Alright ladies and gents! I am back! Sorry for the delay… you know motherhood happens. LOL! Anyways, lets talk about the good ol’ breastfeeding journey. I must say this has been quite a journey. Let’s rewind back to when I was in the hospital after my C-Section. I had decided before I went into labor that I wanted to breastfeed. It was a personal decision and something I wanted to experience with my daughter (not knocking anyone who chooses to formula feed! Do what is best for you, your baby and family). Right after my C-Section I was due to start feeding my Amalia Rose and it was a great feeling. Having her on my chest skin to skin and being able to feed her was amazing. The work of God just amazes me and how women are able to nurse their own babies. The first day went really well I thought she was doing so great!

However, going on to day 2 we encountered a few problems. Amalia was not gaining weight but was losing if anything. Losing 10 percent of their birth weight is normal and expected but Amalia was starting to exceed this and the Doctors were starting to get concerned. I tried to continue to feed her more often but I encountered another problem it literally hurt so bad now every time she latched on. I was bruised, cracked and bleeding. I could not take the pain any longer. The lactation consultant came in to help me with breastfeeding. However, I found her to be very aggressive and not very empathetic to my situation. She was throwing so much information at me it was hard to keep up and made me feel like a failure or like I was doing everything wrong. She almost even laughed at the methods I was using. I am a first time mother and felt discouraged and was very turned off by her attitude. We discovered that Amalia was not latching correctly and that was why it hurt so much. Regardless of what I did she just would not latch properly. I would almost be crying every time she latched on because I was in so much pain. Around 11PM that night I wanted to give up. I had already endured so much pain for about 4 days in a row throughout my labor and delivery that I was done. I called a nurse in and told her it hurt so bad that I just couldn’t do it anymore.

The nurse was so good and spoke to be about other things I could use to try to get Amalia to latch better. We tried using the SNS (supplemental nursing system) with a shield and this was working but can get messy. I then tried the shield by itself and it seemed to be working better but I was still in pain. I decided to give myself a break and pump for Amalia and bottle feed until everything healed. To be honest this is where I have stayed ever since. Almost 4 months in and I am still pumping and bottle feeding. I do not regret my decision. This is what worked best for me and my family.

I found with bottle feeding my husband was able to help a lot when we first went home with our baby. This was a huge help as I was still recovering from my C-Section. Until this day it’s so helpful when my husband is home and can help with feedings while I cook, clean or have me time. Some people say it’s not as intimate and personal as breastfeeding but I do not share that opinion bottle feeding can be just as intimate and you can always do skin to skin as well. There are also many other ways to bond with your baby.

Now, exclusively pumping is a beast in it of itself. I am attached to a machine every 2-3 hours for 30-45 minutes. When I go out for long periods of time I have to take an additional bag with my pumping equipment and I also have to always think where I can pump. Not every place is pump friendly. My life is now on a timeline! Everywhere I go or whenever I plan things I plan them around my pumping times. A sacrifice I am willing to make so that my Amalia Rose can receive the very best nutrition.

With Love,
Eli<3