Amber Castro – Breastfeeding World http://breastfeedingworld.org Spreading the Breastfeeding Love, One Latch at a Time Wed, 17 Jun 2020 03:52:40 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.8 https://i1.wp.com/breastfeedingworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/cropped-BFWorld_logo-16x16.png?fit=32%2C32 Amber Castro – Breastfeeding World http://breastfeedingworld.org 32 32 96133341 When Your Baby Doesn’t Suck http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/11/baby-doesnt-suck/ http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/11/baby-doesnt-suck/#respond Thu, 19 Nov 2015 14:00:33 +0000 http://breastfeedingworld.org/?p=2385 My son unexpectedly came into the world 4 weeks early.  Being late preterm, he was very lazy, especially when it came to breastfeeding.  No matter what time of day or how much stimulation we gave him, he just would not suck.  After a few hours of trying to breastfeed, a lactation consultant visited my hospital room and suggested we do […]

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]]> My son unexpectedly came into the world 4 weeks early.  Being late preterm, he was very lazy, especially when it came to breastfeeding.  No matter what time of day or how much stimulation we gave him, he just would not suck.  After a few hours of trying to breastfeed, a lactation consultant visited my hospital room and suggested we do suck training with finger-feeding, something that I had never heard of.

Image taken from Google search

Image taken from Google search

When your baby doesn’t suck it can be easy to give up on breastfeeding, don’t!

Admittedly, I did not do much research into breastfeeding before he was born.  I assumed that breastfeeding would be very natural and that I would put him to the breast, he would latch on, and that would be that.  While breastfeeding is very natural for many women, that was not the case for us in the beginning.
So we began our journey by me hand expressing some colostrum and sucking it up into a syringe.  The lactation consultant then instructed me to put my pinky finger in his mouth (with my fingernail to his tongue) and wait for him to suck.  When I felt him begin to suck on my finger, I would use the syringe to squirt a little bit of colostrum into his mouth.  The idea is that the baby will learn that by sucking he receives milk and eventually transfer from a finger to the breast.  While I was glad to be able to provide my son with the best nutrition possible, using this process to feed him was exhausting!  It was a constant cycle and every time he would stop eating to sleep, I would begin hand expressing for when he woke up.
After a few days of doing this, my milk came in and I began pumping rather than hand expressing, but we continued with the suck training and finger feeding.
Image taken from Google search

Image taken from Google search

In fact, this process lasted for the first month of my son’s life.  Though he understood the concept after about a week, he was still unable to latch to my breast and we were instructed to avoid bottles until after he was able to successfully nurse.  We eventually graduated to a nipple shield and then, several months later, nursing without one.
Image taken from Google search

Image taken from Google search

I have been able to breastfeed without additional equipment for a few months now, and am extremely grateful for syringes, nipple shields, and all other pieces of equipment that got our nursing relationship to where it is today.  While breastfeeding doesn’t come naturally for everyone, modern science has come up with ways to help those of us who need additional assistance attain fulfilling breastfeeding relationships.
Have you ever had to use any additional equipment to help breastfeed?

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

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]]> http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/11/baby-doesnt-suck/feed/ 0 2385 Medications while Breastfeeding http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/10/medications-while-breastfeeding/ http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/10/medications-while-breastfeeding/#respond Thu, 22 Oct 2015 13:11:16 +0000 http://breastfeedingworld.org/?p=2159 As an early elementary teacher, I am exposed to every germ, virus, and bacteria under the sun.  While my son is protected by all of the wonderful antibodies in my breastmilk, I am not so lucky and find myself coming down with a bug at least once a month. Being the big baby that I am, I have always reached for the […]

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]]> As an early elementary teacher, I am exposed to every germ, virus, and bacteria under the sun.  While my son is protected by all of the wonderful antibodies in my breastmilk, I am not so lucky and find myself coming down with a bug at least once a month.

Image taken from Google search

Image taken from Google search

Being the big baby that I am, I have always reached for the medicine cabinet at the first sign of a cold and have struggled with the limited amount of medications that are suitable to take while breastfeeding.  These limitations have helped me to look towards natural remedies (oregano and pepper tea for long lasting colds, anyone?), but I still find myself checking the labels as I walk through CVS to see if anything can offer some safe relief.

