Breastfeeding: Things I didn't know and the benefits

I am thinking of starting a "series" of blogs about things I've discovered since having a child that I didn't take into consideration before he was here.  It's nothing I could have even expected without experiencing it.  Even with advice from others, there are just so many little things that go with having a baby that people either forget about, don't think about when giving advice, or simply things that vary from baby to baby.

Anyway, this week, I'm writing about things I've discovered about breastfeeding.  I wouldn't have seen myself writing on this topic except I have discovered so much from it, I feel I have to share.  

Plus, I participate in an online forum and have found that MANY women go through the exact same struggles with breastfeeding that I myself have faced.  

So I am making two lists here.  First, there are the challenges that I never imagined breastfeeding would pose.  And, second, there are many benefits that breastfeeding provides that I didn't even know about before starting.

UNEXPECTED ISSUES

• For many women, milk doesn't come in right away (as was my case) and the doctors and hospital staff will PUSH formula feeding so hard.  I felt lost my first week because on one side I was being pushed to give formula in bottles being told that was okay.  And on the other side people were saying don't dare give a bottle or pacifier as it could destroy my breastfeeding experience. 
• NOW- Picture this...you are sitting up at 1 am after having had a total of 3 hours of genuine sleep in a few days.  You are bleary-eyed, your child is only a few days old.  The strategies you've been given to help him latch only make him angry.  And he will not latch on for anything.  Oh and PLUS he's screaming at the top of his lungs because at this point he is starving and mad.  What do you do? Conflicting views/advice runs through your mind, you don't want to mess things up, but you have to take care of this child. This is exactly what I was thinking...what I went through.  Give him a bottle? Try to get him to continue to nurse? There is no professional to call on.  Your child is hungry.  Things aren't always as simple as you would think.  
• I found with him I had to put a small amount of formula in a bottle, stick the bottle in his mouth for a few seconds, take it out, and then immediately start breastfeeding.  It worked very well! This is actually how we got started.  
• I think if I'd had milk from day 1, it would have been easier.  But I will say that breastfeeding gets A LOT easier once milk is in.  When my milk came in, he chugged it down like it was the best stuff in the world.
• Also, the pacifiers I gave my baby (soothie and gumdrop) actually helped him strengthen his muscles enough to get milk out better.
• Not everyone can express milk easily.  And the amount expressed is NOT an indication of the amount of milk you are making.
• A doctor told me to pump my milk to see how much I was making.  Well, at first, I could only pump out half an ounce! 
• My baby was feeding well and gaining weight. So, I'm pretty sure I had a lot more than half an ounce! It was only after this that I researched it and found out that many women actually do not get much out with a pump..and I even used the expensive, high-end hospital pump to get at most 2 ounces.
• Breastfeeding can be very demanding 
• The thing about breastfeeding is that it works on a supply and demand basis.  So, supplementing with other things too much actually makes it more difficult in the end because the more the child nurses, the more milk you make.
• For me, this has meant literally nursing him around the clock sometimes.  Babies go through growth spurts meaning they can eat every half hour (going from 30 minutes after the start of the last session).  Basically, this ends up being the baby eating for hours on end.  I just get my liter of water and let him nurse as much as he wanted.
• There have been days when all I've been able to do has been nurse him and change his diapers from all he ate.
• It's not easy to know if the baby is getting milk, BUT there are little ways to tell!
• Not surprisingly, a lot of the time I can hear him gulping the milk down.  This is my favorite because I know he is getting tons of it when I hear the gulps.
• The baby's ear will wiggle as he/she sucks.
• The baby's jaw and temples will be moving.
• This is just my baby, but he twirls his foot when he is getting milk! It's so cute!
• Also, OUTPUT is the biggie.  My baby has at least 12 wet diapers a day plus at least 3-4 soiled ones.  As a nurse once told my mom, "If they be's a poopin, they be's a gettin' it!"  
• Also, the poop will look and have the consistency of mustard showing the baby is getting plenty of the good hind milk that is necessary. 

THE MANY BENEFITS OF BREASTFEEDING

• Nursing releases the hormone oxytocin into the body, which helps fight off postpartum depression.  I had some days where I felt kind of down after he was born.  But I found myself feeling better and better the more I nursed him.  I looked it up only to find out that positive hormones are released that help fight off those baby blues.  
• Breastfeeding also helps with weight loss after pregnancy.  I learned that it burns around 500 calories a day or more.  That's not bad at all!
• It also gives babies exactly what they need to stay healthy and fight off infections.
• Babies feel comfortable nursing.  My baby enjoys it so much that he actually doesn't want the bottle.  

