought that didn't matter? I am now pg with #2, I have already learned so much on MDC, I am hoping that maybe this time I will have some precious milk for my babe!

[MamaMonica]

I had a difficult start to breastfeeding- I was so engorged when my milk came in and it was so painful. My midwife supported me and I got through that tough time. If I had had formula in the house I might have used it when the pain was at its worst. I'm glad I didn't. At the time I didn't have the internet and no real support for breatfeeding besides my midwife.

I had a great nursing realtionship with dd and she weaned near her third birthday a few days before ds was born. She was a very sweet nursling and it was lovely.

When ds hit 9 months- he was an almost compulsive nurser. He bit through my nipple one day, blood everywhere. I was in tears a lot and could not take him nursing and biting. He also had a lot of allergies and I had cut so many foods from my diet.

Several people told me to wean him to formula so I could eat, and that he'd be less allergic to formula than my milk.

I was too stubborn and kept at it. It was very hard. We had many struggles but I kept up and nursed him until he was 6 years old. I never thought I'd nurse a child that long. But it was very natural and I support extended nursing.

[Onemagicmummy]

i cant remember much about my breastfeeding relationships with DS1 and DD1 other than i was given bad advice and didnt know any better with DS1 (DH Grandma told me my milk was not good enought while DS1 was haveinga feed me adn never ever put me done stage at 10 weeks, i now know it was a growth spurt but tah one throw away comment mutated from "you MILK may not be good enought for him" to YOU are not good enought fo rhim and within 2 weeks i was a quivering wreck hearing voices, thinking hte moon and stars were out to get me and such, i was diagnosed with sever PPD and medicated and i weaned. it was best choice at the time and i do regret it but i learned a lot since then
with DD1 i was sheer LAZY. i jsut didnt wat to do ANYTHING for the baby let alone feed her, so bottles it was (she was 10 weeks old) with in a month i was pg again and my molk dried up so any chance of me relactating went out the window, then i had my OH MY GOSH WHAT HAVE I DONE moment, i was at home alone with a screaming baby, 3 month pregnant, a active toddler running at my feet adn i had to make up a load of bottles, and all that that implies and i just broke down and swore i would not botle feed again, when DD1 was born DH was home fulltime no job, he got a job when she was around 6 month old so it was a sharp slap in the face for me.

DS2 was born, straignt to boob, and he wasa business feeder, 10 mins each feed to start then 10 mins each boob and off he went. i felt FORCED to "Just let him cry so you can get on with the house work" by my Health Visitor and Social Worker so the first 6 months of DS2's life are a bit of a blur. i tried the whoe let him cry thing about 3 times and said sod it babe needs me and jsut kept telling HV/SW htat baby was feeding lots and lots so thats why my dishes werent washed/etc and that i would get on top of it as soon as i could, they didnt like it but tought.
DS2 got 14 months, i weaned him on a monday. 2 weeks later i was PG again.

DD2 is a champion feeder. was born after 12 hours labour, was on the boob with in 5 mins stayed that for a WHOLE HOUR and took BOTH breasts. the MW's were shocked at her. she feed off and on for 3 whole days at least twice an hour, i thought it was a bit much but she had a bit of a tramatic birth and if I was a bit out of sorts and feeling the way i did i could only imagine how she felt so i jsut hugged her feed her hugged her some more and fed her some more she even ended up co-sleeping with ym inteh hospital bed.

when my milk came in she gave me a look that said "oh yes at last oh yeah gimme gimme gimme" and got that Drunk On Milk face. she fed every 2 hours for first week and now at 7 months is still going strong.

my main support is DH who in early days did the nappy changes, dealt with the older 3, made meals, fetched drinks etc.

now i have done a whole about face from being too damn lazy to BF to too damn lazy and too tight to FF. its easier for me, its cheaper for me, DD2 is thriving off it.

i jsut love it

Kiz

[phathui5]

I have four children and this October I will have been nursing continuously for eight years. Ds1 nursed until right after his fourth birthday. Dd nursed until she was 3 years and 10 months. Ds2 and ds3 are both still nursing.

I had always planned to breastfeed and when I was pregnant with ds1 I was determined to nurse him for a year. Several people, including my ex-mil, told me that it would be a hassle and that we wouldn't make it a year. Being a little bit stubborn, their lack of confidence helped keep me going. I just had to prove them wrong.

My first husband halfheartedly supported me nursing ds1. He knew it was healthy but wanted to bottlefeed ds himself. When ds1 was six months, xh moved us out and his girlfriend in. I remarried when ds1 was 20 months, to a guy who was not only a great dad, but really supported the nursing. He wasn't totally comfortable with nursing toddlers in public and would still rather that we not nurse the 2 1/2 year old when we're out. But it's not as big of a deal anymore.

[catemom]

I had trouble at every turn when it came to breastfeeding. I had an unplanned c/s, and my milk did not come in right away. The hospital LC was harassing me with this ridiculous supplementer and formula. She only "let" us go home if I promised to take DS to the pediatrician the next day to make sure he gained some weight. That night, my milk came in and DS gained half a pound--overnight. DS nursed constantly, and he was on the small side, but he gained weight consistently. I also had terribly painful plugged ducts on and off in the first six or eight months or so. I got through those times without any drugs, just hot compresses, showers, massage, and position changes when breastfeeding. It was hard to breastfeed, but it got a lot easier as DS got older. I wanted to wean him, but I waited until he was 2 years, 3 mos., and he didn't even notice. My skinny little baby is now the tallest in his class and is surprisingly strong. Do not give up on the breastfeeding, it's sooo worth it! Take all formula pushing people (in-laws, relatives, doctors, and unethical hospital LCs) with a grain of salt.

They were also a little antsy about me getting DS circumcised in the hospital. I decided that we'd had enough cutting, so we took DS home uncircumcised. My pediatrician only asked about it during the first visit, then he let it go (love that guy!).

We still don't sleep well, DS has always been one of those not-so-great sleepers. The problem is that we EXPECTED to sleep well because of what all those baby books tell you. Sleep through the night at 3 mos? HA! I also have never done the cry it out or Ferberizing approach because I don't think it would work for DS and it seems really inappropriate IMHO. I actually sleep better when I'm at least close enough to DS to hear him breathe. That sound still lulls me to sleep at night.

DS didn't talk a lot until just before two. I was almost ready to take him for testing, then his communication exploded. Several of my friends kept hounding me to get him checked for autism, I did my best to ignore them. He still isn't the most clear talker, but he communicates very well now and his teachers tell me he is fine.