With cold and flu season right around the corner, here are a few tips for medications while breastfeeding.  As always, check with your doctor before taking any medications (even over-the-counter!) while pregnant or breastfeeding!

  1. Avoid antihistamines like Sudafed while lactating.  The point of these medications are to ‘dry up’ your sinuses, which can in turn ‘dry up’ your milk supply.
  2. Image taken from Google search

    Image taken from Google search

    Even if a medication is not recommended for breastfeeding women, there is usually an alternative available.  Weaning (even temporarily) for a medication should be a last resort.  Just think about both you and your baby being sick at the same time if he isn’t protected by those wonderful antibodies in your milk!

  3. Always remind your doctor that you are breastfeeding and double check with your pharmacist and baby’s pediatrician that what you are prescribed is safe to take while breastfeeding.  Physicians often base
    Image taken from Google search

    Image taken from Google search

    their decisions on medications off of the “Physician’s Desk Reference” which is put out by the pharmaceutical companies and not always backed by studies.

  4. “Medications and Mother’s Milk” by Thomas Hale is updated every two years and is the go-to source for deciding if a medication is safe for a nursing mother.  You can find both new and used copies for less than $10 on Amazon!
  5. The InfantRisk Center (1-806-352-2519) and the online LactMed Database are two other great resources for finding safe medications for breastfeeding women.

 

*To inquire on whether a medication is safe while breastfeeding, please speak to your doctor, pharmacist, or  read here for more information.

We’d love to hear from you! Have you taken medications while breastfeeding? Did you see any difference in your milk supply?

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

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]]> http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/10/medications-while-breastfeeding/feed/ 0 2159 One of the biggest reasons for babywearing: Convenience! http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/10/biggest-reasons-for-babywearing/ http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/10/biggest-reasons-for-babywearing/#respond Wed, 07 Oct 2015 18:22:42 +0000 http://breastfeedingworld.org/?p=1659 In honor of International Babywearing Week, I am going to talk about one of the biggest reasons for babywearing… convenience! Babywearing is not only convenient in day-to-day life, but also while traveling.  We have already taken three vacations in my son’s 8 months of life, and babywearing has SAVED us!  Whether it was exploring new cities, hiking in National Parks, […]

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]]> In honor of International Babywearing Week, I am going to talk about one of the biggest reasons for babywearing… convenience!

Babywearing is not only convenient in day-to-day life, but also while traveling.  We have already taken three vacations in my son’s 8 months of life, and babywearing has SAVED us!  Whether it was exploring new cities, hiking in National Parks, or lounging on the beach, we have chosen to pack a baby carrier over a stroller every vacation for these reasons:
 
1. Bringing a baby carrier instead of a stroller saves A LOT of room when packing.  We really only use wraps and ring slings, which can be easily folded up and fit into pretty much any bag!
 
2. Going through airport security is always stressful, add a baby to the mix and you are inevitably going to come out the other side with extra gray hairs.  Depending on the kind of carrier you have, you can go through security while wearing your baby which leaves your hands free!  (Tip: You cannot go through security wearing your baby in a ring sling with metal rings!  They put you through the metal detector rather than the body scanner when you babywear so you can’t have anything metal on your body!)
My son fell asleep in his Moby wrap while waiting for our flight in the airport!

My son fell asleep in his Moby wrap while waiting for our flight in the San Diego airport!

3. If you are visiting a city where you will be doing a lot of walking, babywearing can be safer than pushing your baby in a stroller.  Your baby will always be close to your body when walking down busy sidewalks or crossing the street, rather than being several feet in front of you depending on the stroller!
Babywearing while hiking in Muir Woods National Park!

Babywearing while hiking in Muir Woods National Park!

4. When you travel with a baby, you have to take breaks from time to time to nurse, change diapers, or just unwind from how overstimulating travel can be for babies.  I love checking out the parks when we visit new cities, so I try to plan these breaks when we are near a park.  Wraps make great blankets for babies to lay on while taking one of these quick breaks!
 
5. Nap time can be difficult on the go, but your little one will be more likely to sleep while snuggling with you than sitting up in a stroller.  If your baby falls asleep in the carrier, you can just continue on with whatever activity you were doing!
 
