Breastfeeding: Graham, Nearly There

When my doctor pulled Graham out of me, I heard his screams and immediately felt full.  So much love in those itty bitty cries before I ever even laid eyes on him.  When she came around the curtain to show me him, I flashed back to visions of the same process with Addie.  Graham was Addie's twin at just minutes old.  The team cleaned him off and began working on me.  After what felt like 30 minutes, Rick finally walked over with Graham and showed him to me.  Graham had settled down and had his tongue hanging out of his mouth.
About 90 minutes after I walked into the OR, I was settled into recovery and had Graham wrapped up in my arms.  I was holding him so tightly and wanted to inspect him, cuddle him, and kiss him.  The nurse asked if I was going to nurse and I said yes so she told me to take down my gown and try it.  There was Graham again with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, completely ready.  I positioned him and immediately he latched. The kid was born to nurse it seemed.

With Addie, those first few days were brutal.  It was painful, frustrating and a little damaging.  After a couple weeks I didn't know how I'd make it running on empty, never getting more than 3 hours sleep.  Having a nasty infection from my c-section during week two causing me to pump and dump after I had just got my milk in.  Finally, we got into a rhythm and it was easy for us.

With Graham, things were different.  There wasn't pain or frustration in the process. I knew what I was doing and he knew what he was doing.  It made the world of difference.  He loved nursing so much that he'd pass out almost instantly after he began.  It was his soothing mechanism.  To this day, he still doesn't care of a pacifier but if I stop and nurse him, he calms immediately.  It's amazing.

I won't lie to you and say that during those first few months things weren't difficult.  He was nursing every 3 hours without fail through the day and night.  I wasn't getting a break and oftentimes he'd pass out and I'd have to wake him several times in the process.

After more than 7 months of nursing, he now takes 10 minutes tops to nurse.  He's fast but he's easily distracted.  Really, no one can make a sound or he stops nursing and bends over backwards to check it out.  He thrashes around while he nurses, kicking and flailing his arms.  He tries to grab my hair, he squeezes my boobs, he grunts.  I do a lot of wrestling in these sessions to keep him focused but he's amazing at it.

I'm so glad I've made it past 6 months.  My goal this time around was a year again which I won't be hitting.  Rick and I have plans to travel to California in September for a week and I honestly don't want to deal with pumping every 4 hours, storing that milk and then transporting it all back to Ohio.  Graham will be a couple weeks shy of 1 at that point so I'm more comfortable knowing how close we'll have made it.

This means I have about 4 months left of nursing so each day I'm cherishing those moments I spend wrestling Graham.  Enjoying when he's finished nursing and he pops off with milk running from his mouth as he smiles up at me.

-stephanie

Read about breastfeeding with Addie here and a couple months in with Graham here.

New Mommy Gifts

A sweet friend of mine had a beautiful baby girl this morning and I get to visit them today.  I don't like to come empty handed so I was perusing Pinterest for some gift ideas on what to take to the new mommy.  I know I would have seriously enjoyed these things while in the hospital.

Burt's Bees

Lanolin - Miracle Cream for breastfeeding moms

Nursing Gown

   

Of course I'll also be taking Panera because what mom didn't crave a turkey sandwich after delivery?  What would you have liked to receive as a new mom?

"He's 48 Months"

It’s about to get real.  Like really real so this is your warning.  I’m about to talk about breastfeeding and I’m going to be as open and honest as I possibly can be.  This is why I’m giving you a warning.  Alright, this is your final warning to step away if need be.

So let me start where all good stories start, at the beginning.  J 

Before I was pregnant I knew I was going to breastfeed.  I didn’t know a lot about it except for its great health benefits for your baby.   That’s it.  I also knew I was down with nursing in public, or as us breastfeeding moms call it, NIP.  It just made me uncomfortable to see a woman feeding her child in public.  Not that she didn’t have every right to do it, but because I was embarrassed.  Embarrassed because how can you see a nursing woman and not stare for a few seconds.  I also thought, how will I, one day, tell my child what she’s doing.  Now, don’t get fired up just yet, stay with me here.