I was really worried about potty training since we had some disastrous false starts, but when DS was ready, he was totally ready. He reliably goes in his potty--and it only took a week (and he is only 2.75 yrs).

So, anyway, my point in mentioning all this is to (hopefully) calm the nerves of some of you out there and to give you the confidence to follow what you believe instead of what others tell you. Enjoy your babies, moms and dads!

[almadianna]

i am a work out of home mom. i run a medium sized multi million dollar company and work around 60 hours a week.
i nursed my daughter until she was 14 months old and my milk dried up due to another pregnancy, she still nurses (at 17 months) but not as much any more.
I pumped every 2-3 hours every day for over a year and it was worth every second.
i had to schedule meetings around pumping sessions. i had to pump during webinars, i missed going on trips due to this, but it was sooo worth it.

[Amys1st]

I found out I was pregnant w dd1 Liz a few weeks after Sept 11th, 2001. We were trying and I felt terrible but I thought it was because I was upset because of what happend. The whole country walked around zombie like and each and every day post 9/11 was mentioned. To get away from it, I researched pregncy, week to week, pumping, breast feeding etc. I saw all my SILs breastfeed, my MIL breastfed all of her 9 children and knows the founders of LLL. (we are in the chicago area) My mom friends also nursed their babies.

After we got married, well before we even thought of children, DH said to me "you will breastfeed our children, RIGHT??" So he was of course on board. He joked breastfeeding is great. The baby would cry in the night, he would reach for her, put her at my breast, roll over and go back to sleep- whats not to like about it? He shared this with his expectant SIL and brother one day, I was in the other room. His two other brothers and father chimed in the same.

Liz was born May 24th 2002 (our 5 yr wedding anniversary). She was put to the breast right away which started off our 2 1/2 year breastfeeding relationship. I never planned to nurse that long- who does? I thought, I will give it 6 mos. It came and went. Well at a year, I can wean her. It came and went. 18 mos, 24 mos. Never an ounce of formula, great nursing relationship. I was very lucky. At 2 1/2, she upped and weaned one day and never looked back. I am a strong minded person, so no one would dare to say dont breastfeed here or anything like that. Also, I nursed in public dozens and dozens of times. Sometimes people would comment how my child was so calm and quiet. She was nursing! Then- oh you were, I just thought she was a quiet baby!
Once my brother asked my to cover her up with a blanket. It was 100 plus degrees outside. I said I would if he also put one over his head during dinner. If anyone asked me to go to a bathroom, I would say only if you eat in there too.

NEXT!!

I gave my self 6 mos of no nursing and no pregncy and then we tried for Maggie. It took longer to conceive, but Maggie was due late May/june 1 2006. At 24 weeks, I started having issues. At the end of 24 weeks I suddenly had to deliver this tiny baby! I was being rolled into the operating room to have a c section. I remember telling the nurse when we got back to my room, there would be a medala hospital grade pump there. She asked why? I yelled- because I nursed my first one within 20 minutes, I need to get that going since I will need to pump for this one!!!

So after they rushed my beautiful 810 gram baby off to another hospital nicu, I starting pumping. And pumping and pumping. 48 hours at discharge, I had 8 little bottles of colostrum. The nurses changed their tune on what to tell early pregncy deliveries. Of course, I had nursed one already, so my milk came in fast and furious. It smelled different, was thicker, stronger, smelled like iron. It was full of stuff my body knew the baby needed to thrive. I continued to pump exclusely for 7 weeks until Maggie was ready to be put to breast. I remember the nicu watching me, not knowing I was nursing her already and asking me if I wanted screens, what I needed. I explained she had already nursed for a few minutes.
After a bout w apnea, fighting not to have supplements, you name it, I took my then full term baby home. We had to supplement, but she nursed for a year after.

Maggie was a busy body- had to check everything out, could not miss anything. So sitting in mommy's lap to nurse for hours like her sister was not in the cards. She upped and weaned around 1 yrs old despite her mamas protests.

All in all, I had a lot of support for both of my nurslings. I was active in LLL, joined a local breastfeeding mamas group, plus my activity here. I was so blessed to have such a strong knowledge of this when I had MAggie because if I didnt, who knows how well she would be doing now?

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I work at whole foods and have noticed many many women (and their husbands) coming in because they have low milk supply. I usually suggest Mother's milk tea and lactate support (it's got a lot of galactogogues in it). Did anyone use those things successfully? And do you have any other suggestions I can give to moms with low milk supply? I also suggest nursing as often as possible, not on a schedule.

I used Mother's Milk tea with ds1 in the begining because he lost so much weight and I wasn't sure I was producing enough milk, but I don't know whether it was the constant nursing or the Mother's Milk Tea or both that did the trick.

[shayinme]

I also have used Mother's Milk tea and recommended it in the past for low supply, I also used fenugreek and made tea with it, but the taste was just too bitter for me to wash down.

[Kraysmommy]

I put him to the breast constantly, and also had oatmeal daily.

[stickywicket67]

I work at whole foods and have noticed many many women (and their husbands) coming in because they have low milk supply. I usually suggest Mother's milk tea and lactate support (it's got a lot of galactogogues in it). Did anyone use those things successfully? And do you have any other suggestions I can give to moms with low milk supply? I also suggest nursing as often as possible, not on a schedule.

I used Mother's Milk tea with ds1 in the begining because he lost so much weight and I wasn't sure I was producing enough milk, but I don't know whether it was the constant nursing or the Mother's Milk Tea or both that did the trick.

i was told to use fenugreek by my LC and it worked great. i took it in capsule form. you can take quite a bit-the goal was to smell like maple syrup. i think i took about 3-6 capsules a day. combined with nursing on demand and drinking about 6 liters of water a day i established a good supply in 2 weeks and stopped taking the fenugreek at that point. the MM tea was not a strong enough concentration for me but it tasted good and was nice to sip.

btwn. a doula friend, the lc and the ped. i got a lot of good advice on nursing.

my ped was very supportive of co-sleeping to facilitate nursing, nurse-ins (all day marathon nursing sessions) and telling my dh 'you take care of the mama so the mama can feed the baby'. she also told me that in the beginning babies nurse a lot and can take a long time at the breast to get their needs met. once i knew that, mentally, i was more prepared for basically having the boob out all day!

the doula was very good at giving me that confidence i needed to stick it out. she came to my house and saw that i had a boppy and a comfy nursing station, checked ds's latch and advised me on the water/fluids. she was very very kind and said just what i needed to hear as a first time mother - 'you are doing great. you can do this. stick it out for 21 days and you'll be set.'

the lc told me about the fenugreek. she was the least warm and fuzzy but the most specific.

our nursing relationship got off to a tough start. i had a blood transfusion for a hemmorrage after i gave birth. it's very dehydrating to lose a lot of blood and even with the transfusion your body sucks all moisture to feed your own body and build up your blood supply (not make milk). i was really determined to do it. i'm kind of a quitter so it still amazes me i stuck it out and i'm happy i did!