6. One of my favorite reasons for babywearing while on vacation is that my son can really enjoy the vacation this way.  He can experience new sights, sounds, and smells that he normally wouldn’t from a sitting near the ground in a stroller.
Babywearing and traveling is awesome! Do you babywear and travel?  If so, what are your reasons for packing the carrier instead of the stroller?
 
*Many babywearing groups do not endorse forward facing in a wrap.  This photos were taken on a vacation before I knew about this recommendation.*

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

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]]> http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/10/biggest-reasons-for-babywearing/feed/ 0 1659 When What You Eat Affects Your Baby http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/eat-affects-baby/ http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/eat-affects-baby/#respond Wed, 23 Sep 2015 19:27:04 +0000 http://breastfeedingworld.org/?p=1540 Before having my son I knew that babies spit up from time to time, but that did not stop me from being caught off guard. My son did not just spit up, he projectile vomited enough to fill up a whole bottle!  He never cried about it though and would often be smiling as the spit up was flowing out […]

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]]> My son during one of his MANY spit-up sessions...

My son during one of his MANY spit-up sessions…

Before having my son I knew that babies spit up from time to time, but that did not stop me from being caught off guard. My son did not just spit up, he projectile vomited enough to fill up a whole bottle!  He never cried about it though and would often be smiling as the spit up was flowing out of his mouth.

We mentioned the extreme amount of spit up to our pediatrician at his two week check up, and one month, and two months and four months… and each time she just said that it was normal for babies to spit up.  Her only advice was to give him some rice cereal to thicken the milk and help him keep it down.  I could write a whole separate post about rice cereal (maybe I will!) but long story short, we tried it a handful times and didn’t see a difference.  I wasn’t a big fan of rice cereal to begin with though, so I might have been biased.

Always carry a burp rag!

Always carry a burp rag!

So we just went about our lives always being COVERED in spit up.  There was spit up on the floor, on the sheets, on the couch, on our clothes, on our guests’ clothes, and shoes and you get the picture!

After four long months and many spit up stains, we finally discovered the culprit of our son’s tummy issues.  I am a teacher and it was the end of the school year so I bought several pizzas for my class to celebrate.  I ate pizza with them for lunch and we had some left over so I brought it home for dinner.  There were still several slices left over after dinner so I had some more for breakfast and then again at lunch! Yes, I LOVE pizza!

But sometimes… what you eat affects your baby…

Image taken from Google search

Image taken from Google search

The day following my pizza binge, my son had one of his worst days spit up-wise.  My husband put two-and-two together.  We began thinking back over the past few months and realized that the days I indulged my love for dairy were the days that my son spit up the most!

I decided to try to cut out dairy to determine if it really was the culprit and after a few weeks, it was obvious that it was.  I very rarely eat dairy now and he very rarely spits up.  I do still indulge in ice cream from time to time but I know several mamas that can’t even have the occasional slice of cheese in their sandwich.

Cutting out my favorite food group has been a challenge, but definitely worth it the results!

We would love to hear from you! Have your babies shown any sensitivities to foods you eat?  If so, which ones?

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]]> http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/eat-affects-baby/feed/ 0 1540 To Cover or Not to Cover http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/cover-not-cover/ http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/cover-not-cover/#comments Thu, 17 Sep 2015 02:48:48 +0000 http://breastfeedingworld.org/?p=1299 As a first time mom, a nursing cover was on my must-have registry list.  Honestly, before my son was born, the thought never crossed my mind to nurse uncovered.  I had never seen anyone breastfeed without a cover before, and for all I knew, it could have been illegal to do so!  (It totally is NOT illegal to nurse without […]

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]]> As a first time mom, a nursing cover was on my must-have registry list.  Honestly, before my son was born, the thought never crossed my mind to nurse uncovered.  I had never seen anyone breastfeed without a cover before, and for all I knew, it could have been illegal to do so!  (It totally is NOT illegal to nurse without a cover!  Check out the National Conference of State Legislatures website for up-to-date breastfeeding state laws.)

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Image taken from Google search

Image taken from Google search

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As a person who always likes to be on the go, I knew that I would inevitably find myself nursing in public from time to time.  And as a woman who has always veered towards the ‘modest’ side, regardless of the law, I knew that I would feel more comfortable nursing around others covered.
 