After I got pregnant I knew I had to sign up for a breastfeeding class if for nothing else because I literally knew one thing about it, which is what most of the rest of us know about.  I contacted my OB’s office since they have a lactation consultant on site who offers classes for women to learn more about it.  I asked them the basic question, like when is the class offered, how long should I expect to feel really uncomfortable talking about boobs and the milk they produce.  I also asked, ‘Should my husband come to this class with me?’.  The lady on the other end says, ‘Absolutely, it’d be great for him to learn how he can help when you’re nursing.’  Great.  So I sign us up.

Several weeks later, at 29 weeks, Rick and I show up for the class.  As we round the corner, I immediately notice the other 3 women in the room with the lactation consultant.  Missing from the room are the 3 men who knocked up these women.  My first thought, ‘S#*t, Rick is going to kill me’.  I turn to Rick and sure enough, he’s giving me some serious evil eyes.  He’s the only guy in the class, talk about awkward.  Fortunately for him, the LC and the other ladies were mighty impressed he was there to support me.  Haha!

During this class we learned a lot.  We learned about milk, mastitis, massaging the boob, letdown, positions to nurse, how often to nurse, pumping, storage of milk, drinking while nursing, etc.  The list goes on and on.  There are a lot of things to learn which can feel overwhelming.  I walked out of the class still unclear of what to do.  I think breastfeeding is just one of those things you just have to try to learn how to do it.  You pick it up as you go and the more often you do it.

When Adalyn was born that Friday morning in January, the last thing I was thinking about was breastfeeding.  Once I was moved from the operating room to recovery, the nurse immediately asked me if I was breastfeeding.  Without hesitation I said yes and she quickly picked up Adds, told me whip it out (not in those exact words) and start trying.  The sooner the better she said.  Luckily, Adds knew what she was doing.  You see, this is one of those things I didn’t know about breastfeeding.  Some babies have a terribly hard time latching and mothers often feel overwhelmed and give up.  Obviously I cannot speak from experience since my little one was a leech, but this is where I will tell you to contact a LC immediately.  They are very helpful and have helped hundreds of mothers through the process.

Those first few days in the hospital were rough.  After going 36 hours without sleep, 18 of those hours in labor, to suddenly being woken up every 3 hours to nurse is exhausting.  I had lovely blisters on the nips, bleeding, followed quickly by very full breasts and constant leaking.  Nothing at all could have prepared me for those first several days.  What I didn’t know was that the next several weeks would be harder than those first few days.  Attempting to keep a sleepy baby awake long enough to eat when I myself couldn’t stay awake while nursing her was draining.

I had read, prior to delivering, that nursing develops a special bond between mother and child.  I can tell you this is 100% true.  Those first few days when Addie was nursing I stared at her completely mesmerized.  It’s an intense feeling I cannot describe.  It’s also nice when have visitors holding your little one to use as an excuse to get some quiet time to yourself when you’re having some baby withdraws!  It doesn’t hurt that Aunt Flo hasn’t visited in nearly 2 years or that nursing burns a lot of calories so I have some freedom to eat what I want without worrying about gaining weight.

Nursing isn’t for everyone.  From what I’ve read, a lot of people have a lot of latching issues, supply issues, mastitis issues, etc.  I’ve been really very lucky that I have not had any of those problems to deal with along the way.  It has been a great experience for Addie and me.  I plan to breastfeed until she turns 1 and I’m already preparing myself for a meltdown when the last nursing session comes because of how much I’ve grown to love that special bonding time.  I don’t have much advice to offer you but I would offer this, give it a shot.  It is absolutely worth trying.  If you have trouble, contact a lactation consultant.  They’re there to help and know what to do to help you.  Stick through those first several weeks at home.  After that, it’s smooth sailing.  Who knows, you may enjoy it so much you find yourself breastfeeding your 48 month old son like Maria Bello’s character, Sally Lamonsoff, did in Grown Ups.