[ShwarmaQueen]

I know an older lady from Saudia Arabia who swears by canned Tuna fish- I know there are some heavy metal risks there, but I think it's worth a shot in small quantities!

[courtenay_e]

Fenugreek is most effective when taken with blessed thistle. Start at 3 capsules of each three times a day. If mom's sweat and pee aren't smelling like maple syrup after the first day, up the dose of fenugreek to 4 capsules 3 times a day. Keep upping till you smell the maple syrup...but 3 or 4 should do it, three times a day.

The capsules are more effective for low supply than the tea...the tea is better for a little "boost..." but the capsules are for true support of low supply.

I would ask (you may not feel comfortable doing this...but you might, too!) if they have had somebody evaluate the latch, and suggest a LLL Leader and an asymmetrical latch. If the supply is compromised there is generally a reason why, and usually that reason is poor latch. With a poor latch the breast is often not drained sufficiently to create a large demand on the breast, so the supply will diminish. Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle will help to support that supply until they can get the latch perfected.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

Fenugreek is most effective when taken with blessed thistle. Start at 3 capsules of each three times a day. If mom's sweat and pee aren't smelling like maple syrup after the first day, up the dose of fenugreek to 4 capsules 3 times a day. Keep upping till you smell the maple syrup...but 3 or 4 should do it, three times a day.

The capsules are more effective for low supply than the tea...the tea is better for a little "boost..." but the capsules are for true support of low supply.

I would ask (you may not feel comfortable doing this...but you might, too!) if they have had somebody evaluate the latch, and suggest a LLL Leader and an asymmetrical latch. If the supply is compromised there is generally a reason why, and usually that reason is poor latch. With a poor latch the breast is often not drained sufficiently to create a large demand on the breast, so the supply will diminish. Fenugreek and Blessed Thistle will help to support that supply until they can get the latch perfected.

I usually recommend a LLL leader or an IBCLC. I probably ask more personal questions than I should, but I just can't help myself! LOL!

I absolutely love to see the dads or other family members involved in the breastfeeding relationship. I've had 3 dads come in and have long discusions about breastfeeding with me when they realise that I'm not weirded out by it. They are usually there looking for advice for mom, because she is so exhausted from breastfeeding.

I usually feel like they are gong to make it, because they have some good support at home. I think that support can come in so many different ways. It can come from the partner who is helpful and encouraging, but I also see so many women here who have done it all on their own, because they truly believed they were doing the right thing. I really salute all those mamas that have had problems and have managed to breastfeed or pump despite them. You go mamas!!

[simple life]

I know people probably think I'm crazy when I say it, but for me it's very true. Breastfeeding saved me and was the ONLY way I was able to bond with my son, Paul.

I had a horrible c-section and couldn't even hold him to nurse right away. Thankfully a wonderful nurse who hadn't even been around at all for the labor/birth, came in and held him for me to nurse. He took to it well! During our stay I got some help with latch. They said he was losing too much weight, and the ped came in and told me we'd have to stay longer if he didn't get formula. I'm so glad we didn't give in, that afternoon, my milk came in with full force!

I ended up with PPD. The only thing I could do was nurse him. It's the only reason I didn't leave. Even once I was on some meds, it was still the only way I was able to connect with him. I missed so much of his early days and months, but I do know he ate a lot!

He is still nursing full time at 14 months and I see no stopping at all. He loves to nurse and gets very excited about it :).

As others have said, having a supportive spouse is very helpful. I don't know what I'd do if my DH wasn't on board with breastfeeding, it would have been so much harder!

Julie

[stickywicket67]

I usually recommend a LLL leader or an IBCLC. I probably ask more personal questions than I should, but I just can't help myself! LOL!

I absolutely love to see the dads or other family members involved in the breastfeeding relationship. I've had 3 dads come in and have long discusions about breastfeeding with me when they realise that I'm not weirded out by it. They are usually there looking for advice for mom, because she is so exhausted from breastfeeding.

I usually feel like they are gong to make it, because they have some good support at home. I think that support can come in so many different ways. It can come from the partner who is helpful and encouraging, but I also see so many women here who have done it all on their own, because they truly believed they were doing the right thing. I really salute all those mamas that have had problems and have managed to breastfeed or pump despite them. You go mamas!!
i think that's great that you are willing to go there, to give suggestion and advice to these dads when they come in. i got so little help at the local HFS when i went in. and i was completely exhausted from birthing and bfing but i would have been petrified to send my dh. he would've come back with a crazy bunch of useless stuff. supplements, etc are so expensive. i think it's wonderful that you're suggesting the fenugreek, etc. it's so harmless but helpful and i know most HFS employees wont recommend stuff because they can get in "trouble". so bravo to you! i'm sure you've helped a lot of those moms (and dads) just when they needed it.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I know an older lady from Saudia Arabia who swears by canned Tuna fish- I know there are some heavy metal risks there, but I think it's worth a shot in small quantities!


Wow! I've never heard of that one. I wonder what could be in it that helps with milk production.

Another supplement that I always suggest to mamas who are breastfeeding is the DHA supplements. Babes are so lucky to get it through breastmilk with moms as long as they are getting what they need too.

Did anyone else suffer with cracked nipples? I know I was told that it had to do with proper latch, but it just seemed to go away after a month or so and I couldn't see where the latch had changes. Hurt like heck though! I didn't go through it with my second and third child, but then again, I started with inverted nipples with ds1. He kindly sucked them out into proper nursing formed nipples. I wonder if that had to do with the nipple cracking.

[Arwyn]

I wonder if the tuna fish is just as a protein source. In someone who is malnourished, with a diet lacking in protein, eating tuna (or another healthy -- well, polluted but healthy -- protein heavy food) could help with supply.

DHA is great because it helps with mood, too (as does EPA). Of course you have to check for fish allergies first!

[big-mama]

Hi,

I have 5 boys. With my first babies, I lived with my ILs...I breastfed some with #1 and 2, didn't even try with 3...was just so depressed and overpowered by MIL who sabotaged my attempts at BFding...she bought formula, fed the babies even when
I was there to BF. This was in the early 90s...I didn't even know about lactation consultants or breast pumps so when I went to work, I replaced with formula, between that and MIL, my milk dried up.

