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"All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother"Abraham Lincoln |
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Rachel Allen"What a great site! I love it! I think changing the public perception of breastfeeding to show mums they can stay stylish and still breastfeed is much needed to fill a support void in Ireland. Culturally it is our public perception which holds so many people back. |
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Domini Kemp
“No chef, food company or scientist can make food as perfect for your baby, as you can. Yes, breastfeeding takes time, but the results are worth it. Your baby’s health is undoubtedly improved and it’s great for getting you back in shape. |
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My little man was a great feeder from the beginning - he latched on like a pro from the very start. Our difficulties didnt come until further down the line when we were all beginning to suffer from the tiredness. We hadn't anticipated how much we needed support really and to cut a long story short I stopped breastfeeding due to exhaustion which was turning to pnd. Having suffered depression a number of years ago I was frightened at the prospect of revisiting that space and felt that better sleep for me and bub would make the world of difference. And it did.
So Little man had been sleeping so little while I was feeding him that he was constantly getting sick and I was confused as to why something that is advertised as being better for their health was infact causing his sleep deprivation (just because he was constantly hungry) and ultimately lead to his continued bouts of coughs and colds. o once we hit formula little man was healthy and happy, slept beautifully and there wasn't a cough or cold in sight. With a few hours more sleep I was flying and back to being a functioning mum (and its only now I can see I really wasn't functioning in that first stage). However there was a but....
I never really recovered from the sense that I had failed to do best by little man. Despite all the colds and the fact that he was glowing infront of me once we moved to formula I had this nagging feeling that if I had gotten enough help things would have been different. We live in Australia - its possibly different to home in that pulling out a formula bottle is less acceptable than whipping out your boobs. I feel very strongly for those mums who did try their level best (and there's so many who go to the ends of the earth to bf) and suffer the disapproving glares of the general public. Here I would say I am asked at least 4 to 5 times a day how he is fed and its so upsetting to be publicly admonished for my failure to bf. So as an aside girls - please don't let Ireland become this way - there must be some way to be balanced and understanding to those who genuinely try and don't succeed but yet encourage and promote breastfeeding as best for baby and mum. Anyhow thats beside the point - I realised after 10 weeks of ff that our chosen brand didn't contain some of the new and improved additives like ARA, DHA, nucleotides etc (It is the policy in Australia not to advertise formula, however there is a complete lack of independent advice for mothers so it took a long time to find out what is contained in the foods we feed our babies when bf doesnt work). We switched to an alternative brand and found he suffered chronic constipation (and I mean waking 4 or 5 times a night in pain) soon enough we realised all formulas barring the original very basic one caused him great pain. So what to do - all I kept thinking was if I could only bf this wouldn't be an issue. He was flying on my milk - I really felt if I had called in the big guns and got a lactation consultant to help us earlier we would have come through unscathed. But that was then and we were so close to losing our home that the extra money to get help seemed like a mountain (and yes I know it balances out when you're paying for formula but big bucks upfront don't come as easy as a little money once a week).
Then one day I found an independent article on what is best for bub when you can't bf. It discussed the nature of formula, what its made of, whats important and whats less so. It made a point of stating breast is best and at the very end mentioned the word 'relactation'. It was 10 weeks since I fed little man, he was fed for 11 weeks - so I thought there can't be anything there. I knew two weeks previously he went on the breast when very upset - just for a comfort nurse. With a bit of hard squeeze there was some 'glistening' on my nipple, nothing really but I thought I'd go to the doc to have a chat. I looked into what I would need to do to increase my supply and found out that dompiridone is regluarly prescribed to women who wish to breastfeed their adopted babies.
The doc was great - she didn't know anything about the medication but rang the royal womens hospital for their advice. I joined the Australian Breastfeeding Association and got a breastfeeding councellor (who may have been dubious at first as to my commitment but is 110% behind me now). I've been taking fenugreek, blessed thistle, breastfeeding tea and making magic milk biccies - so I am dosed up to the gills with supply enhancing herbs.
We also invested in an SNS from medela - little man wouldn't take it originally but I used a nipple shield and placed the tube at the corner of his mouth and soon enough he was back on the breast. He's now on without the nipple shield and completely associates my breasts (and the SNS) with food. My supply is slowly coming back - I feed him 5 times a day and pump another 5, I am now getting 30 to 50mls from pumping and its only been 10 days. It apparently takes as long as you have stopped for the milk to come fully back and it may not ever as I have to go back to work. Thought I will be able to pump twice a day for 10 mins while at work. The SNS is a little tricky at first but its now only a little more effort than bottle feeding on its own.
I guess I consider this a success story already - my milk is getting through to little man and he's no longer constipated.. The connection is worth it on its own - even DH says little man is shinier and happier just from the closeness of it all. But probably most importantly this experience has helped me realise how much I personally truly value breastfeeding my little man and I would love for other women to know that it is not too late to go back if you really want. And for the next little one... I will find out before where I can get support and call on it when I need!
So for now I am thinking milky thoughts and hoping to bring my supply back but even if I don't little man will get more than if I didn't try and we both just love the cuddles :) |
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