Click here for some great mommmy and baby freebies from BabiesOnline.com

Main Page Site Index Getting Pregnant Pregnancy Parenting Pregnancy and Parenting Journals Fertility Nutrition Pregnant Moms Morning Sickness Women's Health Child Health	Main Page - Breastfeeding Survival Guide - You're Not Alone: Breastfeeding Inspiration Stories You're Not Alone: Breastfeeding Inspiration Stories Sometimes, we are so caught up in the internal every day struggles when trying to breastfeed, that we may not realize that somewhere out there ... there's another Mom going through the same thing. Whether you're a Stay At Home Mom or a Working Mom, we ALL have bumpy rides sometimes when it comes to the nursing relationships with our babies - you're not alone. This new section of the Nursing Nook, is meant to inspire you .. to give you hope .. to let you see that there are women EVERYDAY beating the odds, and successfully breastfeeding their babies. These are YOUR fellow members ... YOUR fellow nursing Mom's , sharing their difficulties, and the steps that they have taken to make their nursing relationship a better one. I hope you are as inspired as I was reading them. ~Kenyatta Melissa's Story: I had decided to Breastfeed my first baby antenatal class made it seem easy, nothing was really mentioned about engorgement, bleeding nipples, and correctly latching the baby on and just how difficult it really was, and the different and conflicting advice on every shift on nurses at the hospital. I was in agony with bleeding nipples and the joy of a new baby soon turned to despair at the thought of surviving one more feed. On day three I waited till 7 pm before leaving the hospital(you must leave on day 3) to go home still unable to feed Caitlin, by 9pm I was home when my milk finally came in I was engorged and soaking wet from my shoulders to my waist, I was so freaked out.No-one warned me, they just kept asking if my milk had come in but no explanations or remedies on offer. By 5am the next morning (day 4) Caitlin had been screaming for seven hours, I was so distressed & unable to latch her on, I was terrified of my baby coming anywhere near my breasts. My dear husband bundled Caitlin and me into the car and took us to the local community hospital (Materiki Maternity Unit) this was not the same hospital Caitlin was born at. The nurses were great they readmitted me and got me sorted out, helped me to learn to breastfeed a natural way without the rugby ball under arm way which I could not do and stopped wrapping the baby and allowed her arms to be free, from that moment on it became easier, it stopped hurting since she was able to hold onto the breast and latch on properly. slowly I stopped being so tense and relaxed breastfeeding this allows the milk to come down a lot sooner, and I had a baby that was a lot calmer. I have now been breastfeeding for 14 months and just started weaning her now to have another baby. It is a very rewarding experience feeding you baby seeing her grow into a healthy baby, although it was a very rough first week the months that followed far outweighed the first learning curve of teaching the both of us how to breastfeed, saving us a lot of money in infant formulas. Not to mention the weight loss, losing all of the weight I gained during pregnancy as well. so if I can encourage anyone to persevere through the agony and the I haven't got enough milk(milk settles down) or offer any advice your are welcome. ~Melissa Andrea's Story: Lactation Station Frustration I work for one of the auto makers, here in the United States. I had a baby in September and I went back to work in November. This is my story of the frustration of getting our lactation station upgraded to something livable. Before I left for my maternity leave I researched on our companies BBS for Lactation Station sites. I was THRILLED to find out that there was one in our building. I went to look at it, and while it was not the best lactation station on the face of the planet, it WAS private, and easily accessible with power outlets and a sink to wash hands/pump parts. It was also very warm outside at the time so the room was a comfortable temperature. When I returned to work on November 22, 1999, I went to the lactation station (it was two chairs in a shower stall, but it WAS private). It was FREEZING! I mean EXTREMELY cold! On the second day I ran into another mother who expressed milk for her baby! I was glad. I had a "pumping pal". Well, by the end of that first week (which was only a three-day week because of Thanksgiving) I found out there were FIVE of us using that one outlet and that one station. I decided that when we returned the next week I would start to take action on our "lactation station". I started by calling the lady who had published the list of lactation stations in our company. (We have dozens of buildings so that was a LONG list to compile). She said that the CEO of the company had just accepted a policy. I was SO excited. In the meantime, I went to our building's facilities people and told them what we needed down in our lactation station. Well, it took several "reminders" but we did finally get a table down there. I put up a poster and put some nursing articles down there. I also made a sign that said "A Nursing Mom Is Pumping Behind this Curtain, Please Do Not Disturb" (I had a lady whip open the shower curtains one day because she "heard weird noises". Talk about a let down blow out! I couldn't get a DROP of milk after that). Facilities also ordered a heater. It turns out there is NO heat in that bathroom. (Who the heck