I had #4 in 1997...was away from MIL and learned about LCs and breast pumps. DH was SAHD, pumped while at work...babe reversed cycled and nursed all night until age 5.5 almost 6.

Babe #5 is here and BFding is going strong.

Its sad, but I am so much closer with #4 and even #5 although he is only 4 months, than with my older kids. I love them all but we just aren't as close. I blame the lack of APing. (I just couldn't "mom" the way I knew was right. She was very mainstream...threw a fit one time when she "caught" me cosleeping and BFding among other issues she had with me LOL.)

[honeydee]

I :heartbeat breastfeeding!

I have to say that before I was pregnant with dd1 I was completely ignorant to breastfeeding. My mom nursed my sister and brother but only in the privacy of her bedroom so I couldn't see and I never knew that she bfed at all until this past year. She came from a family of women who never breastfed; on my dad's side my grandmother nursed all her babies except my dad (lots of dietary issues) but she never talked about it. Imagine my surprise when I found out a few months ago that she EBF the rest of her kids until they were 1! That was practically unheard of in the 50's.

I was one of those completely ignorant 20 year-olds that would become grossed out by babies breastfeeding at my tables (I waitress). I even said out loud, "That is freaking nasty, that's what formula is for!" :eyesroll I was so stupid.

Sooo...dd1 comes along and I decide I want to breastfeed. I believe it was the positive reviews it got in Dr. Sears The Baby Book and The Complete Book of Pregnancy, Childbirth, and the Newborn that changed my mind. I was so excited about breastfeeding!

Then Zoe was born, and it sucked. Her birth was traumatic, and I put her to my breast as soon as she was out but it HURT. This was while I was being stitched up, had completely random doctors in and out of my room to look at my crotch while I was trying to do so, and after 2 days of this I felt so utterly exhausted and defeated. I felt like my body was betraying me again, I couldn't get her to latch on, I had LC's in and out of my room, and I still couldn't do it right. I couldn't even bring myself to argue with the nurses about giving her formula, and we took that Enfamil bag right home. I tried off and on for about 10 days to get her to latch on, and finally I just gave up. My nipples looked and felt like hamburger. So I exclusively pumped for her for the next 6 months and supplemented with formula, but as you know pumping just isn't the same as a baby so my supply dropped off terribly. I was working fulltime too and trying to find the time to pump constantly was not working. I called it quits at 6 months because I figured what was the point if my supply was just going to continue to dwindle and she was getting mostly formula anyway?

It took a long time for me to want to get pregnant again because I was so terrified of the same outcome. But I went on Susan Weed's website and posted about my first birth experience, and was directed here. This place is a safe haven if there ever was one. I have learned so much here, and I really believe it led me to have a better birth the second time around.

With dd2, I had the best birth experience ever. I actually had a truly sublime, empowering, and healing hospital birth (yes it is possible). I ran the show and gave birth the way I wanted to. Avery was put to my breast immediately. The entire nursing staff and the hospital LC's were phenomenal (apparently most of the nurses not only had nursed all their children but were LC's on the side as well!) My baby's latch kind of sucked and my nipples were sooo bruised (why can't my damn kids figure out how to latch!!?), but that worked itself out and she actually gained an entire pound by the time she was a week old! There is a reason I call her Chunky Monkey.

I am so proud of myself for finally pulling it off. I felt like such a failure after dd1's birth, and my second baby truly healed me. I am happy to report that she is still nursing like a champ and she just turned 1. We don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

The highlight of my day? When Avery is nursing and she pushes her nose into my boob and blows hard with her nose so it makes a farting sound. Then she giggles her little butt off.

:rotflmao Nose raspberries!

[dflanag2]

I always knew that I would breastfeed my children. My mother exclusively breastfed all 5 of her children for at least a year, except for one sister who ended up weaned at 7 months or so (nursing strike!). I can still remember my mother starting her nursing relationship with one of my sisters; sis had a teeny tiny rosebud mouth and my mother had a heck of a time getting her entire nipple in there, she kept having to unlatch, relatch, unlatch, relatch. My sister was not happy about this and would scream her little head off. Fortunately things worked themselves out pretty quickly (or her mouth got bigger from all the screaming...)

To prepare for breastfeeding (and for the entire experience of parenting) I prepared for the worst-case scenarios while hoping for the best situation (birth-center drug-free birth, exclusive breastfeeding relationship, etc.) I read _The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding_ and took a Bradley class. I also attended a local LLL meeting just in case I needed to call them. I researched and had a number for some lactation consultants. I bought a few stretchy nursing bras to start with.

When DS was born, I needed exactly none of my prep work. He latched on perfectly within the first 5 minutes of being born and didn't let go for three years, uh, I mean, he never had a single problem nursing, no nipple pain or anything. It was almost a letdown after all the preparation!

The one part of preparation that did come into play were the expectations I had of myself. I figured out that it was likely that I would be breastfeeding up to 8 hours per day in the beginning, and this was definitely true for me. I had a hungry 10 pound baby who liked to nurse for up to 40 minutes at a time. I drank gallons of water and inhaled every bite of food in sight. I was glad that I realized beforehand how much time I would spend nursing; just that part of baby care was a complete full-time job! I took it really easy those first months, holding and nursing my beautiful baby.

He nursed a great deal until he was about 19 months old, which was when I entered the 2nd trimester of my pregnancy with DD, and my milk dried up. He was down to once a day or so during that period. (He would ask, "Ow? Ow?" when he wanted to nurse because that was what I tended to say when he was nursing; it was quite painful during this period.:o I usually focused on a book while he was nursing to get through it.) He was pleased when my colostrum came in, and thrilled when the milk came back in. I really wanted to nurse him until he was at least 2 years old, in fact I felt guilty that I didn't have milk for him during the pregnancy. When he turned 2, DD arrived, and my intuition told me that tandem nursing was the way to go, particularly because DS is a very intense child who seemed to really *need* to nurse still, for emotional reasons.

DD waited until she was 45 minutes old to nurse (she was 10.5 lbs), but had no problems whatsoever... well there was that one night before my milk came in when she alternately screamed and nursed in one minute increments all night long, but after that she was great! I did have a little adjustment period to going back to nursing a newborn; I was in toddler-nursing mode and had to re-think nursing holds and support for her instead of assuming that she could just do it all herself, hanging off the boob so to speak. :lol

We tandem-nursed for a year. This was great as it gave DS something to do while I was nursing DD, and he didn't feel left out. We learned a lot of creative holds and positions to keep everyone happy. After a while it got to be a little overwhelming, so I did limit DS to nursing 3x per day. A little while before he turned 3, I talked about how one day he would be a big boy and wouldn't do nursies anymore and told him one day I would ask if he wanted to nurse, and he would tell me he was finished with nursies. So I guess you could say that I did influence him to wean himself. I tried to make it as much his idea as possible, and it went smoothly a month or so after he turned 3, although we did nurse a handful more times until he was 30 months.

