Breastfeeding has been extremely challenging these past seven weeks. We’ve had latch issues, a nursing strike, thrush, a modest milk supply, and more latch issues. It’s been physically painful and emotionally exhausting, but I think Cashen and I have finally figured out this whole nursing business.
I go back to work a week from Monday, and while I’m there Cashen will get all his breast milk from bottles. His babysitter is within walking distance of my office and I plan to go nurse him once a day for the first week to help ease us both into the new routine. Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), we don’t have to worry that he’ll reject a bottle like some breastfed babies do. Once they removed his NG tube in the NICU Cashen received most of his food from a bottle for the first five days of his life, so he’s used to a plastic nipple.
The bottles we’ve tried, pictured from best to crappiest: Avent Natural (the bottle recommended by the NICU staff), Medela (also a storage bottle for pumped milk), and Evenflo (thoughts arrive like butterflies, rryeah).
Of course, to have enough milk to give to the babysitter, I’ll have to pump to build up a stock. Ordinarily this wouldn’t be an issue, but since we have to supplement Cashen’s feedings, I’ll have to pump overtime to make sure I have enough for him. Cashen gets about an ounce of pumped milk at each feeding after 7:00 pm until morning, which means we’re giving him 3-4 ounces of extra breast milk every day. We hoped to get to a point where we wouldn’t need to supplement at all, but each time we try to cut back by an ounce or two, Cashen gets super fussy and can’t go to sleep. My milk supply would probably be fine under normal circumstances, but because the NICU pumped him so full of food in those first several days, he needs a little extra. So, I pump on. The goal for the next week is to make sure I have a large enough stock for the first few days and enough for me to give him as supplement. It’ll be a challenge and a non-stop pumpathon, but after all we’ve been through so far, I think we’re up to it. If I’m not able to pump enough to get us through the transition, we’ll supplement with a little formula, but hopefully that won’t be necessary.
Probiotics, breast milk, and chili sauce. Oh yeah.
In other breastfeeding news, I’m getting more comfortable nursing with other people around. When Josh’s parents were here for Thanksgiving I barricaded myself in our bedroom when I nursed. In those days, breastfeeding was a huge ordeal every time, with Cashen getting more and more frustrated as I fumbled around, not quite knowing what to do. Now that we’ve resolved our latch and positioning issues, I plan to use my nursing cover instead of leaving the room when the grandparents are here next week. Nowadays all I have to do is get the boob near Cashen’s head and he knows exactly what to do. And, let’s face it, his target is pretty hard to miss at the moment.
I look similar to this now.
Most of the time I use the cross-cradle hold because it gives me the most control, but I’m branching out and exploring other nursing positions. Cashen eats about once every two to three hours during the day and every four to five hours at night, pretty standard for breastfed babies. Lately, though, he’s been wanting to eat every hour in the evenings, which in lactation lingo is known as cluster feeding. It can be frustrating and exhausting, but last week I discovered that nursing him while lying in bed is like giving the boy Ambien. I use the belly-to-belly side-lying position, and after about twenty minutes he zonks right out and stays that way for hours. Once I’m sure he’s completely asleep or once my leg starts to cramp, I swaddle him and move him to his bouncy seat where he sleeps until he’s hungry again. (Don’t judge us. He won’t sleep anywhere else, and if the baby ain’t sleeping, ain’t nobody.) He sleeps so soundly after side-lying nursing that, last night for instance, I seriously thought he was dead for about two horrible seconds.
“Oh god, is he breathing? Yeah, okay. He’s breathing.”
I know there will be more nursing obstacles to overcome, but anything worth doing comes with its share of challenges. For the moment, though, it’s going well. Go Team Allen!
This picture isn’t related at all to nursing, but lookata wittow cutie wootie!!
I’ve got pictures that prove that Cashen’s dad was also interested in mommies boobs. AND, what could be more natural?? You two are doing great! I am proud of you both.