Breast is Best...says the mom of a previous formula fed baby

This is the breastfeeding saga of Charlotte and the boob. I want to start by saying that when I had Clayton I was interested in breastfeeding because I thought that was what I was supposed to do, not because I felt like it was best and I believe that because I had not personally decided to put my whole self into BF him I was able to walk away from it. With Charlotte I had/have a different outlook on it. I want to do this for her, I want to save the money that I would spend on formula and I want to prove to myself and others that I can do it. I read somewhere that if you did not BF your first child you are even less likely to BF your second and I can see that but for me it was the opposite. Clayton was not sick one time until he was 15 months old and he is very bright child and he was formula fed after his 3rd week of life so I can say from experience that formula fed babies are just as capable of having immunity and brain development as BF babies...but this blog is about how Charlotte and I are conquering BF.

Right after she was born the nurse asked if I wanted to try to nurse. I said yes please! I knew it was not going to be easy and I was not looking forward to the horrible cramping that comes with it right in the beginning (at least for me) but I wanted to get into it as soon as possible with the help of the nurses and lactation consultant. From the first try she latched on pretty well and I felt pretty comfortable. Things were going well in the hospital and she was never given a bottle and I felt like she was getting the hang of things. And the we got home...she stopped latching as well and stopped wanting to feed from the right breast AT ALL. I know that babies will favor one breast over the other but she wanted NOTHING to do with the right one. Needless to say my already sore boobs were really hurting from this! Luckily because she had to go into the Dr everyday after she was born to have her bili levels checked I was able to talk to a nurse everyday and get the help I needed. Don't be fooled though I enlisted the help of my friend Google. I read some sights and reviews that mentioned using a breast shield to help with the latching. I have a few friends that had used these and said it was a slippery slope to a disaster but that it helped with the initial latching problem. I mentioned it to the nurse on one of the days we were in to check Charlotte's levels and she offered me the same advise about the sheild that my friends had...could lessen supply, baby can become dependent, may not help the problem at all while introducing a different kind of nipple to early in the BF process. But since we had to give her some formula for weight gain (she was borderline readmitted for weight loss) we tried the shield anyway.

We tried it while in the hospital so the nurse could monitor and assist. She latched on immediately with the sheild! The nurse had Charlotte suck on her finger and realized that her soft palate which is what initiates the sucking reflex is REALLY far back and my natural nipple does not reach it therefore not signaling to her that she needs to suck. The shield does reach it and that's why she is able to suck and latch on so well with it. We are still using at 7 weeks and there are some problems...she is dependent on it most of the time of the left and always on the right. I start with it and can take it away sometimes after a few minutes but it makes it so hard to nurse anywhere other than home where I can nurse openly without the cover, which she hates anyway!

For a little while I was convinced she was tongue tied. It was as if she could not stick her tongue out at all. We talked to the pediatrician about it at her 2 week check up and he said she would outgrow it and sure enough just 4 weeks later it is already better.

So once she started latching (with the shield) I noticed that she seemed to be chocking when she would nurse, especially in the morning which is the longest stretch without feeding. She would push away and spit out milk all over me and her. So back to Google I go and it sounded just like I had an overactive let down. Meaning that once she started sucking I was virtually chocking her and she was unable to control the flow with her tongue and didn't know what to do once the milk was in her mouth. I read all kinds of tips on how to control it including to lean back a little so that gravity was not working with the flow and to pump a little before nursing to relieve myself before she tries to nurse. All great advise and it has helped tremendously. But I believe that a strict feeding schedule and my body adjusting to the schedule has been the real key!

Speaking of pumping though I can pump on average 5 oz in 20 minutes and I do it usually once a day. In the morning when I am the fullest. I use the Playtex Petite Double Pump and really like it because it is small and easy to travel with and works with any bottle on the market except Advent!

  

She takes a bottle well unless it is an all day thing. There have been two times that she has had to bottle feed more than 3 of her feedings and she had a horrible gas night! 

 This is Charlotte's shelf

Back to the overactive let down for a second. While I have figured out how to handle it while nursing I still leak a ton on the non nursing breast. I had read about these things called Milkies when I was pregnant. Basically it is large breast pad looking thing that you place in your bra on the non nursing side and it catches the leaking milk that naurally comes down when your milk lets down on the nursing side. I thought I would never have enough leaking milk to matter...I was wrong! I realized I was leaking so much and decided to try these crazy things. There are times I can get an oz or more of leaked milk! That is just milk that was wasting away in my breast pad that I can now transfer to a storage bag and use later..yes please!! Oh plus I have saved on breast pads because there is not nearly the leaking as before!

  Between the pumping and the Milkies I can usually have around 8oz of stored formula a day. I don't pump everyday and I usually only use it when I am out without her or we are in a place I don't feel comfortable feeding.

I love this First Years milk storage organizer. It stores the milk upright and keeps it from mixing with the other stuff in the freezer like meat.

My original goal was to BF past the point I did with Clayton and I have done that. So then I said 6 weeks and I have done that. My new goal is 3 months. 

There are so many BF products out there and it is nice to try different brands and types but I am usually the type of person when I find something that works well I stick with it.

My favorites:

Medela Nipple Cream

Breast Pads:

 

Advent best for the price

 Lansinoh is best all around but more pricy

Boppy

 So great for posture and positioning. I have 3: one for each level of the house and one for the car!

Newborn Booster for the Boopy

Very useful!!

Hopefully in a few months I will post a blog saying that I made it to 3 months and plan to keep going!!