I would tandem nurse again if I could do it all over again. I think it was the right decision for DS, but I will say that DS and I have a very intense relationship (most of the conflict in the house is between him and me because we are both spirited) and our relationship became less stressed after he weaned. After weaning he became more of my sweet little boy rather than the big rough toddler-tyrant he seemed to be that tandem-nursing year. I gues I was just ready for him to wean. Having said all of that, we have been thru the 3.5 year rough patch since he weaned, during which I wanted nothing more than to ship him away to boarding school. :dizzy: I think this is just the way our relationship is going to be for always.

DD is 21 months and still going strong, we just NIP today at a food festival and it was fun to catch the eyes of all the people staring (mostly men). One thing that is driving me nuts with DD is that she doesn't sleep thru the night at all, and wants nursies all night long. I had her night weaned for a while (she would still wake up several times, I would cosleep and offer water) but DH and I went on a trip overnight and since we returned we are back to being open 24/7. I am still breastfeeding on demand, mostly because it is so darned easy. Oh, except when I am in the middle of making dinner, which really makes DD mad.

My support system: my family (even bfing mom!) thinks I am a little deranged for the toddler nursing, but no one says anything to my face, except my grandmother, who fed my 5 weeks preemie dad evaporated milk mixed with corn syrup when he was a baby (he died of complications of obesity at age 48... hmmmm) She is extremely supportive and tells me all the time how beautiful the kids are, but I can hear sometimes that she is working through the guilt of how things were when she had her babies. She loves that they both eat so plentifully, as she is a Feeder. DH is extremely supportive; without him running the household while I sat nursing infants I don't know where we would be now. Some of the people in his family are a bit uncomfortable with the bfing, several male relatives tend to leap up and go to another room when I start the pre-bfing fidget.

I'm so glad that I had the opportunity to nurse both my children, and I hope to make it to at least 5 consecutive years bfing, which will be 3 years per child with one overlapping tandem nursing year. I look forward to wearing regular bras again (I sometimes wear them for old time's sake), dresses, and not having to think, "Can I breastfeed in this?" when I am buying clothes.

I also want to say I feel somewhat guilty that I haven't had any problems, and therefore don't have much advice to give moms who are struggling. I've been to only a few LLL meetings over the years, but didn't participate very much, not having much advice, and more recently chasing a highly active toddler around.

I just hope that my example of breastfeeding (confidently in public, into toddlerhood, etc.) has inspired other mothers I know to keep on going. I gave my copy of _Womanly Art of BFing_ to a new mother I know as an acquaintance, and it helped her to do an elimination diet and keep nursing. People also ask me for nursing advice on a regular basis, b/c the ped always recommends supplementing. I don't want to jam info down anyone's throat or pass judgment when a baby weans/is weaned, although I am sad when it happens. I try to encourage, praise, and casually drop facts into conversation. (I do this about a lot of topics, so I hope it comes across pretty naturally.) :wink

I would like to learn more about lactivism, and do more to promote breastfeeding in our culture. The only thing I do right now is email my local paper whenever they run an article that I think should mention breastfeeding. This week they (Wash Post) are running an article series on Childhood Obesity and What Parents Can Do, and I am looking for some mention of the association between lack of bfing and childhood obesity rates.

Sorry about the novel, I only know how to write one type of post--LONG! Thanks for reading.

-dflanag2
sahm to DS the hair holder (3.5 yrs) and DD the pincher (21 mos)

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

The highlight of my day? When Avery is nursing and she pushes her nose into my boob and blows hard with her nose so it makes a farting sound. Then she giggles her little but off.

Nose raspberries!

That is so sweet!

dflanag2-
How wonderful that you have a memory of your mom breastfeeding! I vaguely remember one of my aunts breastfeeding, but not very clearly. I know my mom bresatfed us, but I was the baby in the family and don't remember it. I'll have to ask my sisters if they remember any of it.

[LoganBsMom]

So much great advice! I have a couple questions for all you well educated ladies. Is there anything to do for a milk supply that never really started? With DS I never had milk "come in" like everyone talks about. I didn't know about herbs back then, but did try reglan, pumpled finatically, ate well, drank lots. Still, I never had a real supply. Looking back, my breasts never got any bigger during pregnancy, and I have read that can be a sign of supply trouble later on. Fast forward to now. I am almost 8wks with #2, no growth in the chest area as of yet. I am very concerned I am going to have the same problem, and would really like to exclusivly nurse this time for as long as possible. Any thoughts? Thanks.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

So much great advice! I have a couple questions for all you well educated ladies. Is there anything to do for a milk supply that never really started? With DS I never had milk "come in" like everyone talks about. I didn't know about herbs back then, but did try reglan, pumpled finatically, ate well, drank lots. Still, I never had a real supply. Looking back, my breasts never got any bigger during pregnancy, and I have read that can be a sign of supply trouble later on. Fast forward to now. I am almost 8wks with #2, no growth in the chest area as of yet. I am very concerned I am going to have the same problem, and would really like to exclusivly nurse this time for as long as possible. Any thoughts? Thanks.

I have heard numerous times about women having trouble breatfeeding the first child, but no trouble with another. Sometimes it seems that the body actually learns how to do something. I would try to stay positive about it. But honestly, every drop of milk you gave to your baby was a gift! You should be very proud of yourself for doing all that you did and I know you will do everything you can for your next babe as well.

[thefragile7393]

This was something I always knew I would do....it's just the way things were done with the women I saw at church. No one I knew formula fed, if I saw a bottle I assumed it was breastmilk somehow.

I never thought it was hard to do, you just did it...and that's what happened to me.....I put him on, he latched right away, I got clear instruction on a good latch, and I had no problems. It wasn't until later that I learned of all the different problems women can have and why many give up. Coming here and seeing some mamas struggle, as well as reading Mothering, really makes me appreciate breastmilk and the lengths many women go to to try and provide the best for their little ones, be it pumping exclusively or supplementing due to low supply, or whatever. Reading books like The Politics of Breastfeeding and some others (forgot their names) really shed light on the ugly side of the formula industry (and I'm only talking about the industry, not parents who formula feed).

