Experience in Breastfeeding Part 1

Yesterday I posted facts and tips about breastfeeding. Today I am going to share with you some of my experiences in breastfeeding my first child...some of these recollections will be silly and some of them will haunt you. :|

Pre-birth:
          Before Luci was born, my doctor asked me if I planned to formula feed my child, exclusively breastfeed, or a little bit of both. Because I had researched so much on breastfeeding, my dedication to breastfeeding was strong. I told her I would definitely be breastfeeding. She informed me that the hospital strongly encouraged breastfeeding and would do everything they could to aid me in this decision. This meant that I would get to feed my baby as soon as I was in recovery (if my c-section went well). The nurses would not give my baby formula or sugar water while awaiting the end of my surgery. The nurses told me that my baby would not be hungry for hours after birth, but would display signs of hunger out of instinct. This is why they were going to bring my baby to me asap; the instinct would be strong for the baby and would help in beginning breastfeeding.



In the hospital:
         What they did not anticipate is that Luci would come out starving. She was a little grizzly cub as soon as she was born. She wailed until I was able to feed her. She was so eager to feed that she became a barracuda. Luci latched on with enthusiasm and nursed for nearly an hour. The results was a satisfied baby with a tummy full of nourishing colostrum and a exhausted mommy with a blistered nipple (not exaggerating). I was lucky enough to have AMAZING help in the hospital through the nursing staff. Many of the nurses had their own children and were able to help me with positioning Luci and getting her to latch correctly (I recommend you ask your hospital about their stand on breastfeeding and what support they can offer). Because I had a c-section, I used the "football hold. This position worked well for us until Luci got bigger; then it became harder for me to tuck her until my elbow. I was in the hospital for 3 days, so I had a lot of opportunities for help. I loved that my nurses were hands on....which sounds really uncomfortable, but really, when some one seen your insides, your boobs don't seem like a big deal....plus your exhausted normally and just want help. The nurses broke Luci's vampire latch for me when I was afraid of hurting her (breaking a latch doesn't hurt your baby btw), they showed me how to massage my breast to encourage let-down, and checked to see that Luci had latched correctly (which when you have big ta-tas like me, can mean maneuvering around the boob).

Football hold

Alex was not prepared for the hands-on approach. He took it in stride when the nurses were hands-on with me....he was a caught off guard when one nurse was telling me about nursing her child and grabbed her boob (over her shirt) to illustrate; which she nor I thought anything of enough to notice it. However, his eyes only bugged out for a moment and then he was over it. My only miserable experience with nursing in the hospital was when Luci latched incorrectly. Most of the nurses had told me it shouldn't hurt, one nurse said you can be sore the first couple days. During one feeding, I had an excruciating pain right when Luci latched on. It was so terrible I was near tears. I figured it was probably because I had a blistered nipple. I was holding my breath because I was in pain when one of the nurses asked if I was ok. I told her how it hurt. To my surprise, it was just the way she was latched. The nurse rushed over, broke the latch and helped me latch Luci on correctly. I learned that there are ways to tell if a baby is latched correctly: their bottom lip is pouted out (both should be slightly pouted), there are no gaps, most of your nipple is in their mouth, you see their ear's "wiggling" or the check muscle move all the way to the ear.

Pre-return to work:

Poop Face

       When I got home, I found that I was most comfortable if I was entirely lazy in my nursing. I would pull the coffee table to about a half foot from the couch and use it as a footrest; which would make my knees pull up half way to my chest. This created a great prop to rest the baby on while I nursed her. We took to nursing with ease; which isn't fair to mothers who struggle with it. Like any Tlingit woman, Luci loved to eat. She nursed about every hour to 2 hours. This pretty much meant that I didn't leave the couch. It was nice because I had a reason to watch all 6 seasons of Lost. I went from the bed to the couch for about four weeks. I was recovering from a c-section, so returning to work took longer than expected. The problem that I had is one that I believe most new moms experience...I felt trapped. I didn't want to leave the house because I was afraid my child would cry because she was hungry, tired, or needed a diaper change.  So I sat at home like a crazy person and took a million videos of my baby's poop-faces. I took pictures of Luci nursing (sounds weird, but when you are sleep deprived and shut-in, somethings seem worth sharing...don't worry I didn't).


To be continued....