Holly's Breastfeeding Story.
Looking back eleven years ago, I can't honestly recall putting a lot of thought in my decision to breast feed my first child. I was a new, young mommy who simply wanted to do what was best for my baby. I remember my childbirth educator stating that breast was best so I decided right then and there that this is what I would do.
I did not read too much about the subject. I just assumed that because it was so natural, it would be easy, almost instinctual.
When the time came to deliver my daughter, it was a very easy labor and delivery. Unfortunately, bonding was delayed as she had inhaled thick, meconium into her lungs. She was taken to the NICU for observation for a total of 12 hours.
When the time came for her first feeding, I have to confess that I was clueless. Fortunately, everything clicked and the baby took to breast very well. We very quickly settled into a great breastfeeding relationship. Problems developed rather quickly though. On both sides of the family, no one had breastfeed before. Because this was unknown to our family, they had a lot of concerns about it all. Why couldn't I just bottle feed? The baby clearly wasn't getting enough as she did not immediately sleep through the night. Formula, rice cereal and even whole milk was good enough for the rest of us as infants so why wasn't it good enough for my baby. My husband and I were resolved in our decision to breastfeed our child but I have to confess that the lack of support from our family made it extremely difficult.
Another problem developed with Holly. She often had projectile vomiting after a feeding and her breathing at times was quite raspy, Our family of course latched on to this as a clue that my breast feeding her was clearly the problem. The ped was constantly reassuring me that the baby was growing and developing despite her projectile vomiting. After a lot of detective work on his part as well as mine we found the problem...MILK! In my naiveté, I assumed that in order to produce milk I must drink milk and lots of it. Once I cut out all dairy products out of my diet, her vomiting ceased and her respiration became quiet again.
When my baby was eight months old, I returned to school to get my RN degree. This proved to be a challenge as I had only a manual pump. Fortunately, my Baby sitter was very supportive and even gave me tips to keep my milk supply up. Since I was not pumping enough milk for her while I was away, I had to start supplementing with soy formula. This was fine for us. I did arrange my schedule so that she only needed one bottle a day.
Holly and I continued on to breastfeed up to her first birthday. I stopped because I assumed that I should stop since she was one (something else that I did not know). Her first year of life was difficult for me as I spent a lot of time convincing my family that this was a good choice for my baby and me. I could not have made it through that first year without the support of my husband.
Holly is now nearly eleven and is still lactose intolerant to this day. With the exception of a few ear infections and the usual childhood colds and chicken pox, she is a very healthy child.
