Seriously if you are male, please do us both a favor and stop reading now. This post is about my breast feeding experience, and I'd rather believe that only ladies are reading it.
So today was the hardest one so far. Anna Love DID.NOT.SLEEP last night. She wasn't crying or fussy. No not at all. She was nursing. ALL NIGHT! I would think she was done and try to lay her down, but she instantly started acting hungry again. I'm determined to make this my best nursing experience yet, and so I want to really feed on demand and often. So I nursed her. At times I thought about what an amazing experience I was having. Other times all I could think about was sleep!
Since I mentioned it, let's talk about breast feeding. I've had some successes and some failures in this area, and hopefully I've learned from both. So far this experience is off to a good start. I think we've got a good latch. My supply is good. She seems to be nursing like a champ. I'm letting her stay at the breast as long as she wants (this is new for me). It really seems to be going well. Except one thing....and this one thing has happened with both my good experiences and my bad. IT HURTS!!!!!!! It hurts BAD!!! Really it's just one side that hurts. I say that I have a good side and a bad side, and it's been true every time. The good side is always good, and the bad side is always bad. I'm not sure why that is the case, but it's true. The good news is that as far as I can remember the bad side gets better in a few weeks, and then both sides are good and the pain goes away. Oh how I can't wait for that to happen!! Right now, it takes every bit of strength, determination, and courage I have to let her latch on to my bad side. At times I think that I'd rather jump off a cliff of throw myself onto a sword or something. Today I literally had to go into a room all by myself to nurse her on the bad side so that I could suffer in peace and quiet. Then when she latched on, I'd close my eyes tight, and pray like crazy. The pain gets better after about a minute of her sucking, but it doesn't go away all together. I wish I could remember for sure how long this lasted with the others. I think about 6 weeks, but today a friend suggested that maybe it only last a few days. Oh be right, Jamie!! Please be right!
Just a couple of notes about my past experiences...I've always struggled with supply issues. I mean seriously struggled. This time I started taking a supplement several days before Anna Love was born. I'm hoping that will help. I've always had pain. I've typically tried to put all my babies on a schedule, nursing or not. As I mentioned, I'm doing that differently this time. Finally, I've tried to get all my babies to use a pacifier. We are still planning to use a pacifier with Anna Love, but we are using it differently. I don't want to use the paci to delay a feeding or hold her off until the next scheduled feeding. BUT if she has just fed, and I'm convinced she just wants to suck, or we are driving, of I just cannot get to her in that very moment, then we are still offering the paci.
So that's the scoop on our breast feeding experience. My goal is to nurse exclusively, no bottles or formula, for at least one year. Now having said that, bottles and formula have saved me and my some of my other babies in the past. I'm not opposed to going that route if we need to do so. I don't feel any shame it that, and I don't condemn others who have used bottles or formula. I'm just sharing my goal for me and Anna Love.
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