[Faliciagayle]

I was lucky going into pregnancy because my DHs best friend's wife nursed all her children till about 4 years old (she has three). By the time DH met me he was gung-ho on breastfeeding and insisted we would. I took it for granted that I would - I saw it often where I lived, my best friend was pg and extended bf/coslept/babywore long before I entertained the notion of getting pregnant. My mom bf'd my sister and me, Dhs mom nursed him and his sister, so everyone was ready for it.

DD was born at home, in the water, and we put her on my tummy right away and let her crawl/root for the nipple... well, I tried to anyway but after a few minutes I just wanted to hold her in my arms so I helped her along. She latched right away. I got so engorged, my milk came in after 2.5-3 days and it was painful. I looked like a porn star. In fact, I called my friend and said "no wonder men like fake breasts - they must remind them of their mom!" I remember feeling like a salad: I had cabbage leaves in my bra to help with the engorgement and seaweed in my panties to help with tearing.

Learning to nurse was painful. I never had cracked or bleeding nipples, or mastitis, or even a plugged duct but I did have a forceful let down and looking back, I think a bit of an over supply. Thus, DD had some latching issues but we kept going. DD is 8 months old now and still mostly EBF. We do self feeding and sometimes she's interested in solids, other times not. It certainly changes the smell and consistency of her poop, tho, whew! She gained fast and furious in the beginning and she's tapered off lately, but she's long and has a few cute creases, but no rolls :love

I figured I would nurse at the very minimum one year, probably two. I want to start charting because I still haven't had a post partum period. DH and I are not using any form of BC except nursing :innocent The other day my mom and I were talking (she nursed my sister 4 months and me 9 months) and she mentioned her least favorite part of nursing was weaning. We looked at each other and started laughing as I said "well, I probably won't have that problem!" At first, both Moms were surprised that I haven't started to wean her but now no one has a problem with it. I just keep explaining the benefits to baby and myself... We have a history of breast cancer on both sides so when I espouse the benefits of extended nursing for the mom - they listen.

Nursing in public isn't my favorite thing to do but we've done it plenty. I use a nursing cover (bebe au lait) sometimes, not always. I almost always wear a nursing tank and a shirt over it so my tummy doesn't come rolling out the sides of my skirt - at least not in an obvious way. :wink I never mastered nursing in a wrap or sling. I think my boobs are too big/low to get that right. A couple weeks ago I nursed her through an entire tour of a historical sight. I held her in my arms and walked with her for an hour. I don't think anyone realized we were nursing.

We co sleep. I haven't attempted to night wean her. I just finished school and she had reverse cycled while I was in class so night time was when she got the bulk of her nutrition. She's slowly coming back to a regular schedule. We nurse on cue, sometimes we're both so distracted we go quite a while between feedings. She is MUCH more easily distracted now that we have to be in a quite, dark place to nurse or she pops on and off to look at everything.

[Bellabaz]

I really wanted to breastfeed. I tried what I could to prepare myself, but I didn't really know anyone who had done it. None told me about the possibility of bleeding cracked nips. I didn't have the knowledge or support I needed to so I ended up exclusively pumping for a year. I learned so much thouigh through the experience that I will be much better prepared next time.
I had mastitis, thrush and nerve damage. I had supply problems around month 4-5. We went to an LC becuase I had been in pain for 3 months, not realizing it wasn't normal. I thought it was just my body adjusting. She was so helpful and explained alot. Then I started going to LLL meetings and they were fantastic. Exclusively pumping wasn't that bad but there were a lot of times when I wished I were nursing so I didn't have to steal back to teh car to pump. But I pumped just about everywhere, hiking, camping, hostels, highways, on a plane. I was happy I could at least do that for my baby.

[Writerbird]

I only knew two people who breastfed. My mother breastfed me for six months (and then she got the "breastmilk isn't any good after six months" speech and believed it), but my mother is not the type to talk about things - I did not know about the time/reason for quitting until just a few weeks ago.

I did a lot of research (final count was 72 books) during my pregnancy, and came to the conclusion that I needed to breastfeed for at least six months, and that at least a year would be better. I read Womanly Art, of course, along with the Companion, the Answers, and Martha Sears. If it was possible to learn it from a book, I learned it. On the advice of these books, I rang for the nurse every time I fed my son at the hospital to check my latch and positioning.

I was horribly conflicted, though. I've always considered my breasts to be primarily sexual, and I am very, very modest. My breasts didn't grow at all during pregnancy, and I never had any leakage, so I was concerned about supply.

My son came earlier than I expected, and was under seven pounds. The pediatrician had me come in for daily weight checks, and by day four was muttering about supplementing with formula. Every bit of reading I'd done said he would lose weight in the first week, so I put my foot down about the daily checks. I told her I'd be back in a week, sooner if he looked dehydrated, and I went home with a very "do or die" feeling.

Nursing was not fun. I didn't feel my milk "come in," and to this day I've never felt what the books described as "let down." I got no hormone rushes, no sense of rightness, no peace. No cracks or bleeding or blisters, either, so at least there was some balance. The worst I had was a plugged duct, easily recognized and treated because of my prenatal research, and of course some rawness from being sucked on for most of the time my baby was awake. I still hated it, hated being exposed even though it was in my home, hated the loss of a vital part of my feeling like a sexual, sexy person.

But my son gained nearly a pound in that one week. I felt like I'd done right by him. And my husband was a rock of support, even though his mother was a formula champion.

I decided to give it the thirty days the books said I'd need to form a solid nursing relationship. I still might have quit if it hadn't been for my husband, my two breastfeeding friends, and my DDC here. It's too lonely. The LLL group nearest to me in my early weeks was comprised of a lot of judgmental zealots, and I felt like confessing my mental conflicts would not be safe. But I remember clearly that Day 29 was the effortless, enjoyable experience I was "promised." :lol

My next challenge was nursing in public, and it turned out to be anticlimactic. The first few times I went out with my husband and had him check my exposure. That's when I found out that it really does just look like I'm holding our baby, and I never tried a coverup of any kind past our first outing, as that draws the very attention I want desperately to avoid.

Anyway. He's 15 weeks old on Saturday, and I'm 100% converted. Before it was an intellectual exercise of wanting my son to have the benefits of breastmilk, but breastfeeding was something alien. Now it's a nursing relationship, and it feels right.

