Cara’s Breastfeeding Story

By Cara F.

When I was researching pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding with my first, I was honestly the most nervous about breastfeeding.  I expected my body to do the work and know just what to do with birthing, but to nurse my baby, both of us would have to work together to make it happen.  But I researched the best I could and was determined to give my baby the best start in life.

When she was born I was pretty tired because we had a long labor and I had some blood loss with delivery.  We were able to stay home (it was a home birth), which was important to me especially because I thought it would help our breastfeeding relationship.  She nursed well at first, but after 3 days she stopped wanting to nurse; she’d suck for two or three sucks and then pull off and scream.  She wasn’t staying with it enough for my milk to let down, which was frustrating for both of us.  I had given her a pacifier, which I think might have caused nipple confusion. I knew you weren’t supposed to use a pacifier for a few weeks, but I thought it wouldn’t hurt since she was nursing well the first day.  With her not nursing, I thought if I gave it a while she’d give up and just start, but after about 8 hours she still hadn’t latched well so I gave her some sugar water in a bottle, which she sucked right down. She was a little one (6-1/2 lbs) and I didn’t want her to get dehydrated.

I was still determined to breastfeed, so I called our La Leche League on day 4, who had me check for tongue tie (she wasn’t), and try different positions. They didn’t work.  I continued to supplement via the bottle with diluted goat’s milk and sugar water as I thought was needed so we didn’t have to deal with dehydration.  I tried pumping but wasn’t able to get anything out  On day 5 someone online answered my pleas for help and suggested dropper feeding rather than the bottle to supplement.  I did this right away, and the next day she started latching on! I was thrilled. By a week old she was completely breastfed and I nursed her exclusively until 12 months when we introduced solids, and continued to nurse in addition to feeding her solids until 26 months.

I wish that I had known about dropper feeding before. Now, looking back, it’s my theory that the dropper ’starves’ the baby’s need to suck so when they’re allowed to suck at the breast they so much want to suck that they latch on correctly.

Two years later with my son the only issue I had was that he had eczema.  I went on an elimination diet after doing a little research, first eliminating milk, and that cleared it right up. Now, even at 7-1/2 months, if I eat a piece of pizza with cheese, or a small serving of ice cream, he still reacts to the milk in my diet by getting a patch of eczema, usually on his trunk.