Our breastfeeding journey so far… A first time mom learns the ropes.

Posted on Jul 02 in Life in Evansville, breastfeeding, personal storiesby TalinaPrint

Immediately following birth Everly and I laid skin to skin for about 20 min. The skin to skin contact is said to improve breastfeeding outcome and facilitate bonding between mother and child. While we waited for the umbilical cord to stop pulsating and the placenta to deliver Everly and I just laid there in all our messy glory enjoying each other’s company.

Once the umbilical cord stopped pulsating N cut it and she began to nurse right away. Nursing within the first 30 min or so following birth is highly recommended by lactation consultants when it is possible so we held off on taking her weight and length measurements so I could nurse awhile.

When the time came to inspect the damages Everly and I went our separate ways, she got her measurements taken and I had my tear inspected. It was eventually determined I needed to make a trip to the emergency room since the midwives have never stitched a 4th degree tear back together.

Everly rode with us to the hospital in her new car seat
that N’s family unexpectedly bought for us and she slept the whole time. Once we arrived at the hospital I resumed nursing her.

I’d read that frequent nursing was the best way to guarantee my milk supply and to nourish Everly especially since my milk was not yet in and the small amounts of colostrum she was getting was her only source of nutrition and antibodies.

Unfortunately getting her latched on and feeding properly following my repair work was hard! Since I was unable to sit up the only position I could feed her in was the side-lying hold which isn’t that easy. You only have one hand to position baby and it’s pretty hard to see if you are position baby properly.

Breastfeeding shouldn’t hurt. I got that memo crystal clear from all the reading I did. My breastfeeding was hurting though and one nipple was starting to scab and bleed so I knew things weren’t going as they should. We saw a lactation consultant about three days after Everly was born because I was worried about her not latching on properly.

This breastfeeding malfunction was stressing me out and making me pretty worried, this is why I was so eager to see a consultant and get some hands on guidance.

When mothers have trouble getting the hang of breastfeeding it is very emotional. Baby cries more and is fussy because it is hungry. Then factor in how feeding hurts mom, frustrates her and makes her feel like she is a failure. It is no wonder so many moms give up on breastfeeding!

Luckily for us there was a lady living right there at The Farm who was a lactation consultant that came out to see us. She showed us how to really jam baby on the breast and how N could assist in breastfeeding. The hands on session really did help me and now I feel like we’ve got a handle on getting Everly latched.

The first day and a half following birth Everly had black meconium poop. By day 2 Everly showed signs of adequate colostrum intake with her first greenish poop. We were stoked and relieved to see her poop changing. We also watched her urinating closely.

The lactation consultant informed us that a wet diaper at lease every 24 hours is an important indicator of her heath and food intake. By day 3 my milk changed from colostrum to actual milk and her poop turned orange and “seedy” and has been that way since.

Feeding is no longer hurting. Things are going well if you overlook Everly’s napping during feedings which is a minor inconvenience for me.

We are planning on not using a pacifier. Actually we have several and even tried offering one once but she spit it right out and wouldn’t have anything to do with it. We were advised that allowing baby to suck our finger was a better option.

Also, for feeding she suggested syringe feeding, cups, etc. as opposed to using a bottle when other people are watching/ feeding her. In the early breastfeeding days nipple confusion is a big concern, this is why bottles and pacifiers are avoided until breastfeeding is well established.

What did you learn during your breastfeeding experiences?

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8 Comments

• Judy @ MommyNewsBlog says:

  July 2, 2009 at 2:36 pm

  Congrats on your new baby and on doing so well with your breastfeeding! It can be very difficult in the early days, but I promise – it gets so much better and so much easier! You are doing great. I am at the end of my breastfeeding journey with my son. You can read our story here: http://mommynewsblog.com/gentle-weaning-one-moms-journey-through-breastfeeding/ and here: http://mommynewsblog.com/how-breastfeeding-changed-my-life/
  Judy
  Judy @ MommyNewsBlog´s last blog ..Christmas In July Sale At Our Boutique
• Tabitha says:

  July 2, 2009 at 3:07 pm

  I’m so terrified of “failing” at this. With my DS, who is going to be 2 next week, I was never able to see the lactation consultant, and so other than the feeding immediately after birth, he never latched on and my milk never came in. It was such a sad, sad time. I’m planning on giving it a go again with our next baby, due in a couple of weeks, so wish me luck!
• Memarie Lane says:

  July 2, 2009 at 3:52 pm

  Breastfeeding almost always hurts in the beginning, from my experience. Your nipples have to be conditioned to it. It hurt with all three of mine, horribly,whether with a good latch or a bad one, until my nipples adjusted. Lanolin and nipple shields helped a lot. Different holds work best for different people. For me the side lying position has always been best, because I don’t have to hold the baby up to the nipple and it leaves a hand free to hold a book.
  Memarie Lane´s last blog ..Goodbye
• Becky says:

  July 2, 2009 at 4:42 pm

  With my first child, I gave up after a couple of weeks. It hurt and my insurance didn’t allow for a lactation consult. Plus, I was barely 20 and it seemed so awkward. With my second, I nursed exclusively for 6 months. I had the support I needed, which was a HUGE help. It did hurt though for the first week or so. I got sore, scabbed nipples, but eventually I “toughened up” and it was smooth sailing. I love the little sighs and noises babies make when they’re all snuggled in and eating.
  Becky´s last blog ..Excavators and Skid-Steers
• Nori says:

  July 2, 2009 at 4:49 pm

  First of all, congrats on your new girl! I found this website last week by searching for some info about pelvic bone movement during pregnancy.
  (I’m 13wks now and it’s already started)

  My learning from breastfeeding my first baby (now she’s going to be 4 next week!) was, not to eat any cheese cakes (or anything similar: fatty food) whilst breastfeeding a child. I knew I should but I couldn’t resist a nice cheese cake and bang! I got mastitis (clogged milk duct). I thought I was going to die from it. Very painful! But my mother in law (who was an antinatal teacher) told me putting cabbage leaves on my breast (which became hard like a stone!) would take all the fever away and it really worked like a magic. But never again.

  Anyway, enjoy every minute with your Everly! Lots of warm wishes from Scotland!
• Talina says:

  July 2, 2009 at 4:50 pm

  After the lactation consultant came by and I learned to shove her on the nipple more the pain stopped, it improved immediately.
• Heather says:

  July 2, 2009 at 6:07 pm

  I learned that the right nursing bra makes all the difference! I have some that are like sports bras that unjust unstrap at the top, then after a while I realized I needed a little more support. So I highly suggest an lifting tighter nursing bra…they may be hard to find. Enjoy all that nursing time with Everly….its the best bonding experience!!!
  Heather´s last blog ..16 Weeks!
• Lynn says:

  July 2, 2009 at 8:39 pm

  I learned that flat nipples lead to a baby not being able to latch on no matter how far you cram your boob into their mouths. The lactation consoultant in the hospital was a huge help and they gave me nipple sheilds which I could not have breastfed without. I was only able to breastfeed for the first two weeks. Aubrie is not tolerating my milk nor regular formula. We have had to switch to soy formula for her. she is doing very well on it and I actually miss not breastfeeding her. She latched on with no problem once I used the sheild and with lanolin cream my nipples never cracked or hurt. It was an enjoyable experiance that I am sorry had to come to an end.
  Lynn

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