planned a building with NO HEAT in the shower area?) As for the lactation policy, I found out that I am EXCLUDED, in WRITING, because I am a contract employee. So, I had to discontinue the fight. I passed the torch on to one of the full time employees who also pump. Hopefully she can get somewhere with them since she can legally request a better station. We are STILL waiting for the heater. January 31 it was 55 degrees in there. BRRRRRR!!!!!!! I will write an update when we get our lactation station upgraded! Seems it is going to be a long process. ~Andrea Carol's Story: Shook was born 3 weeks early and had to stay in the hospital for 5 weeks. During his stay in the hospital, he had to have a feeding tube. They slowly started feeding him EBM in a bottle and I was able to try and nurse him twice a day. He always had a hard time latching and staying on (he wouldn't open wide enough or put his tongue down) and I was getting very frustrated . I had the help of a VERY wonderful LC and another nurse (Bonnie) who wouldn't let me give up. They both were very patient in helping me get him latched on. Anyway, when it was time for him to come home, he still wasn't nursing very well and I still could only nurse him part of the time. A few days after he came home, I basically had given up nursing him (although I was still pumping) even though we had had a few good sessions at home. Well, I haven't tried to nurse him in probably 2 weeks. Tonight I missed one of my pumping sessions and he woke up hungry. Because I have used up my stockpile of EBM, I am basically pumping after I feed him and using it for the next feed. Well my husband suggested that I try and nurse him. I did and he latched right on ! I was so surprised and happy. He actually stayed awake for the first side! When we switched to the second side, though, I could tell he was only comfort sucking because my nipple started to get sore. I pumped after he had fallen asleep and I did get some milk but not as much as I usually do so that means that he got something. Well he woke up after I pumped and was acting hungry so I gave him the milk I had just pumped. He was still acting hungry and because I didn't have anymore EBM I made him some formula (which I really didn't want to do). He wouldn't take it! Which I guess is good and bad. Good because he doesn't like it and bad because if I happen to dry up, it will be harder to get him to eat. So my husband is getting me some more fenugreek and I will nurse him as much as I can tomorrow and we'll see how it goes! ~Carol Lucia's Story: Buggy and I had to work QUITE hard to breastfeed successfully, in part because he had to be bottle-fed in the NICU. Here are a few of the things that we did that I believe made the difference and led us to a successful breastfeeding relationship... Things to try if your baby is already attached to a bottle... Hand express a tiny bit of milk before attempting to put the baby to the breast. Leaving the milk on your nipple gets the baby REALLY excited! Just squeeze your own nipple lightly until beads of milk appear at the ducts... Only attempt to nurse for about twenty minutes before feeding the baby in a manner that works. If after twenty minutes or so, your baby still is unable/unwilling to latch on and work, go ahead and feed him. Pushing him any longer will only bring him to the edge of hysteria with hunger, and he may well associate that hunger with your breasts - NOT a good connotation. Make sure that YOU are comfortable. If you are uneasy or have people around you who you are not comfortable with, letdown becomes almost impossible. It is difficult not to tense up when your baby is not latching on well, but try to stay calm and relaxed... (Personal Note: I know that when I attempted to nurse in the NICU, the noise of the various machines, plus the large number of medical personnel around, had a LOT to do with my inability to achieve letdown easily. Buggy and I do MUCH better in the privacy and quiet of our own home!) Rent (or buy) the best pump you can afford. I cannot emphasize this one enough! If you are committed to breastmilk, pumping is a great way to keep your supply up and provide breastmilk for your baby while working on developing a working breastfeeding relationship. If the pump makes your nipples sore, try Lansinoh, a product that will ease your discomfort IMMENSELY. Try drawing your nipple out BEFORE breastfeeding by using a pump for a minute. This makes it easier for the baby to latch on, makes your nipple more obvious on the roof of his mouth, etc. When you've established breastfeeding, you will no longer need to do this, as he will draw your nipple out himself VERY quickly! If it just doesn't work out for you and your baby, don't beat yourself up. Consider alternatives, like feeding your baby expressed breastmilk in a bottle. If you feel like you have tried everything, or are resenting trying to breastfeed or your baby, let yourself off the hook. It is not the end of the world if the baby takes a bottle. These are the things that helped me and The Bug. PLEASE NOTE that Buggy was 23 days old the first time we had a successful breastfeeding session, and I mean nursing from the breast for FIVE minutes... I hope these suggestions are useful. They aren't sure-fire, but they worked for me and my very preemie, very lazy, bottle-loving baby! ~Lucia Paula's Story: My Quest to Become a La Leche Leader   ~ Nursing Nook Contents ~ - Breastfeeding Survial Guide - Breastfeeding Articles - The Boy and His Boob Column - Breastfeeding Bookstore - Full Index of Breastfeeding Articles