Tonight, I’m reflecting on my nearly 30 months of feeding my babies. Here’s our breastfeeding stories…
Before I was even pregnant with Giana, I knew I wanted to exclusively breastfeed. The lactation consultant in the hospital helped me with my latch and I asked for extra visits with her before I left. I also talked about it with my sister, who breastfeed my niece for a year and a half and was in the middle of  breastfeeding her second. I did not plan to introduce a pacifier right away because I did not want nipple confusion. I did not keep any formula in the house. For me, I needed to be positive about breastfeeding and not quit if it got hard, because I knew there was no medical reason I couldn’t. I imagined what it would be like for Ma Ingalls on Little House on the Prairie – there would be no other option.
Giana was born and she was a little slow to gain, in addition to being jaundiced. However, I knew that if we started supplementing, my supply would be messed with. So we kept nursing, and nursing, and nursing. I refused to listen to anyone who wasn’t supportive of breastfeeding (like my mother in law who said, “are you sure she is getting enough?”). My number one rule of breastfeeding was – and still is – TRUST YOUR BODY TO NOURISH YOUR BABY. I fed my baby every 1-1.5 hours around the clock and we flushed the jaundice out after a couple of days.
And then my milk came in. Holy buckets. I was actually not ready for that. My G cups looked like over inflated balloons that were about to burst. Literally, the whole front side of my body hurt to the very touch. They hurt so much that I cried even when I wasn’t nursing. I tried to feed my baby and she could not latch because the skin on my nipple was stretched so tight. I tearfully called the number the lactation consultant gave me at the hospital and she recommended I try the nipple shield to help my baby get something to latch on to. My husband held the baby in front of me to help me position her because I couldn’t work around my painful boobs, the shield and hold my baby. We used this teamwork for literally every feeding for almost a week. But I am stubborn and I kept reminding myself of Ma Ingalls – no other option!
After that, it got MUCH better. The swelling went down and the milk started regulating itself to be closer to what she needed. Giana figured out her latch and feeding wasn’t a family effort anymore. I did, however, still use the shield – something I did not want to do. However, it was a tool that allowed us to continue breastfeeding. We ended up using the shield for 4 months – much longer than recommended – but it worked for us. I added in a pumping session around 5-6 weeks and Rafael gave her a bottle about once a day (I was preparing to go back to work) because I didn’t want her to get confused between bottles and boobs. I got another mentor who taught me about how to pump, work schedules, etc.
In summary, after the initial week of hell (and I don’t use that word lightly), breastfeeding became totally worth it. We had a wonderful nursing relationship for 15 months and I don’t regret a day of it. She never had a drop of formula and when she was done nursing, she refused cow milk in a cup and I didn’t push it. She gets calcium from leafy greens, yogurt, cheese, etc. now. She is a very healthy almost three year old now!
With Mariel, nursing came much easier. We did not have latch problems and didn’t need the shield. It still hurt like crazy when my milk came in, but it was much more manageable knowing that it would end soon. She started sleeping 6 hour stretches when she was 2 weeks old. She has never had a drop of formula either. I am nearby her most of the time, so it is easier for both of us for her to drink straight from the tap! We are attempting to come to the end of our breastfeeding journey and plan to fully stop in about a month, when she is 15 months old. Rafael and I are going on an adults-only vacation! It is hard for me to realize that once Mariel is done, no one will need my body for nourishment for the first time in nearly four years. Hard, but good…I am ready for that vacation.
So that’s my story! Those first weeks can be hard and lonely. I hope to work as an official lactation consultant someday so that I can help other moms overcome difficulties and reach the breastfeeding milestones they want to reach. Please ask right away if you have questions about breastfeeding.