Hi, my name is Rachel. My daughter Hannah was born on April 5, 2011. Being an RN in labor and delivery, I knew that I wanted to breastfeed and I also was very familiar with the struggles that accompany breastfeeding. I always had a feeling that BFing wouldn't go well for us, but I really wanted to give it a try. We had latch issues from the very beginning. Hannah preferred her upper lip to my nipple, making it very difficult to get her to latch. With the help of an LC, we were eventually able to get her well latched and she did ok for about a day. However, my milk came in full force on day 3, and she would no longer latch. I tried to pump and was only able to get 1 ml. At her first pedi appointment her weight had dropped from 7 lb 12 oz to 6 lb 13 oz. We were told to continue to try BFing, but we were to give her 1-2 oz of formula every 3 hours.
I called my friend (an LC) and she came over to the house right after the appt to see what she could do. Hannah still wouldn't latch, so we tried the pump again. At this point I was too engorged for the pump to even effectively draw out the milk. She showed me how to hand express and I was able to get 1 oz out of just 1 side. We syringe fed her that and planned to continue to hand express/pump until my breasts would soften enough for her to latch again. I hand expressed every 3 hours for 2 days. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. I was exhausted, my boobs hurt, and my baby had lost too much weight. I realized very quickly that the syringe feeding was not something I could handle at that time and we started giving her the expressed milk in a bottle. Once the engorgement was under control, I began trying to put her back to the breast. I tried without a nipple shield, I tried with a nipple shield. Occasionally she would latch and suck, but mostly she just screamed. I have a very strong letdown and she just couldn't handle it. I knew that breastmilk was the best thing for her, but I also knew that her and I both crying every time I she tried to breastfeed wasn't good for anyone. It was then that I made the decision to EP. She was still going to get the good stuff, and her and I were going to be much happier.
Why it works for us:
A lot of people I have come across think pumping is the devil. To be honest, I have come to enjoy EPing. Not the pumping itself, but it really works in my life. At this point, I am only pumping 5 times a day. I am pumping 10-14 oz per session. While I somewhat have to schedule my life around pumping, it really hasn't been that difficult for me. I love that I can just pack a bottle for her and don't have to worry about feeding her on the go. The very best part has been the opportunity it has given my husband to bond with her. He feeds her whenever he is able to and it really makes him feel connected to her. I think he would have felt really disconnected in the beginning if he wouldn't have had that opportunity. This has also been a big key in me keeping my sanity. Someone else can feed her while I nap. Someone else can feed her so I can sleep through the night. (I am now able to go 7-8 hours at night without pumping.) I think my postpartum experience would have been a lot different if it were solely up to me to feed her.
When the time comes for baby #2, I will absolutely try breastfeeding again, but if it doesn't work out I know that EPing is an excellent option for my family.
My pumping must haves:
- I have a Hygeia Enjoye breastpump. I love it. It is small and easy to use. It is the only closed system pump on the market.
- Hands-free pumping bra. I have the Simple Wishes bra and it might just be my best friend
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