When my little one entered the world, breastfeeding was not as natural as I had hoped it would be (you can read a little bit about my struggles on my post “How a Bottle Saved My Breastfeeding Relationship“).  My son struggled to latch and we were advised to use a nipple shield.  The nipple shield helped my son’s latch tremendously, but was a HUGE hassle for me.  It often took me more than five attempts to correctly apply the shield to my nipple.  This hassle was amplified by not being able to see what I was doing when I tried to apply the nipple shield while wearing a nursing cover.
 
After a few months of struggling to apply the nipple shield, while wearing a cover and holding a baby that was screaming from hunger, I decided that something had to give.  So I bought a couple of nursing tanks, dumped the cover, and never looked back.
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This is how the 'two-shirt' nursing method works. Image taken from Google search.

This is how the ‘two-shirt’ nursing method works. Image taken from Google search.

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To cover or not to cover, that is the question.  What do you think?

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This is the first time that I nursed uncovered at my parents' house. Neither of them batted an eye... probably because the 'two-shirt' method keeps me pretty covered without my son having to eat under a blanket!

This is the first time that I nursed uncovered at my parents’ house. Neither of them batted an eye… probably because the ‘two-shirt’ method keeps me pretty covered without my son having to eat under a blanket!

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We would love to hear from you…! What is your go to method for breastfeeding your baby in public?

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

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]]> http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/cover-not-cover/feed/ 1 1299 Overcoming Reoccurring Plugged Ducts http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/overcoming-reoccurring-plugged-ducts/ http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/overcoming-reoccurring-plugged-ducts/#respond Wed, 09 Sep 2015 16:51:53 +0000 http://breastfeedingworld.org/?p=1091 Ask any breastfeeding mom who has struggled with an oversupply, (or even some of us that haven’t, but are just unlucky), what thoughts race through her mind when she wakes up in the morning and realizes that her baby slept a few hours longer than usual…?  – The first thought will be something along the lines of “Wow! I forgot […]

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]]> Ask any breastfeeding mom who has struggled with an oversupply, (or even some of us that haven’t, but are just unlucky), what thoughts race through her mind when she wakes up in the morning and realizes that her baby slept a few hours longer than usual…?
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The first thought will be something along the lines of “Wow! I forgot how good it feels to get a few consecutive hours of sleep!”  That thought will quickly be followed by a frantic check of her breasts for the inevitable lump, or the first sign of a plugged duct. 
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Plugged ducts, when left alone, become increasingly painful and can even turn into mastitis (an infection in the breast).
mastitis

Mastitis diagram taken from Google image search

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For the first few months after my son was born, I would wake up almost every morning with at least one plugged duct.  If I was lucky, I caught it when it was small enough that a nursing session and a quick massage would get rid of it.  Most days, however, were not lucky days and I spent hours dangle nursing, running warm water over my breasts, massaging, pumping, and using warm compresses on repeat.  It often seemed like just when I would clear a plugged duct on one breast, another would pop up on the other breast from being neglected all day!

Plugged duct diagram taken from Google image search

Plugged duct diagram taken from Google image search

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This endless cycle, on top of caring for a newborn, was exhausting!  While I was lucky enough to never have any plugged ducts turn into mastitis, I still knew that I had to get the situation under control.  I began researching preventative measures and happened upon lecithin.  I followed the recommendations that I found on KellyMom, and began taking 4 capsules per day until I went two weeks without getting plugged ducts.  After those two weeks, I reduced my dosage to 3 capsules per day and so on until I now only take one capsule per day and have not had a plugged duct in months.
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This is the lecithin I take (from Walgreens), but there are several brands to choose from!

This is the lecithin I take (from Walgreens), but there are several brands to choose from!

Lecithin has been a lifesaver for me.  And while I give taking lecithin pills credit for stopping my cycle of plugged ducts, there are other precautionary measures that I take:
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Tips for Preventing Plugged Ducts while Breastfeeding

1. No underwire!  During the day my bras are loose fitting and at night I ditch the bra altogether!
 
2. I always sleep on my back to avoid putting extra pressure on my breasts.  Prior to getting pregnant, I had always been a stomach sleeper but those days are gone (at least for the duration of my breastfeeding journey).
 
