Nursing (Caution Potential TMI)

This post may contain Too Much Information. But as always, I feel it is important to be honest and open.

My last post about nursing indicated it takes great determination, and I am finding that out now more than ever.

Its hard to know what is normal, and what is not. How sore do you have to be before it signals a potential problem?

When we left the hospital nursing was going very well. Milo's weight gain demonstrated I am producing good milk and he is eating it very well. I felt like we were on the right track. Well over the past few days my nipples became cracked and bleeding. Nursing quickly became extremely painful. That is when I knew I really needed to seek help. So I met with our lactation consultant who made me aware of the fact that my nipples were more damaged than I even realized.

I think after I was on my own at home, my positioning was off just slightly. Milo was still able to eat just fine, but it was taking a huge toll on me. Our lactation consultant helped me see where my mistake was and showed me how to fix it. Nathan ran out, on the spot, and bought a nipple shield which is a frustrating but life saving contraption. The nipple shield took the pressure off of the nipple, so I could still nurse without the toe curling pain. Milo will suck on anything, so while it annoys all of us, we're still able to nurse. I was also prescribed a healing nipple cream that will cause healing beyond what the mild Lansinoh can do. But our lactation consultant also thought it would be a good idea to pump for the next 24-48 hours to give myself a chance to heal.

Now I love nursing my son. And I was initially fearful that pumping and bottle feeding for a day or so could potentially hinder future nursing. But after evaluating Milo's eating... we all decided it shouldn't be a problem. Our lactation consultant gave us a Madela hand pump, and sure enough it worked very well. I was able to pump twice so far today. And Milo took the bottle without hesitation. My plan at this point is to pump/bottle feed twice, then nurse once, then repeat. That way we are still keeping up with the nursing. And after I begin to heal and take away the bottle... I am certain Milo, my little piglet, will go back to exclusive nursing. He's not the kind of baby who won't eat just because he doesn't like what is giving him the milk. She also confirmed that giving Milo the pacifiers is almost a necessity at this point.

I'm still at risk for infection, so I may end up on a preventative antibiotic. But we are confident that if we focus on my healing, I'll still be able to nurse Milo.

Emotionally, I'm still adjusting. There is a lot to process, and its hard to process the whole experience on such sleep deprivation. But I have great support, so whenever the tears start flowing... I have someone there to pick me up.