Don't worry, I won't scare you with my labor story or how my body is apparently designed to contract forever but never dialate past 1.5 cm without lots of help. I do have to say Bicho's birth was excellent and truly a spiritual experience. I began feeling anxious and overwhelmed with the thought of being a mother a few days before she was born. I prayed long and hard to have a positive birth experience for both me and Terrence. We were so blessed to have excellent nurses who loved and cared for me and Kenadee when we ran into feeding problems which resulted in a longer hospital stay than anticipated. Who knew something so small could bring so much love and tenderness into our hearts! She truly is a little angel sent from heaven. Its so fun to see her little personality shine through, even though she is only 10 days old. Even the nurses and doctors in the hospital jokingly commented on how she is "full of personality" (which I take to be a great compliment - who wants a boring old baby when you can have a sassypants like Kenadee?!). I have a feeling little Miss Kenadee will be giving us a run for our money :)
On a similar note, has anyone had feeding problems with their babies in the past? I know feeding my baby formula wouldn't be the worst thing in the world (seeing how there are starving children across the world, I should be so grateful that is not our situation). But - I desperately want to breastfeed only my baby. I've been so nervous about it , though, since we had so many problems with it in the hospital and she became dehydrated because of it. I've been pumping then supplementing with formula. Any advice ???
18 comments:
Breastfeeding is HARD. And the first 6 weeks are brutal. If you really want to be successful, you have to keep at it. Make her eat less, more often. And if you haven't got one already, you need to invest in a good breast pump. Trust me, it's worth every penny.
Congrats, she is beautiful! As for breastfeeding, my only advice is: don't be too hard on yourself if it doesn't work out. Trey REFUSED to nurse from the start and I ended up giving him pumped breast milk for his first 6 weeks of life and stopped after that. It was very emotional for me because I just felt like something was wrong with me if I couldn't succeed at something so "easy" and "natural". It's not that easy and it doesn't always come naturally. I agree with the MomBabe, a good breast pump is crucial. They rent them at the lactation office at Banner Desert. Good luck!
Breastfeeding sucks! literally (so does pumping). Ok so there is some joy in it but don't be to hard on yourself or it will never happen. I was so nervous with my first one and it really did make it harder to do it, so just RELAX and remember if it doesn't happen its ok you are not a bad mom. I have nursed and bottle fed all of my babies and they have and are turning out just fine.
I had to supplement Kit too and I totally understand how emotional it is. Basically, we just kept at it and around day 7 it clicked. Hopefully things will change for ya soon!
Congrats on your baby! Love all the hair! I too had some difficulties with nursing, but found great help from a lactation consultant (look them up in the phone book), which is what I would suggest you should do at this point since your baby needs to learn how to suck the right way on the breast because it's not the same kind of suck for a bottle.
If things still don't work out, you are still a great mom by making sure she is well-fed, either way. Good luck.
I had to supplement while breastfeeding and although I wanted to breastfeed only, it turned out to be a huge blessing. She will get what she needs from you but the ability to give her a bottle is wonderful. So many babies will not take the bottle and its hard to even go to enrichment. Also, it made weaning A LOT easier. She will be perfectly fine if you have to do both. And you might find she'll sleep longer too which is nice but more than anything-with cold season coming-its easier for them to beat flu bugs and such when they can sleep longer periods.
Congrats! I just can't get over her head of hair. I'm jealous. :)
My sister just had her 6th baby and was shocked that at her 2 week checkup she hadn't gained ANY weight. Her doctor suggested formula, saying her milk must be bad. She went to a lactation consultant and learned that the baby wasn't latching right, so even though she was nursing forEVER, she wasn't getting much milk. They're fixing her latch and she's gaining now. Long story short-- a good lactation consultant is worth her weight in gold. Go see one asap. Formula isn't always the answer when you're having problems. Many times it's an easy fix, you just have to correctly identify the problem.