3. Do quick breast checks throughout the day to catch the plugged ducts early.  When you catch the plugged duct before it gets too bad, you can often clear it with a nursing session and some light massaging.
 
4. Never skip the lecithin!  I haven’t had plugged ducts in months but I still take one capsule of lecithin every day.  Maybe I’m being paranoid but I would rather be safe than sorry!
 
We love to hear from you… Have you dealt with plugged ducts or mastitis?  What do you do to prevent them?
Disclaimer: Please make sure you check with your doctor before taking any medication. We have recommended the Lecithin from a personal experience but please remember that every body is different and reacts differently to a medication. 

Be sure to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

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]]> http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/overcoming-reoccurring-plugged-ducts/feed/ 0 1091 Nursing Friendly Clothing Options http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/nursing-friendly-clothing-options/ http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/nursing-friendly-clothing-options/#respond Wed, 02 Sep 2015 19:51:21 +0000 http://breastfeedingworld.org/?p=904 My husband and I embarked on a terrifying journey this weekend… flying with our 7-month-old son to Atlanta to attend a wedding!  I originally intended on researching and writing about breastfeeding laws across the U.S. to help nursing mamas prepare for travel this week but ended up having a reoccurring theme while preparing for this trip that I could not […]

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]]> My husband and I embarked on a terrifying journey this weekend… flying with our 7-month-old son to Atlanta to attend a wedding!  I originally intended on researching and writing about breastfeeding laws across the U.S. to help nursing mamas prepare for travel this week but ended up having a reoccurring theme while preparing for this trip that I could not ignore (but stay tuned in the next few weeks because I still plan on writing about breastfeeding laws!).

The logistics of our travel ended up going better than I had hoped.  My son was eager to nurse during take off and landing, he slept the majority of the time in the air, and baby wearing made navigating the airport a breeze… all in all, my son did great and we arrived in Atlanta relatively unscathed!

My main struggle on this trip was not a crying baby on a plane, but a wardrobe lacking in formal options that have easy nursing access.

Finding nursing friendly clothing options… an easy task? Not!

Since giving birth to my son, the majority of my day-to-day outfits consist of yoga pants and a nursing tank.  I have worn a dress MAYBE twice in the past seven months, and both of those times were when I was out without my son.  If a dress does not have the right cut, it can be nearly impossible to breastfeed in without taking the whole dress off!

So I knew exactly what style of dress I was looking for when I began shopping: one with easy boob access that didn’t cost an arm and a leg (X2 since I needed one for both the rehearsal dinner and the wedding).  What I thought would be a quick trip to Ross ended up being a two week, three city wide shopping journey.

I currently live in a small town with limited shopping options, but I covered all the bases here first… and I came up empty-handed.  I did not find a single dress that I could easily breastfeed in!  The next town over has a bigger mall so I checked out all the major stores there.  While I didn’t find anything that was obviously breastfeeding friendly, I did find a dress that I was able to alter to meet my needs.

Nursing Friendly Dress

I have seen a lot of dresses in this style lately and figured that I should be able to cut two small holes for breastfeeding access and have the flap of extra fabric cover them. I added stitches around the holes to try to keep them from tearing further.

Altered Dress

Altered Dress 2

I am by no means a seamstress, so don’t judge my final product!

Now after my functional Pinterest-fail was complete, I still needed a second dress.  This time I drove two and a half hours to my hometown of San Antonio, Texas and SCOURED the malls!  I found that the majority of dresses in style right now have a swoop-neck style, rather than the deep V needed for easy breastfeeding access.  After a full day of shopping and coming up empty-handed, I returned to my in-laws’ house and shopped at my sister-in-law’s closet.  Luckily she had a dress that met my needs (and even matched my Sakura Bloom ring sling)!

Babywearing at a Wedding

While I ended up being essentially unsuccessful in my search for a formal dress with easy breastfeeding access, my eyes were opened to the struggle many women face in dressing stylish, while still having functional pieces that will allow easy nursing.  I have decided to start taking the (baby)-steps to creating a nursing-friendly wardrobe that consists of more than t-shirts and yoga pants.  I’ll check back in a few weeks and will hopefully have some progress to show!