[QueenOfTheMeadow]

I have a funny NIP story. About a week after ds2 was born, I was hankering for a steak. So we went out to Bugaboo Creek. Now, if you haven't been there, they have fake animals as mounts on the wall, and every once in awhile, the animals will talk or sing a song, or whatever. Well, it was the first time that I had been out since ds2 was born and I didn't dress very appropriately. I didn't really have any clothes that fit or were clean other than a pair of overalls and a button down shirt. So about half way through dinner, ds2 wakes up and is hungry. So in order to make this work, I had to unbuckle the overalls and unbotton the shirt from the top down, because it was too tight to go the other way. As soon as I got this done, my breat hugely engorged with milk, hanging in the breeze, the fish above our table bursts out in song! Everyone in the restaurant turns around to our table to look, and there I am in all my womanly glory. I get laughing so hard I can hardly get ds2 latched on and milk is spraying all over the table. It was one of my funniest breastfeeding moments ever!

[heidirk]

That has got to be the funniest NIP story I ever heard!

I went to WIC the other day, and one of the questions they ask is, "and how are you planning to feed this baby?" I said, "I will be breastfeeding, I was able to exclusively BF Hen until I got pregnant this time."
raised eyebrows. . ."So you fed him for over a year!? Wow!" :shrug

Even though my birth and nursing story was dicey for us, I am longing to hold and nurse this new baby. I know things will be easier because I now have nipples, and I've done it before, sheild, mastitis, thrush, cosleeping. . . the whole shebang.


I am grateful to be a Momma, and I feel very blessed to have been able to nurse DS for 18 mos. My goal had been a year.

Thanks for all the stories, Mommas.
I haev one question. . . How do I avoid an oversupply this time?

[~Calla~]

My breastfeeding experience with my first couldn't have been more picture perfect, IMO. Jack was born, and immediately was given to me to nurse. I wasn't sure I would like breastfeeding. My mother had breastfed both of her kids, so I had learned from her about the importance, but hadn't decided if it was for me.........I wasn't nearly as crunchy then as I am now.:D

Anyway, he was born in a hospital, and took to latching on immediately. It hurt, but the cramps were worse, NOONE told me about those! What surprised me, is that he wasn't allowed to be with me all night in the hospital, only for "their" feedings. I made sure he wasn't given formula. No matter how tired and sore i was, I went back to that nursery all night long to get him so I could breastfeed. The nurses commented to me how dedicated I was. It really didn't seem like dedication at all, it seemed like mothering.

When we arrived home, he was probably nursing almost every hour and a half. It drained me. He wasn't a good sleeper either, so I was up around the clock. I can remember getting knocked down with a terrible cold when he was 3 weeks old. I was concerned that breastfeeding could make him sick. No one had told me that the opposite was true, until I talked to a La Leche League leader. I felt so good knowing that I was possibly preventing him from catching my cold.

Basically from the start, I began feeling like a breastfeeding warrior. I couldn't believe I even considered not doing it. It was amazing, and empowering to know that I was doing what nature intended. jack nursed until he was 19 months old. He weaned himself, but now looking back, it may have been a nursing strike. I know better with my LO now to keep trying.

When I had dd....it was second nature. She's a beautiful nursling, and she took to it naturally, without a hitch. She's just like Jack, down to business, and she's done. I wish sometimes she would relax a little more, but that's what night nursing is for, right? I can enjoy it more at night when she's calm. I plan on doing child led weaning.

I have had a life changing experience breastfeeding. It has made me more conscience of my world. It's made me feel beautiful, and bonded with my children. Back to nature in a sense. I'll cherish these moments forever.:happyt:

[rhiasmum]

I also always knew I wanted to breastfeed. I'm the oldest of three and we were all breastfed - even though my mom came from a family of six and none were breastfed. I never considered formula and was a staunch anti-formula pregnant woman with my first pregnancy.
Dd#1 was born by c-section - and so our nursing issues began. I was so full of fluids that my nipples wouldn't/couldn't pop out for her to nurse. I was in a breastfeeding friendly, small hospital with wonderful IBCLC's. Unfortunately most of them worked the day shift so when they went home, night time was tough for us. One night I had a nurse sitting next to me while I was trying to get dd to latch on whispering, "You can give her a bottle of formula. She's starving." New mommyhood, not wanting to starve my child and general exhaustion had set in and I gave in. The next morning the IBCLC nurse came in, looked at my dd's chart and asked, "Who gave this child formula?". I told her the nurse last night told me I was starving her so I said ok. She looked me right in the eye and told me I wasn't starving my baby and that if I wanted to give her formula that was fine but I needed to make a decision. I told her I wanted to breastfeed.
Of course dd#1 lost some weight and the ped wanted me to supplement. Thank goodness the hospital had a breastfeeding support group run by the IBCLC nurse we had in the hospital and two CLC's. They told me breastmilk has more calories than regular formula and if they wanted dd to gain weight why would I stop nursing her? The other moms also related their similar stories and I felt confident I could do this. We did and I nursed dd#1 until she was 19 1/2 months old and I realized I was pg. She kept patting my breasts telling me the milk was all gone.
Dd#2 was born by emergency c-section. I got to hold her for 10 minutes and attempt to nurse her before she was taken from me for over 3 hours for tests. She had IV antibiotics for her first 48 hours and was very sleepy. She was not interested in eating. I was hoping not to have the issues we had with dd#1. We were not that fortunate.
Dd#2 wasn't back to birth weight by her 6 week checkup. I was nursing her constantly, skin on skin, etc. The ped came up with a plan of supplementing, pumping and adding formula to the breastmilk. I cried with every bottle but she gained weight. The ped told me I could stop pumping as she'd probably never latch on again. I went home and stopped pumping - I put her right to breast. I would nurse her and if she was still hungry I'd give her a bottle. Eventually she stopped needing the supplement of formula. She's over 9 months old now and is breastfed.
She's developed some food allergies but we're dealing with it. She's doing great. From being in the 2nd percentile for weight she's now in the 50th. I never gave up. I knew from my experience with my first dd that we could do this. It was definetly a challenge and with dd#2 I thought many times of giving up but I knew that I would miss this time with her. Plus I believe that breast milk is the best. Especially where she's had these food allergies.
After having two children and all the issues involved my mantra has been stick to it, it's worth it and it will all work out in the end. I think our society is too quick to give up, thinking everything should be easy and convenient. I read books before my first dd on breastfeeding but none of them covered what we went through. I thank God everyday for the wonderful support group we found and still attend.
My dh is extremely supportive. While I was having meltdowns, pumping and a hungry baby crying, he did whatever he could. He told me numerous times I could do this - I had done it before. He's take our toddler out so I could rest and concentrate on dd#2. Education and support are what's needed I believe for any mom to breastfeed successfully. It saddens me how much misinformation I've received from OB/GYNs, pediatricians and nurses who work for them about nursing.
I don't know how long dd#2 will nurse. I'm just grateful she's nursing now. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

[OTMomma]

I'm lucky- my mom nursed me for 15 months and my brother for a year. I know my dh's mom also nursed him "until he could unbutton her shirt" LOL So I never questioned I would breastfeed my children. While pregnant with my first, I read books and attended a breastfeeding class. I had never really seen anyone nurse a baby before though- at least not as an adult, and so I felt I really needed the pictures in the books to explain how I would be able to hold the baby to the breast.