I understand that there are many people out there who choose to formula feed.  And this blog is by no means pushing breastfeeding over formula feeding.  It's just what I've learned.

For me, I really didn't consider formula feeding as an option.  Plus, I actually feel really good nursing my baby.  I feel strange giving him a bottle.  BUT I never knew breastfeeding could have so many unforeseen challenges.

My doctor told me that many women give it up after 1 week. So she encouraged me to stick it out for at least 2.  Even now, at almost 5 weeks of it, I sometimes feel it would be easier to bottle feed.  If it weren't for my strong desire to do it, I would have given it up.  For anyone else who may be struggling with it, you are not alone and it really does get easier the more you stick with it.  There is also no pattern for how babies feed either.  Some are fast eaters and others are slow eaters.  Some go through fast growth spurts while others cluster feed for several days.

But the most amazing thing about it is that it all works naturally! Feeding the baby whenever he/she is hungry and letting him/her feed for as long as he/she wants to causes your body to react naturally and cater to the baby's needs.

Also, to those of you who had multiples and nursed them, hats off to you! One is a lot to me and I admire people who could do it with more than one!

A Few of my Favorite (baby) Things!

A common topic of conversation for many people I know who have been expecting is what baby items are worth buying and what would be a waste of money.  My personal feeling about this was that it's hard to say what is worth buying and what is a waste of money because people have different routines and even each baby will have different preferences.  So, maybe for one person something is a waste while another person finds it invaluable.


There are a few items that I had no idea I would treasure so much once my little one arrived.  I wanted to share these things because I have really found them to be wonderfully helpful when it comes to having a baby.


1.) A Wipe Warmer

I never knew the wonders of a warm wipe until now! When Gordon Lee was first born, you would think that a diaper change was torture for him.  He screamed bloody murder when a wipe went across his bottom.  We started running the wipes they gave us in the hospital under warm water, and it did help things quite a bit.  However, instead of having to run to a sink for every diaper change (which would be at least 12 times a day in our case), a great solution is a wipe warmer.  I had actually read about somebody else who said that she received a wipe warmer as a shower gift and didn't realize what a wonderful thing a warm wipe was.  But it really is a vast improvement to the cold wipe.  First of all, my baby tolerates diaper changes much better with a warm wipe.  Secondly, it actually cleans up the mess quicker which means using fewer wipes per diaper change!


2.) A Changing Table

This is one item that I was told would be a waste of money.  Several people I know said that they never used their changing table, and it is just as easy to change a diaper on the floor.  While that may be true for them, I find the changing table to be fantastic! I can keep everything together and not have to run across the house for Desitin because I forgot to grab it pre diaper change (which did happen once when I decided to change a diaper in my bedroom).  There were a few people who did say that they used their changing table.  So, it isn't as if everybody said it would be a waste of money, but I was surprised at how many people simply told me I didn't need one.  I use this every day! I love it! Messes are easy to clean up on it.  And, as I said, everything is right there.  (Thank you to my mother-in-law who got me the table!)


3.) Newborn T-Shirts

These are great for a summer baby (especially in the Georgia heat)! I received a set of 5 newborn-sized t-shirts from my in-laws, and I had no idea how much I would love them! When breastfeeding, it is advised at the beginning to have the baby down to his/her diaper to keep him/her awake while feeding.  Having a t-shirt makes changing the baby so quick and simple! The t-shirts I received have 3 snaps that close them up, so it's really easy to change him in and out of them.  


There are many other things that I have that I really love.  But these are the things that I am surprised to find I enjoy (and use) so much!

Bili Baby

It seems that, in only a little over a week, parenthood has been thrust upon me.  No, I do not mean waking up, changing diapers, feeding, or any of those little tasks.  I am talking about making decisions on the behalf of your child in an attempt to do what is best.  

When we were discharged from the hospital, Gordon Lee had a bilirubin level of about 9.  We had to go back the next day for a follow-up read.  His level came back at around 12.  So, since it was still rising, we went back two days later to have it checked again.  According to all the doctors, he really didn't look that jaundiced.  Yet, his level came back at 23.  25 is the dangerous level.  

