Got Milk?

After having my breastfeeding blog post was published by Oh Baby! Magazine, I have had a few inquiries as to how things are going with #2, so I thought I would take a few minutes to update.


So...how are things going with Master C...well...I'm disappointed to report that I was not one of the fortunate mamas whose second time was easier than the first. In fact, this time around was worse....that's right, WAS.

C arrived a couple weeks early and with a fever, so he was sent to the special care nursery for a precautionary round of anti-biotics. For those that don't know, a newborn that gets anti-biotics receives them via IV. Because he was on an IV, he had to hang out in the incubator hooked up to all kinds of monitors for the first 48 hours...this meant we could look but not hold and he wasn't hungry because of the IV. 


Since I wanted to nurse him, my midwife had the nurses set me up with the pump (nicely referred to as The Show Pump by Carm) and they syringe fed him a bit until he was ok to come out of his little hut to nurse. This brought about the first hurdle or Boobie Trap, if you will...


Boobie Trap # 1 = Too Small Pump Pflanges


Ummmm ouch!! After two pumping sessions that were rather uncomfortable, I thought I should double check with our midwife that everything was as it should be....turns out it wasn't! Word to the wise ladies...Medela pumps all come with the same size pflanges (24 mm) because apparently this is the size that fits MOST ta-tas...if you're like me and not "typical" you may need a smaller or, in my case, a larger size. My advice to anyone planning to "Power Pump"...get fitted properly. After two 15 minute sessions, I was fortunate to have not done significant damage, but I had a couple pretty decent "hicky-esque" war wounds that were a little tender. Once I had the proper fitting (they had to hunt them down for me since they don't stock many 27 mm since EVERYONE (but me apparently) fits a 24 mm), I was back on track.


So on with the story...when C was two days old, I was excited be able to hold him in the morning and by the afternoon, with the help of the nursery nurse, I was able to nurse him. Now I don't know if it was that I was just SOOO excited and relieved to FINALLY be holding him and cuddling him, but I remember thinking as I nursed him for the first time that this was already WAY better than with Miss M. This guy latched right on and seemed to know what he was doing....nothing hurt...it was great!

Fast Forward Two Days...

Boobie Trap #2 = Overfilling Quota (a.k.a. Milk Oversupply!)

That's right...milk...a lot of it....too much of it! Poor little Master C was drowning. The letdown would choke the poor little dude, then he would be full before one side was empty. So, what does this equal? 1 gassy little dude and 1 uncomfortable mama. Not cool...I tried a couple things to calm the supply down which did help a little bit...the most effective was the incredibly attractive "cabbage bra"...Eau de Slaw anyone? Yuck...but it did help.

While he was struggling to keep up with me though, C developed the next issue...

Boobie Trap #3 = Lazy Latch


Because he didn't have to work to get milk (pretty much he just had to open his mouth and swallow), he developed a lazy latch. This coupled with the apparent "high arch" in his mouth led to VERY sore boobs (from the poor latch), a sore jaw (from clenching my teeth), a grumpy baby (from constantly being latched and re-latched trying to correct it + still being drowned) and one VERY grumpy mommy (you don't say!). We saw our midwife and two different lactation consultants trying to get things sorted. Everything we tried would work initially, and then within a day or so regression would occur....stupid "high arch"!! Apparently with a high arch, even when latched on correctly, he could still pull his tongue back (which he did) and snap away...ouchie! There was one saving grace that I discovered that helped more than anything...APNO (All Purpose Nipple Ointment)...Wonderful Stuff! With the help of APNO, I was able to get a couple more weeks in before the next issue...


Boobie Trap #4 = Thrush


Yep! With Miss M it was mastitis and this time around Thrush...are you freaking kidding me?! SOOOOOO not cool....and again, ouchie! C's lips and my ta-tas were a lovely shade of purple for about a week to clear up that. Ugh! 


So after 7 weeks (yeah all of this happened in 7 weeks), I made the decision that I couldn't for my sanity carry on as I was. Since I was determined to make sure C got breastmilk exclusively for as long as possible, I got myself a big double electric pump and set to work as a Power Pumper...


Boobie Trap #5 = Milking yourself multiple times a day SUCKS!


I can now officially TOTALLY relate to the cows in the barn. I started out pumping as often as he ate...but since I had a fantastic supply (this cow would NOT have been culled from the herd!) I was able to cut down to 4x/day and still pump well over 40oz a day. That got old quickly as well, so I then cut down to 3x/day....still pumping close to 40 oz. Last week, I cut back to 2x/day and was still able to keep ahead for a few days, but the supply started to slow down...so I had two options...bring it back up, or let it taper off. With a solid freezer stash as a motivating factor, I decided I was DONE. You would think that pumping wouldn't be that bad, and at first it wasn't...it was better than enduring pain all the time! But after two months of literally milking myself several times a day...I was done. I AM done.


I have been dealing with some mommy guilt...I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little sad. Sad that I had another crappy nursing experience. Sad that I felt "done" after only a month and a half of nursing and 2 months of exclusively pumping. I really wanted it to work this time around... I was able to reach my goal of 6 months with M, so I sort of felt like I was letting C down by not making it as long with him. But, on the other hand, I LOVE snuggling with him while I give him his bottle (we are SO much happier than when we were nursing) and I was fortunate enough to be able to freeze so much extra while I was pumping that I am still able to give him some breastmilk everyday for quite awhile, so I am slowly becoming ok with the decision.


So that's the scoop...Do I wish it had turned out differently and that I was still nursing him exclusively? Sure. But it didn't work out for me. So I did what I could (lactation consultants, power pumping, etc) to ensure that C got as much of the good stuff as possible and I am proud of how long I did stick it out. For those who have never pumped exclusively....it's a lot of work....not to mention a constant reminder that you aren't nursing him the way you would like....so I found it to be a little draining, literally and figuratively. Some may say round #2 was an epic fail. I say it was a pass...a solid E for Effort! I am a much happier mama with one very happy and healthy little dude that's growing like a weed.

On a lighter note and on the topic of guilt....one thing I do NOT feel guilty about is bribery...when it comes to potty training that is!! We are currently in the process of potty training Miss M and we reward her with Smarties. Well, for two days now I have been a Smartie Vending Machine!!! Woot!! Go Maddie! With any luck we will soon have only one kid in diapers!

Until next time my lovelies!