But the beginning can be hard. The first 6 weeks are the hardest. And after that it's easy breezy. It's wonderful for your baby and it's so much easier than making and washing bottles! And I'd much prefer to nurse in bed in the middle of the night than have to get up and make a bottle. But I'm lazy like that. :)
Nursing is worth it-- but you kind of have to have a "do or die" mentality because there are always hurdles. But once you make it over them, I think it's easier in the long run. Call me if you need anything.
She is a cutie...I love the dark hair. Looks a lot like Katy's hair when she was born. So cute! Well I can't say breastfeeding is easy. She might lose a little weight but it is normal. My friend said to use breastguards if your having trouble. By the way it will hurt like hell the first 6 weeks...but it gets better, I promise. Take care, and congrats!
You are doing awesome as a mom!!! All I got to say is just relax and enjoy feeding her. Weather by breast or milk. It is awesome time to bond with your baby each time you feed her.
As you know my first never did latch and I pumped for 3 months. Yes call me crazy but by then I was willing to stop but emotionally I wasn't. With the other two they did great at breastfeeding. It take a lot of patients and time.
I do have to agree with danielle, i hated getting up in the night doing bottle. I thought it was easier to just nurse the baby in bed at night. But that take talent after a month or so. :) Good luck! and Keep trying.
LOVE her :) The only problem I had with Livvy is that she's an OINKER and my breastmilk isn't satisfying enough, so even after I nurse her, she'll still take a 4oz bottle! Supplimenting isn't the end of the world, and I'm sure your hubby will love his chance with his baby girl too :) You can always check out www.kellymom.com, there's some GREAT nursing tips on there :)
Hey Rachel! i know this was a problem for Keely and me. I pumped for 6+ months and while kept trying with Keely and I don't think she latched on good till about 3 months. Then i was so used to pumping and knowing exactly how much she was getting (and having help feeding her)pumping was easier and faster. I am hoping this baby due soon will latch on (fingers crossed)
Holy hair! She looks fantastic--congratulations! Sorry I have no feeding advice, but I've appreciated reading all your friends advice since this is something I'm getting nervous about and will be coming up in just over a month. Good luck! Let me know what works!
Thanks for all your encouraging comments! We went to a lactation consultant and come to find out this ol' milk cow is not producing enough milk for Kenadee. So we are working on it! Aunt Jemima here I come!
so precious! we're really happy for you guys.
we're still waiting to come see you guys ;) let us know when a good time is. i would love to get max's stuff too. i was wondering where that wipe case was!
Hi Rachel and Terrence!
I had problems breastfeeding my son Jacob. When he was born, we thought everything was fine and dandy.....then, I tried to feed him. He couldn't eat and breathe at the same time. I am not trying to scare you. The result was, I had to pump at the beginning to get my milk to come in. He was fed from a bottle in the beginning. Then, when my milk came in, I pumped more. As soon as he was strong enough, I hooked him up. It took a little bit of learning on both our ends, but we figured it out. A month later, you wouldn't even know he started out with some struggles, he doubled his birth weight! Breastfeeding takes practice. Try a couple of different positions to find the one that works best for you. And, be persistent. You kind of feel like a cow when you are hooked up to those machines. But, you do need your milk to come in to make it easier for the baby to suck and actually get something. The convenience is worth it in the end. No clean bottles, no formula to carry around everywhere, not to mention the money savings. Plus, it is one-on-one time for you to bond with your baby. You won't get this chance again. Some people choose formula and are o.k. with that, the kids will survive. But, if you are determined to breastfeed, stick to it. Good luck...if all else fails ask your lactation nurse from the hospital or your obstetrician. your baby is beautiful! Congratulations!
YEA!!!! She's finally here! And SO SO adorable with all that hair. I'm so happy she's here safe and sound. Congratulation! : )
M.L.
p.s. The LeLeche(sp?) League's Book was a really good resource for me when breastfeeding. Good luck!
Congrats!!! She is beautiful!!!
k lets see some more pictures of this little girl! i havent seen her in forever and she's already 6 weeks old! my goodness time is flying! :) love ya guys!!
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