So, we were admitted to the hospital for some intense therapy.  He had to go under double bilirubin light exposure--one light under him and one light above him.  Plus, they had to put an IV in his arm to increase his fluids and bring the level down faster.  I hated the IV part, and it troubled me to watch him in this condition.  Yet, I wanted what was best for him.  

Part of what contributed to the jaundice rising so high was the fact that my milk hadn't come in as quickly as it should have.  His weight had come down to about 6 pounds and 6 ounces.  So, they made me put him on formula under the light until they felt his level was low enough for him to nurse again.  This was troublesome for me as I was trying to avoid bottles and formula as much as possible.  Once his bilirubin level came down to 15, they let me take him out from under the lights and feed him.  I was so thankful for that.

Like a little champ, he took to it right away.  He loves the milk much more than formula anyway (besides, it is better for him).  Well, his level finally came down to 12.2 and only rebounded to 12.5 after 6 hours out from under the lights.  He had also gotten back up to 6 lbs 14 oz.  All was looking good, and we were discharged from the hospital.  We were told to go in on Monday for a follow-up appointment to ensure the level wasn't coming back up.

So, we went in yesterday.  At this point, I'm getting kind of frustrated with all of this because my husband and I think Gordon Lee needs stability and peace at home.  And we really don't want him exposed to all of the germs in the hospital.  Going back there repeatedly makes both of those things very hard to do.  We can tell that the disturbance in the schedule stresses him out because he doesn't get to sleep and feed like he should be able to do.  In fact, after 2 days of watching him under the lights, I was ready to tell them that I wanted to take him home because he was showing signs of stress.  The first day, he was tolerant of the lights.  The second day, it became clear that laying there by himself for long periods of time was putting him under stress as he started exhibiting behaviors of self-soothing.  And being held was the main thing that calmed him down.

He has had to have his heels pricked repeatedly to check bilirubin levels, and I can't imagine that that is not stressful to him.  Anyway, I digress.  So, we went to the pediatric clinic yesterday to get a follow-up bilirubin read done.  I was hoping his level had come down some more.  Unfortunately, it came back at 17.  The doctor examined him only to become baffled.  "He doesn't look jaundiced," she said.  "I have been doing this for 25 years and I have seen hundreds of jaundiced babies.  And he doesn't look jaundiced."  So, she wanted another read done.  The only thing is that, when we were admitted to the hospital with his level at 23, all of the doctors and nurses said he didn't look that jaundiced.  I guess he just doesn't show it as much.  

Well, the pediatrician yesterday wanted to get blood from a vein instead of his foot because apparently that's more of an accurate result. They couldn't find a vein and we decided to just go home and not worry about it until 24 hours later because he'd have to have a 24 hour follow-up anyway.  

I have been doing everything they suggested.  I've been feeding him every 2 hours.  He has been having PLENTY of wet diapers. I actually started recording it since yesterday and he has had 10 wet diapers in less than 24 hours. Plus, two majorly soiled ones.  Those are both good signs he is getting hydrated like he should be.  He also went from 6 lbs 14 ounces on Friday to 7 lbs 5 ounces yesterday after a weekend of solely breastfeeding.  So, here I am baffled.

Clearly, he is getting plenty to eat.  But he is still jaundiced.  That picture at the top is from today, and you can see the jaundice in it.  You can also see, though, that his is alert.  Lethargy is a major sign of jaundice.  He is eating well and is more and more alert every day.  We are getting ready to go back to the hospital in an hour for his follow-up appointment.  I started crying last night because I could see the yellow again, and I am just tired of him having to get pricked again and again.  I just don't feel like it is fair to him.

And here I am having to make a decision for him and not really knowing what is best.  My husband and I want him to be at home where there is peace.  I did some research and found out that it is normal for breastfed babies to have a jaundice level up to 20 even up to the 3rd week of life.  I honestly don't know what I'm going to do today if we go in and find out his level has jumped up higher.  I don't want to go into the hospital anymore.

The doctor said one type of therapy is taking them off breast milk for 24 hours because that gets the bilirubin level low enough.  Then, they go back on the breast milk and everything is fine.  That is not good, though, for a mother trying to establish a good breastfeeding routine with her infant.  And he and I have just gotten one down in the last week.  I am thinking about asking if I can take a bilirubin blanket home as a possible alternative to that.  But I also think she probably would have mentioned that if it were available.  I'll still ask about it though.