We love hearing from you! What are your go-to, breastfeeding-friendly pieces in your wardrobe?

Don’t leave without checking out my previous post: “How a bottle saved my breastfeeding relationship”

Don’t forget to join us in our social media accounts to be up to date with the progress of our project!

And… Don’t forget to share your brelfies using our HT #BreastfeedingWorld 

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]]> http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/09/nursing-friendly-clothing-options/feed/ 0 904 How a Bottle Saved My Breastfeeding Relationship http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/08/bottle-saved-breastfeeding-relationship/ http://breastfeedingworld.org/2015/08/bottle-saved-breastfeeding-relationship/#comments Fri, 28 Aug 2015 00:36:34 +0000 http://breastfeedingworld.org/?p=771 With the NICU team on standby, my beautiful son was welcomed into the world four weeks early.  Much to the doctors’ surprise after a suspected placental abruption, he was ‘perfectly fine.’  He didn’t need to spend any time in the NICU and had no health problems… except that he would not suck, let alone latch. I had always planned on […]

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]]>

With the NICU team on standby, my beautiful son was welcomed into the world four weeks early.  Much to the doctors’ surprise after a suspected placental abruption, he was ‘perfectly fine.’  He didn’t need to spend any time in the NICU and had no health problems… except that he would not suck, let alone latch.

I had always planned on breastfeeding him, but my naivety led me to dismiss the need to attend a prenatal breastfeeding class.  So here I was, with a very sleepy newborn who had no desire to nurse, and very little knowledge of the tools that I could use to assist in breastfeeding.

I was fortunate to give birth in a hospital with lactation consultants that made a point of visiting me several times throughout the day.  I learned about nipple shields, pumps, and suck training (sticking my pinky into his mouth and syringe feeding him every time I felt him suck).  All of these assistive technologies, while helpful, were very discouraging for a first time mother who came to the hospital with the notion that breastfeeding would be natural and easy.

My son with his empty bag of milk after a suck-training session.

My son with his empty bag of milk after a suck-training session

Within the first few weeks that we were home from the hospital, my son grew stronger and no longer needed to be syringe fed.  With the help of an amazing lactation consultant, I was able to get him to latch with a nipple shield but the EXCRUCIATING pain I felt every time he did, made me slowly decrease our nursing sessions and increase the hours I spent connected to a pump every day.
 
By the time he was two months old, I had given up on nursing all together and was exclusively pumping and bottle feeding.  While I wasn’t happy that nursing didn’t work out for us, I was determined to continue to provide my son with breastmilk, so I kept hooking up to the pump every two hours to keep up my supply.  And just as the pump/bottle feed schedule became routine for us, the maternity leave vacation that my very naive pregnant self booked arrived.
One of our late night pumping/bottle feeding sessions

One of our late night pumping/bottle feeding sessions

If you’ve read my post about our breastfeeding story on my blog, you know that this trip was my breaking point.  After days of pumping in airports and rental cars, and struggling to help my son latch onto the nipple shield, I broke down in tears in Portland’s International Rose Garden, and ditched the shield.  I used a sandwich hold to shove as much nipple into my son’s mouth as possible and held his head in place.  He wiggled against me, trying to break free from this strange ‘bottle,’ but after a few minutes he began to suck.  His latch made my toes-curl from pain, but it was the most beautiful, hope-filled pain I have ever felt.

My son and I on our trip to Oregon

My son and I on our trip to Oregon

It took a few more weeks of craniosacral therapy, a tongue tie revision, and lactation consultations, but I was finally able to have the breastfeeding relationship that I had always dreamed of… and I one hundred percent attribute that to my countless hours of pumping and his exclusive bottle feeding.  When I first started bottle feeding, I felt like a failure.  I felt like I was weak for not being able to persevere through the pain.  Now looking back, I was doing what was best for my sanity, while still providing for my son.  Had I not taken that extended break from nursing, I might not have been able to keep my supply up long enough for my son’s mouth to grow so that he could open it wide enough to latch to my breast.

While I now exclusively nurse, and am so grateful to be able to do so, I have immense respect for all the women out there that selflessly pump day and night to nourish their babies.

Breastfeeding
 
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