Once I took Autumn home, I thought I we were figuring out this whole breast-feeding thing. After all, she appeared to be eating.
She was born on a Monday. We took her home on Wednesday. On Friday, the hospital's lactation consultant called to see how things were going. She asked me how often we were feeding and for how long, how many wet diapers there were and how many poopy diapers there were and what color her stools were. I thought we were feeding often -- every three hours -- and I tried hard to think of how often we were changing diapers. I knew it was a lot, but it was really hard for my sleep-deprived mind to remember a full 24 hours of diapers.
Anyway, it ended up that the lactation consultant said that wasn't enough and she asked me to come in for a consult. We rushed to the lactation center and the nurse helped me pump off some of my milk, which made me much more comfortable. She then helped me get Autumn to latch on and gave me a nipple shield to help stimulate Autumn's want to suck.
We went home and things seemed to be going well. Except at Thanksgiving when I accidentally left the nipple shield at our house when we went to my parents' house. I went to two drug stores in Jamestown, N.Y., and I called another. I also called the hospital there and asked around. Do you think there was anywhere I could purchase a nipple shield? Nope. I winged it, but wasn't comfortable in what I was doing. I was grateful to have the shield back the next day.
But after a few more weeks, I thought Autumn was pretty thin. She wasn't that chubby baby I gave birth to (she weighed 9 pounds, 1 ounce). So I called the lactation center for a weight check. We went in, and over the last three weeks, she had only gained 3 ounces. Not good.
So we started a ritual where two or three times a week I'd go to the lactation center and get her weighed. The lactation consultant watched me nurse Autumn and gave me some tips, including losing the nipple shield now that she knew to suck. The nurse said that would possibly help my production. After I nursed Autumn, I was to pump for 10 minutes and then feed whatever milk was expressed to Autumn in a bottle. This was to fatten her back up.
We kept going like this for a little while and it worked. By the time Autumn was 4 months old, she had big cheeks and big thighs. She stayed a little chub until after she became mobile. And she had nothing but breastmilk until 6 months old, when we started cereal.
After a the first few times with the weight check and visits to the lactation consultant, I found a whole bunch of other mothers who said they had been helped as well. I asked why nobody told me this wouldn't be easy. Here I was thinking I was a moron because I couldn't figure out this "natural" thing of breast-feeding my child. It's not easy. People shouldn't make it sound easy. People should know that many moms out there have had to go for help. And it's a good thing, because those nurses really know what they're doing and they will help you get on the right track if that's what you want.
When the baby's husband is supportive, that helps, too. I think my husband is an even bigger breast-feeding supporter than I am. And that says a lot.
Tomorrow: Nursing in public -- do or don't?