I know this is a touchy subject. I'm not even going to delve into the whole "BFeeding v.s bottle feeding" debate. My thoughts on that? Do what is best for you, your child, and your family.
We obviously went the boob route but quickly had to supplement with formula because the pain (OMG the pain!!!) was agony and when G was less than 2 weeks old, I cried (literally) and gave up. I told R to go buy some formula so this mama could give her "girls" a break until we could meet with the LC and find a solution.... which we did, eventually.
With G, we did a TON of intervention. We were intervening out the wazoo and tried everything from different holding positions to the MMS. We had a latching issue, but it still made me feel like a big, fat newbie mom failure. I think anyone who hasn't tried it (including first time moms) thinks that BFeeding will be a breeze. "This is what your body is meant to do," "The baby should latch on easily," etc.
Wrong. At least in our experience with G. Looking back, I would have paid an LC to meet us at the hospital right after our delivery. Why? It is SO important to establish GOOD BFeeding early on. My delivery nurse showed me how and I thought I had it down. Then we got back to our post-partum room and my nurse there showed me how. The whole time during my hospital stay I thought I had it "figured" out, but by the time we checked out I was already in pain. We kept asking for the LC at the hospital to come by and she FINALLY made it right before we left. There is usually only one LC working and between all of the new moms, NICU moms, etc., she is spread pretty thin and her priority is given to moms with special needs babies.
I had no idea how bad the pain would get. I remember cringing at the photos in our BFeeding class thinking, "How can a baby do that to someone?" Well, when something is fiercely sucking on you for so long (especially in the beginning) the wrong way, things can go very badly. Very badly. I had to repeat that one because just thinking about those early days makes me shudder... hehe.
During those first few weeks, we met with our LC at her private office many times. She was wonderful, patient, and extremely understanding. She showed us many different options and helped us to find a solution (hallelujah!) to our BFeeding woes. More importantly, she also helped to manage my pain and was supportive of our decision to supplement with formula.
I laugh now because before having G, I had gone to her office to be fitted for nursing bras. She gave me the option of changing in her office or changing in the bathroom. I'm a modest person (that's probably an understatement) when it comes to changing in front of people, so of course I changed in the bathroom. After having G, I would just whip the girls out in front of her without blinking an eye whenever we went in for our appointments. Haha, I had no idea that SO many things would change after having a baby ... including myself!
Anyways, we made it 8 months before we stopped BFeeding and looking back, I am so glad we made it and consider it one of my biggest accomplishments as a mom. That being said, I couldn't have done it without R's support (he helped out tremendously) and with the help of our LC. Side note: Also something I never knew ... a willing and participatory partner can be incredibly helpful to a nursing mom. I definitely do not miss those marathon BFeeding/pumping sessions but would do it all over again in a heartbeat.
You may be wondering why I'm even writing a post on this subject. Check back later this week for my reason. :)
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