Hey folks! I felt like sharing my
breastfeeding struggles today for two reasons: 1) To vent, because
this is my blog. Hear me roar. ;) and 2) In hopes that other new moms
out there who might be struggling come across this post and know
they're not alone. While I definitely don't think we should go around
telling a bunch of horror stories to expecting or new moms who are
considering breastfeeding and potentially scare them away from even
trying, but I feel like there is this common misconception that
breastfeeding is easy just because it's natural. I, and many other
mothers out there, beg to differ. Here's our story thus far...
I guess it started with Ripley's two
week check-up. She still (supposedly) wasn't gaining weight quite as
fast as she “should” have been, so the doctor suggested seeing
the in-office lactation consultant. I wasn't so much worried about
her weight since she was still gaining and was and still is in the
50th percentile for both height and weight, but I thought
it might be a good idea since it hurt like hell to nurse her on my
left side. Even for being the first time that I had breastfed
exclusively, I knew it wasn't supposed to still hurt that
bad. And so the lactation consultant appointments started.
Normally
I absolutely loathe going to the doctor, but “Kathy”, our LC, has
been great. She has been super helpful. I like that she actually
takes plenty of time for her appointments and even sends helpful
email links for how to build your supply, info on tongue ties, etc.
Speaking of tongue ties...
She's
the one who noticed that Ripley has a tongue tie. So, since nothing
else was really working as far as different positions, working on her
latch, and whatnot to make nursing hurt less, I decided to have it
revised by one of the doctors in the main office she works at. No one
pressured me by any means to have it done, but I originally didn't
want to have it done...until I talked to several people who also had
their children's done and they said how helpful it was.
So,
we had it done (she was actually the first baby he had performed it
on after receiving his training!)...and there wasn't much noticeable
improvement right away. Although I told myself beforehand not to
expect a miracle right away, I couldn't help but feel disheartened.
Especially since a friend of mine had her baby's done a week before
and said it was better instantly as far as the pain went and her
emptying her breasts a lot faster.
Since
it was suggested and our insurance covers it, we started physical
therapy the following week. It's supposed to help loosen muscles that
she may have been overcompensating with and hopefully help her nurse
more effectively. We were also given “exercises” (stretches) to
do with her at home as well. I have to say, the physically therapy
seems to be helping a lot more than the actual tongue and lip tie
procedure. (If you're not familiar with what this is, they snip the
frenulum under the tongue and between the upper gums and top lip.)
While
it's still not perfect, I no longer dread breastfeeding Ripley. I
don't scream and curse when she latches on to my left breast, but,
again, it's still not comfortable by any means. She does seem to be
improving as far as how long it takes her to finish too. Before she
would usually take an hour altogether, by which point she would still
be hungry again a short time later. She seems to be staying sated for
longer, thank God. I was starting to go a little insane. Actually, I
started supplementing with formula around the time she was 3 weeks
old because it was to the point I dreaded feeding her and was crying
almost every time from frustration over it all.
Speaking
of formula, that's a whole other can of worms, kind of. I'm really
trying to wean her off of it altogether. I've been doing what the
lactation consultant suggested and nurse her from both sides each
time and only supplement after if she still acts hungry. Before I was
giving her 2-3 four ounce bottles of formula a day and giving each in
one sitting instead of just a little bit here and there throughout
the day. It's been almost three weeks and we haven't been able to cut
down as much as I would like or was expecting, but hey. I'm sure I
could probably cut the
formula out entirely...but she would literally be attached to me all
day and that's not really feasible, especially with having a 3 year
old as well. But, she's only been having around 6 ounces of formula a
day now, so it's not that bad.
So
yah, we've had all kinds of fun. As usual, I could go into more
detail about certain things, but I'll stop while I'm ahead. Again,
I'm hoping someone out there who may be struggling with breastfeeding
comes across this post and knows they are not alone. I definitely
recommend seeing a lactation consultant if you are able to. If
nothing else, try to find a local breastfeeding group that has
meetings so you can get some help in-person and ask questions from
other women who may have gone through similar issues.
Now,
if you are considering having your child's lip and/or tongue tie
corrected, I have some food for thought on that as well. While there
are many people who notice an improvement with nursing right away,
others, like me, do not. However, having these things corrected can
help avoid speech impediments and dental issues later on. I
definitely recommend seeing a physical therapist of some sort in
conjunction with the procedure. Actually, I would recommend going
beforehand if you are able to see if it helps. You may not even need
to have the revision done if physical therapy helps!
What
breastfeeding issues have you encountered? Did they ever get better
for you or did you struggle during your entire breastfeeding journey?
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