Adventures in Breastfeeding

When I was pregnant I really wanted to breastfeed.  It's supposed to be the best way to feed your baby and it's free!  I had heard that it was hard, but I had no idea!  When Penny was born, she began to breastfeed right away!  She was perfect at it and I was so excited!  Then on the night 2, things got tricky.  She was wanting to eat every 20 minutes and was very upset.  It seemed to get better after we went home.  She was eating a lot, which everyone said was normal.  We went to her first appointment and she had lost a lot of weight and her jaundice level had gone up.  My milk still hadn't come in, so her doctor suggested I started taking a medicine called Reglan to help.  So, we made another appointment for her to go back in a couple days and I started taking the Reglan.  When we went, she had lost even more weight and her jaundice number had gone up even more.  Her doctor wanted us to supplement with formula.  I really did not want to do this, but we really had no choice.  So, after every feeding, we gave her formula with a siriegne, because I was not going to give her a bottle.  It was a Friday night, and she hadn't pooped in two days and was very fussy!  We called the emergency number to the pediatrician and they told us to continue with formula and that she needed to poop by the morning or we would have to bring her in to urgent care.  It was a very long night, but she pooped!  On Sunday, my milk finally came in!  I thought we were good to go and so did her doctor.  That week, she continued to want to eat all the time and was very upset.  We made an appointment with the lactation consultant at the hospital.  When we went in, she had lost even more weight and we discovered she was only get about 10 ml of milk from me, which is about 1/3 of an ounce.  She needed to be getting about 2.  No wonder she was upset!!  So, we knew we had to start using formula again.  I didn't want to use a bottle, so I started using this thing called an SNS.  It's basically and tube that the formula goes through that you tape to your boob.  It was a pain in the butt!  I was using that and pumping after every feeding.  Each feeding was taking a little over and hour.  Which means, by the time one feeding got done, it was almost time to start the next one.  Needless to say, we were not getting much sleep.  After a week of doing all of that I lost it!  The Reglan can also cause depression, and it was taking away my appetite.  Not good when you are trying to breastfeed.  I had a little more milk, but not enough.  I couldn't do it anymore.  I was stressed and sobbing everyday over feeding Penny.  We went for a check up to the pediatrician and she said it was ok to give her a bottle with formula.  I was so relieved!  No more stupid tube and tape!!

I'm still pumping and breastfeeding her when he wants, but her nutrition is coming from the formula.  I also have stopped taking the Reglan.  I am so much happier after only two days!  I feel relaxed and I'm able to enjoy my sweet baby more and be a better mommy!