Dd was born full term, and latched right on. Unfortunately she had a bad latch, by day 2, I had cracked and bleeding nipples. Thankfully my hospital had a good LC who worked with us on that latch for a week, I also developed thrush due to antibiotics during labor. I am so glad I had read about nursing, because it had prepared me to know that I could work through potential problems. My mom had never had those kinds of problems with nursing (and my MIL was deceased), so she was really no help for advice. But she and dh were both great during those early days and weeks at helping with everything else that could possibly need done, and getting me food and drinks. By the time dd was 6 weeks nursing was easy.

I had thought I would nurse for one year- because that's what you do, right? But then dd turned one, and she was still a baby! She didn't have a full set of teeth, and wasn't interested in a full range of foods, so how could I wean her I thought? Suddenly, my support system was gone though, everyone I knew seemed to think nursing past a year was weird. But then my chiropractor had a copy of Mothering magazine in her office, and talked some with me about extended nursnig. I found MDC and suddenly had support to keep nursing!! The nearest LLL meeting to me was an hour's drive away, dd hated the car, so I never was able to go. But with the support I found here, I ended up nursing dd for 3 years and 3 months. I can't say it was fully CLW, I forced night weaning when I was too tired to function when she was 2, and I gently encouraged her to nurse less. But I'm really proud that we nursed so long, and I worked with dd to wean when she was ready.

With dd I NIP like I thought it was a public service announcement- and she was SO helpful about that. She nursed in the sling, she nursed like a pro, almost never leaving me hanging out, getting right down to business. But at 18 months, dh convinced me we needed to stop NIP, even though I had never had a negative comment from a stranger. For whatever reason, dh is uncomfortable with me NIP, he doesn't care about other women doing it, that's fine, but... however, he was always wonderfully supportive of me choosing to EBF and helping at home.

When ds was born, I was prepared for the first 2 weeks to again be hell. But it wasn't. He was 2 full pounds bigger than his sister, and nursed like he had been doing it for months. No nipple pain, no thrush (homebirth this time), but at 2 weeks, mastitis. I've had a number of bouts of mastitis, it seems to be related to getting dehydrated, so I watch my liquid intake more now. Ds is now 11 months, and nursing him has been so different. He almost never wants to NIP, he's just too interested in everything else when we are out. He's also much more interested in food than dd was, and has more teeth. I wonder if he'll nurse as long as she did, but only time will tell.

Interestingly though, a few days ago we were on a family vacation in Chattanooga, TN, and I nursed ds at the Aquarium there. It made dh very uncomfortable, but while nursing, I had 2 seperate mamas approach me and thank me for nursing an older baby in public! One woman taught bfing classes and the other said her 2 year old was still nursing and she had no support, and it was just nice to see someone else nurse. It made me feel SO good.

[nanay2bella]

hello! i just watched a short video of a newborn baby on youtube doing the breast crawl. it is amazing.i want you guys to see it too. It will change the views of the skeptics.:lactivist::rocks

[mouso]

I love reading all your stories, mamas! Hopefully they can help and inspire other mamas.

Here's mine:

I always thought I would BF b/c that's just what you should do. My mom Bfed me and my brother. I never really thought about it too much, or thought about formula either. I did take a BFing class at the B. Center before DD was born so I knew what to expect, more or less.
DD was born in a birth center and put directly on my chest. She latched on and nursed for the next 2 hours. When I got up to clean up and she snuggled in with DH I saw that both nipples were completely covered with small blisters- already!

Those blisters turned into cuts and took a long time to heal. I was pumping and trying to feed DD as well as nurse when I could take the pain. They could see nothing wrong with her latch. Finally they healed but nursing remained painful. Eventually we were diagnosed with thrush which took 2 months to get rid of. I also had recurring plugged ducts at least twice a week for the first few months. Taking Lecithin capsules reallly helped with those- as well as heat and massage and nursing in all kinds of crazy positions. Although I got ill feeling a couple of times from them I always managed to unplug the duct before getting mastitis. Phew!

I was lucky and was able to go to the BC once a week and talk with the nurses, weigh DD, etc. Without their support I don't know how long I would have lasted. :love

It was so difficult to be in pain all the time. I did tons of research on BFing and FFing because I was so desperate to give it up and be out of pain. Of course, I just cemented the knowledge that BFing was so important if you can do it. So I continued on. I thought I would make it to 6 months and then think again.

I was diagnosed with thrush, painful letdown, oversupply and Reynaud's. DD's mouth was small so her latch was pinching me (they finally figured that out!), that didn't get better until she grew more. We nursed exclusively in the football hold for the first 2 months. I thought I'd never be able to nurse "normally" and have her latch on properly.

But it got better. My mom once said to me "You can't BF out of guilt." and I said "Watch me!" I loved the look on her face when she'd get near the boob. How excited when she smelled me. And by 6 months I was loving nursing her and so very happy I had continued.

Seriously, it is one of the things I'm most proud of. I stuck it out and we are still going at 17 months- and I always thought I'd wean at 1. Now I'm thinking 2 years, but we'll see- This girl loves her "Boo boo!" :love

And I am always here for a PM for support or advice if you feel I can help you!

[detroitgirl77]

I always knew that when I had kids that I would breastfeed. My mom breastfed all 4 of us kids for about 6-8 months, but I was breastfed for only 5 months as her milk dried up suddenly--she was pregnant w/ my brother--we are 13 months apart. We never had formula, as this was the late 70's/early 80's we went straight to cows milk.

I had ds1 on December 20, 2005. I was planning on a natural childbirth, but he ended up being born by c section due to me have tetonic contractions, which caused his cord to become compressed and limiting oxygen to him. I didn't get to nurse him until about 6 hours after he was born. We had latch issues from the start, since the nurses gave him a bit of formula. I was finally able to get him to latch on, but he tore up my nipples--they were cracking, bleeding,etc--so much pain. My milk came in within 48 hours of delivery. Come Christmas day, 5 days later, I am feeling so out of it--no appetite, forcing myse