Breastfeeding & Perseverance

You might be asking yourself, why the heck is she talking about this? I'm talking about breastfeeding because God has been faithful and good to us. If you didn't get the chance to read Caleb's birth story or the post about Brenner Children's Hospital then you can do that here and here. But if you don't feel like reading all that, let me just say that my son was taken via helicopter to the NICU at another hospital due to complications he experienced during birth. Because of that I was not given the chance to nurse him until two days after his birth. This made for a difficult experience.

Let me back up a little. Caleb was introduced to a bottle and to formula in the NICU because he needed food and at the time I wasn't physically able to be there with him. I am not upset that he was given formula, in fact, I'm very grateful that the nurses at BCH were able to feed his grumbling tummy. It was the worst feeling in the world when he was at Morehead with me and I watched his little mouth move and hear him cry because he was hungry and I wasn't allowed to nurse him. So, for those women in situations like mine, I'm glad formula is available to still provide the nutrients a baby needs. However, I was undeterred in my pursuit of being able to breastfeed my child. It's an experience I wanted to have, and it made me feel like it would help us to bond.

Courtesyof http://www.aabreastfeeding.com

So at BCH, the nurses created some privacy in the pod our son was in by setting up a curtain get-up around us and we used the Brest Friend pillow (see image to right) for support to hold him. Obviously I knew that my boob was to go in his mouth, but what I struggled with was getting him to latch. Latching, is when the baby "grasps" and actually gets a hold of the nipple, well enough to actually suck and get milk out of the breast. Because of nipple confusion he cried and cried and cried. He would not grasp my nipple the same as he did the nipple on the bottles the nurses gave him. I was offered a nipple shield (see image below) which helped, but without that, he would not latch. And even after we got home and continued to use the nipple shield, it would get wet from his saliva and the milk then it would come off. I started using a pump so that he would continue to get breast milk and it was neat being able to have other people feed him, but I still wanted that experience of nursing my son.

Medela Nipple Shield

Medela Soft Shells

With the encouragement of my husband and I mother I tried to nurse Caleb again. However, it was heartbreaking hearing my son cry out of his frustration and watch him struggle to latch. I too began to cry and felt frustrated and defeated. I didn't know what I was doing wrong. After talking with some friends who were determined to help me, I contacted a midwife in Roanoke. That was the best decision ever! She basically explained that my son had a posterior tongue tie (also confirmed by his pediatrician) and that it was causing his tongue not to reach out as far which made it difficult for him to latch. The second strike against was that she also explained that I had flat nipples. Whoa, say what?!?! I had no idea!!! She encouraged that I use soft shells (see image above right) to help ease the pain of the nipples toughening up and to help with my nipple issue. During our visit with her, she showed me a few techniques that could help Caleb to latch and some things we could do to help with his tongue tie. With her advice and tips, Caleb was finally able to latch, and he has been doing so ever since February 6th! Caleb now loves the booby and he doesn't struggle at all to latch anymore! It was a tough six weeks, and goodness knows I felt chained to that pump, but God through his love and kindness granted me a desire that I longed for and I owe him all the glory! Breastfeeding is as amazing as I thought it would be and I love knowing I can provide for my son, all on my own. I was able to persevere and I encourage other women out there to not give up! I felt embarrassed and allowed my pride to prevent me from seeking help, but learn from me and don't let that be you!