Shark Attack at the Hospital on Day 2
Oh breastfeeding, you sweet, sweet devil. My nips are hurtin’ yall. Hurtin’ baaaad.
I started breast”feeding” before my milk came in. About an hour after Rohan was born we got him on the breast and he was just a suckin’ and a suckin’ as if he was getting something. I didn’t even have colostrum at that point. During my days in the hospital I kept putting him to the breast whenever he’d start rooting. My colostrum came in on Saturday, and on my last day in the hospital my milk finally came in.
Roey lost a bit of weight so we supplemented with Similac in the hospital, but at his one week check up, he was back to birth weight so the doc said supplementation was no longer necessary. I am breastfeeding and using my trusty breast pump so John can give lil man a bottle during the night shift. Since I’ll be home for this year, pumping a huge stash like I’d originally planned is not necessary. I love the Dr. Browns bottles we use. More parts to wash/sterilize, but less gas bubbles for baby!
I mentioned before that Roey’s nickname is Sharkie because of his milkthirsty antics. He really attacks the breast and gets so excited and seemingly frustrated that he swats my breast away when I try to give it to him. Then he starts rooting in the opposite direction of the boob. He starts panting and lookin’ all wide eyed and crazy, making mean faces at me, and then when he finally gets a good latch he growls at me! I can’t win with this boy.
I’ve got a love/hate relationship with breastfeeding so far. I love the snuggly closeness and looking down at sharkie’s sweet lil face just sucking away. And I love the feeling of pride that my milk is sustaining this lil munchkin’s life, and my milk is what’s plumping his lil body up. I hate the way it drains me, I’m perma-dehydrated no matter how much water I chug. And I hate the nip pain. Oh and I hate the weight of my new milk filled humungoboobs. I’m like a 32ZZZ bra now. My back hurts.
We bought a nipple shield week one because of how ripped up my nips were. They’re still sore, but not as bad as they were. I’m told it gets better shortly. I’m using a nipple cream to help with soreness and I’m also putting my breastmilk on the nipples and letting them air dry. Both are super helpful. I know that time is the real fix-it, so I’m waiting it out.
Despite the pain I’m definitely a breastfeeding fan and will keep it up for year one. Though I may move to strictly pumping after sharkie gets teeth. I guess we’ll see how it works out.
Any breastfeeding tips for me?
Stick with it! It’s so worth it. Try not to give the bottle too much so he won’t have nipple confusion. (I think that’s what they call it) I didn’t the entire first year of my son’s life and after that he never wanted one. The pain will subside so don’t give up and oh yea….DON’T GIVE UP!!
Sabrina R Perkins recently posted..I think deep down I want to become a Minimalist
Thanks! We’re totally sticking with it. He’s taking both my nipple and the bottle pretty well. The lactation consultant at the hospital said nipple confusion is more common in babies who don’t latch well to begin with and that Sharkie was doing well latching on. I’m glad for it cuz I appreciate being able to sleep a few hours in a row thanks to that bottle!
You have to do what you are comfortable with. With my firstborn I was young and I could not still long enough to breastfeed so I never did it because it took time and commitment which I did not have at the age of 24. When I had my daughter I was little older and a bit more settled so I did breastfeed her but my milk dried up within 3 months.
Kita recently posted..Weekend Wrap Up
Dried up?! Why? How? What do I do to prevent that?!
Stick with it. I did a year and some change with the baby. I even continued when she had teeth. I learned the cues to unlatch her when she was just chilling instead of eating. That’s when they decide to start biting.
In the meantime use your lanolin that helped tremendously and make sure to alternate breasts and make sure they are completely drained to make sure you don’t get any clogged ducts. Good luck!
Mimi recently posted..Children Like To (Arm) Party….Party
Thanks for the draining tip. And I’m scared of the biting stage!
Good job girl. Breastfeeding is so freaking painful and hard but I think that it is so worth it. My baby never had nipple confusion, he took the bottle from the start because he did not want to latch until he was about 6 weeks (crazy kid). I just love that picture of sharkie latching on day 2. That is just so amazing. Keep it up if you can, it totally gets easier (I didn’t even want to end it in the end 13 months later). Oh and I was scared of the teeth phase too but somehow, he knew better and only bit me once. He had about 10 teeth when we stopped and I never bled or got bitten (after that one time). So here is to thinking positive, pumping is not so bad anyway.
pegster recently posted..We have a double stroller
It does get better. I breastfeed Moo for 23 months and I am 13 months strong with breastfeeding JJ. The soreness does go away. A&D Ointment and Neosporin are also good to use if your nipples are cracked or raw. It helps them to heal faster.
And after you shower, it helps to put some vaseline on them. Also, I alternating between hand expressing and using the breastpump and that helped. Like Mimi said, you’ll learn once he starts teething to unlatch him when he’s in chill or play mode because those gums hard just as much as teeth when they clamp down. Hang in there!
YUMMommy recently posted..Shop Your Way
hand expressing? won’t that take seven thousand years? I’ll try a&d ointment on em, thanks!
Dani,
Take it from one who knows — make sure you alternate very evenly on those breasts. My oldest greatly preferred my left breast and so to make him happy, I didn’t the right one as much and just used the pump on it 1/2 the time. *Record scratch* By the time he was weaned the left one looked a little National Geographic-ish. It took another baby and pushing the right breast to give the left one time to recover and have them balanced again. Sorry so long and graphic, but I wished someone had told me about it. Best of luck!
Be relaxed when breastfeeding. When I breast feeding it is as relaxing for me as it is for her. I think in the beginning I was so stressed about it that, it cause more breast pain. Once I learned to relax and enjoy the moment, my breast did not see to be so sore.
Well it wasn’t exactly fun for me but I did manage to get a few months in. I’ve always envied my friends and women that could go a year or more. Hang in there.
Splendor recently posted..Summer Hair Styles
Hang in there, it really does get better. When I started breastfeeding my daughter, I can vividly remember the nipple tearing, and soreness with the latching, but I like to think of the nipples toughening up.
I stuck with it for 3 years with my daughter (I know, it’s not for everyone to go that long) but the pain does go away.
The only pain I’m getting now is the few and far between times my daughter wants to nurse during my pregnancy–ouch city!
KalleyC recently posted..20 Weeks and Counting
I think you’d appreciate this: http://theleakyboob.com/2011/08/baby-explains-normal-newborn-behavior/
Quiana recently posted..Love Birds: Three Years Strong!
It does get better. Hang in there. Your little guy is so cute.
Mrs. K recently posted..Baby K: Month 4