Reaching out for help and trying again
Reaching out for help and trying again
Nov 03Well I finally did something I’ve been wanting to do but have been too afraid to. I asked for help. I called the LC at the hospital and she told me to come in. So Gracie got fed at 6am and then we held off until 9 when we went to visit. I had attempted to get her to latch the night before and was granted with screaming. It was hard for the first few minutes because she resisted like crazy. Finally we got her on and apparently my production is fine. She is going on vacation but told me she’ll call me next week to check up. I went to Randy’s moms after because he had an appointment in the afternoon as well. We got back at 10:30 and that’s where the hell began. She wanted to latch and would not stop crying until she did. We did this until close to 2pm with me getting quite exhausted from the continous crying after she’d unlatch due to falling asleep. I was getting quite close to throwing in the towel already.
Randy had his appointment and came back. She had fallen asleep in the car on the way and woke up about 20 minutes later. Randy’s mom wanted to hold her and whatnot but she wanted no part of it. She wanted to be on me. Randy’s mom isn’t too happy about the breast feeding as evidenced by the “Can’t you pump so I can take her on Thursday?” 1. It’s too early to pump that much if even possible 2. She needs to avoid bottles. 3. She’s not a borrow-a-baby. Then his dad for some reason is anti breast feeding and keeps telling me to use formula even though I want her on BM. I explained her constipation issues and he’s like well switch formulas. I am, it’s called the body’s formula. I really need to avoid people like that because they’re very discouraging.
We got home with me exhausted beyond belief. After rocking gracie to sleep I managed to get 2 1/2-3 hours of sleep. Now we’re up. I’m nervous because she seems to want to be on constantly and I’m not sure whether it’s a comfort thing or she’s not getting enough. That’s my fear with breast feeding and partially the reason I stopped at the beginning, because she was so fussy due to not eating enough. I know about the wet diapers thing but her fussiness is what gets me. All we can do is keep going and see how things go.
And a picture from about 10 minutes ago. She always eats with her eyes closed
I AM SO PROUD OF YOU MOMMA!!! Oh and my gods if I could just punch your MIL in the face for trying to ruin this for you and your daughter. Is she really that selfish that she doesn’t want her grandchild to be as healthy as possible?
Do not worry if she’s “getting enough”. She is at a growth spurt age which means shes going to nurse non-stop, also yes it will be a comfort thing, it makes her feel loved and close to her momma!
If she is having plenty of wet diapers and poopy diapers she is GETTING ENOUGH!!
I doubt she was fussy in the beginning from “not enough” milk. Low production is NOT that common in the majority of women. Babies in the first year go through a billion growth spurts which is indicated by fussy behavior and the need to nurse CONSTANTLY.
Right now Tristan is also in his 4-6wk spurt and is perma-nursing lol.
If she is fussy, latch her on, burp her, walk outside with her, etc.
I would also suggest getting rid of all formula/bottles/etc for the ultimate in success.
Also check out the Mothering board, LLL board, KellyMom board, etc lol.
Again if you need to talk or anything feel free to contact me!
That is the most beautiful picture
I am so glad you are trying to start breast feeding up again! Hopefully it will help with Gracie’s bowel issues. I’m sure as the days go on, you and Gracie will both establish a breast feeding routine and it will become second nature 
Good luck with everything!!
Yay for boobies! I’m glad you are able to get the breastfeeding working for you. I can’t wait for the joys and probably tribulations I will face with breastfeeding. Keep at it and let us know of anymore progress!
I am SO happy you’ve decided to give breastfeeding another try!! Sarah gave some pretty good advice up there, so I’ll just second it, and add that if you ever need more support don’t forget that we’re all here for you.
I’d like to slap your in-laws. My sisters have like a boob phobia or something, but I’ve just come to ignore them. Don’t listen, YOU know that what you’re doing is best for Gracie.
yaayy i’m glad you got it to work
i hope it helps gracie and i hope you keep it up! ignore your inlaws and do what you want for your baby.
I am glad you reached out for support and things are coming along well now. Being a parent is a HUGE learning experience…and you learn for the rest of your life. Ignore Randy’s parents, though, as they don’t seem to help the situation any!
Yay for starting again! I hope it works out better this time.
That is the most adorable photo.
Hooray!! I hope breastfeeding goes smoothly for you and Gracie. Just ignore the shitheads
I’m so proud of you Manda! If you have the determination it can work, as evidenced by this blog post and your photo! It’s great that she got back into the swing of nursing so quickly.
Now let’s see…
1. Your MIL needs to stop being selfish. She will have many years to enjoy your daughter. She needs to step back and respect your wishes to breastfeed your daughter. And you’re absolutely right — bottles would hinder your BFing relationship. More importantly, you’ll never produce for a pump like you will for a baby, which means you could potentially hurt your supply just to appease your MIL.
2. Your FIL needs to piss off. Does he not understand how beneficial and nutrient-rich breastmilk is?
3. Some babies are just fussy, and it’s possible that Gracie is fussing so much right now because she got used to how quickly a bottle would give her milk, and she’s not happy with having to work a bit harder for it. As long as she does seem satisfied after a while, is sleeping and is having output, and is gaining weight (do the weigh-yourself, then-weigh-yourself-with-baby thing in between doctor appointments), you’re doing fine.