Cristy's Breastfeeding Story.
I admit that as a young adult I gave little thought to breastfeeding except to think it was inappropriate for women to do in public, and that it would be easier and more respectful to everyone around to give the baby a bottle. It wasn't until I was expecting myself that I began to actually consider breastfeeding. I had heard of the health benefits, and I thought if I could just stick it out for a month or two, it would benefit my baby without inconveniencing me too much. I was inspired by my best friend who had just had a baby and had a wonderful nursing relationship, but I remember thinking she was crazy to plan to do it for a year or more.When my son was born, I nursed him within the hour of his birth and it went rather well, although he was too tired to nurse long. I really felt a sense of accomplishment, as I had been very nervous after hearing all of the nursing failure stories. The next few days were sort of difficult, however. Little Kyle was a very sleepy eater, and we constantly had to "pester" him to keep him awake and eating. I was frustrated and worried that he was not gaining properly, especially after his 2 day checkup which showed he had lost almost a pound and worried the nurses. On the advice of a lactation consultant, we decided to supplement him with formula using an SNS (supplementary nutrition system) because my milk had not come in. This is a little cylinder filled with formula that has tiny tubes coming out of it which can be taped to the nipples so the baby gets formula as he nurses, stimulating milk production at the same time. We were very opposed to using bottles for fear of nipple confusion, so this was a nice alternative. We used it sparingly (less than 3 oz/day) for 3 days until my milk came in. We still had a fairly difficult couple of weeks, as he would still doze off while eating, then wake hungry 45 min later. I kept a record of all feedings (as well as all soiled diapers) and looking back I once nursed him 19 times in a 24 hour period. Talk about exhausting!
He got a little better at finishing his meals after that, and would nurse about every hour and a half during the day and every 3-4 hours at night. The feedings gradually got further apart, until he was sleeping through the night (about 7-8 hours) at 3 mos and was nursing about every 3 hours by 4 mos. By then our nursing relationship was so important to me (and I hoped to him) that I wouldn't even consider giving it up. I knew I would nurse him for a year at least, and I did end up nursing him 13 mos (I only weaned then because I became pregnant and was having a difficult time eating well enough to provide nutrition for 3 people).
We did have some difficult times, when he would go through a distracted phase and seemed more interested in anything but nursing, but with the help of my real life and internet friends we persevered. I feel very proud of the fact that I nursed my son because I know it helped him to be healthier (he was rarely ill), helped us to bond better, and saved the family hundreds of dollars! I have to give special credit for our success to my wonderful husband; without his support and encouragement I might have given up during the difficult times.
Cristy
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