When I first decided to BF it was because I had read that BF helped GREATLY with a babies immune system. I knew that Carter would be pretty tiny when winter came around so I wanted to do anything in my power to make sure he didn't catch anything. I mean that AND I didn't want to have to BUY formula.
Pretty much NO one in my family had ever breast fed for longer then a month or two, even going back to my gma. SO I really didn't have anyone to ask for advice. When I started I had said that I wanted to Exclusively pump (kinda) one of my cousins was doing this and it seemed so easy! I mean you just give the baby a bottle :) (oh how wrong I was). Soooooo when Carter was born and he didn't latch I thought No Big Deal, he'll learn eventually right?
Wellllll, that was until we were in the hospital and the only time that Carter would latch was when a nurse or LC would help us. other then that he would just scream and scream and scream. When we got out of the hospital all he did was scream his head off when I tried to get him to eat, put this on top of he fact that we had company that HAD to see us as soon as we got home from the hospital, (to say I was stressed was an understatement). I just could not understand why he would not latch on. He would latch and then unlatch and then be done with it, so naturally I started thinking he was getting enough right? I mean he doesn't want it. Oh AND Carter would sleep for hours and hours and I would try to get him to wake up and he wouldn't, doctor said take his clothes off pamper off everything and there was my baby soundly sleeping. I figured we were going back to the doctors in a couple of days so we would be fine. ON top of that my milk hadn't come in yet. SO we go back to the doctor when Carter was 3 days old AND they weigh him and he was down to 7 lbs 1 oz...down from 7 lbs 11 oz from birth! I was devastated I knew for sure now that I was starving him :( Never in my life did I feel so helpless.
I had an appointment right after with the LC and she was trying to get him to latch and then she asked me a question, to be honest she could have asked me what Carter's name was but I broke down crying. I just told her everything and that I felt like I was starving my baby, what made me feel worse was that there were other moms in there and they seemed to be BF just fine, milk was spilling all over them and their babies. She explained to me that some peoples milk takes longer to come in and that I was doing everything right, BUT we would have to supplement with formula until my breastmilk came in because Carter was hungry and he wasn't able to suck hard enough to pull the colostrum (spelling, I have no idea) out and make my milk come in BUT she told me NOT to feed him MORE then ONE oz. Seemed like such a little bit BUT she explained that if I fed him the whole two ounces that the bottle was, there was no way that my milk supply would catch up to his needs from formula..she also told me to get a pump and start pumping every single two hours until my milk came in and to go back and see her in 2 days.
well thankfully we ONLY had to supplement Carter that one day, and my milk came in that next morning thankfully. I tried to get Carter to latch and NOTHING. I kept pumping AND two days later I was still pumping and he would still not latch. That was until we went to the LC again, and low and behold Carter could latch on! 0.0 sure he could latch when we were in company of a professional! I was ecstatic! Couldn't believe he FINALLY latched (I know that I said only 3 days) but when you are pumping every two hours and ON top of those 15 minutes at a pump you then have to feed the baby a bottle it's hard! So I felt good, HOOORAY Carter was ready to BF normal. Got home and NOTHING! Still wouldn't latch -.- trickster!!!
Kept pumping and feeding for about a week or two and then I made another appt with the LC and when I got there I explained my problem, and then she gave me a MAGICALLY tool!!! A nipple shield! I swear if it wasn't for that thing I would NEVER have been able to get Carter to latch I'm positive of that! but with that little thing attached he would latch perfect! NEVER have I ever felt so accomplished in my life!! we used the shield for about 3 weeks and then one day I forgot it and tried without it and Carter was perfectly fine latching without it. It was amazing!
AND now ALMOST 6 months later Carter is still completely EBF :)
Soooo any of you ladies BF or planning on BF it is hard man it is true probably one of the most frustrating things you will ever do in your entire life (in the beginning) BUT after those first 6-8 weeks it is the MOST amazing thing EVER!