Maybe I'm wrong and the level hasn't gone up.  I just wanted to post this blog as a request for prayers for us.  We want to provide for our child, but the question right now is what is best for him.  It's not such an easy decision. 

Locked & Loaded

Right now, the baby's head is fully engaged for birth.  He can't get any further down without me dilating fully for him to come out! I won't lie.  It REALLY hurts.  Walking and standing are very painful, and I am definitely ready for him to get here.  I read that he can be like this for weeks, but I am REALLY hoping he doesn't take that long.


On Tuesday, I had my 39 week appointment. My doctor told me that, due to his position, the fact that I've dilated 1 cm since last week, and my waters feeling like they are about to burst, she didn't think it would be more than 2 days before I go into labor.   She said she'd be REALLY shocked to see me on Monday at my next appointment.  However, she was surprised that I had made it to the current appointment.


Anyway, it's now 2 days since then and there's definitely change going on.  I've been progressing some.  But I'm still not in active labor.  I feel it coming and every day I have more of the signs that labor is very near.  It's just that we don't know how near yet.  I've had random contractions, but nothing leading to labor.  So, I'm still waiting.  Throughout the night last night and into this morning, I seem to be experiencing 1 contraction an hour.  I do hope this ends up leading to something.  But I've had a few false starts, so I don't want to get too excited.  I would never have known that labor can actually start and stop until I have experienced it myself.  All I need to be concerned about is it starting and then getting into active labor. It will happen in its own time and I am not doing anything to try to hurry it up.


My body is stubborn anyway and likes to do things its own way.  So, I'm sure if I tried to tamper with labor, my body would do something crazy.  Besides, God made us so that we can go into labor and everything work just right.


As of today, I am exactly 1 week from my due date! I still have a feeling that he's coming on July 10th.  But I won't complain if I go into labor today. ;)

Bouncing Baby

Since I've made it this far in the pregnancy, I want to make a statement I think I can safely make at this point.  Forgive me if I have said this before (some part of me thinks I have written it in another blog).  However, I can't find it and I feel the need to say it (again, if necessary).


At the beginning of the pregnancy when I was excited about baby's movements, many people said that it will get to the point where it won't be so exciting anymore.  It will hurt so much that I'd not look forward to the movements.  Well, I can confidently say that I STILL LOVE IT WHEN HE MOVES! :) Yes, I do groan every now and then and prefer he take his feet out of my rib cage.  But I still feel the same amount of joy when he moves now as I did before.  I feel connected to him and I love to know he is happy and healthy in there by his movements.


With that said, as each day passes, I am progressively getting more ready for him to get here.  I just can't wait to hold him in my arms.  And I will also look forward to not having a sore back.  There's no telling when he'll get here.  I've had little signs here and there, but those could go on for weeks, days, etc.  He'll get here in God's time. 

38 Weeks

Today, I am 38 weeks pregnant.  Based on how I feel, I'm thinking he isn't going to end up being a June baby. ;) Some people have been making their predictions on his birthday.


My sister-in-law predicted July 4th.  Then, without knowing her prediction, Lee said the same date.  My personal guess is July 10th (I have no idea why).  If anyone wants to guess, put it in! It would be fun to see who is right!


As of tomorrow, he is full term no matter which due date I go by.  However, after having seen him on an ultrasound recently, he is pretty big.  So, I think the 14th of July is starting to look more accurate.

Not Too Much Longer Now

I had my 38 week OB appointment today only to discover that I am in labor.  Technically, I'm in slow labor and about 25% there.  That's 25% of the way I need to be before pushing.  I will spare the general public of the exact details (dilation, effacement, etc.).  But, for those who want to know, you can message me and I'll tell you.


The doctor said I've progressed further than most women at this stage.  So, he could come tomorrow or in 2 weeks. There is just no knowing.


I did have a few contractions yesterday.  However, I had about 3 the whole day.  They were VERY spread out.  This can also go on for quite some time.  It's still promising though.  And I was definitely surprised to discover I'd come as far as I had.


Tonight, I've been having some cramping in my lower back and on and off cramping all over.  Contractions and active labor could be soon! There's no way to know until it happens!


In the event that he does come sooner rather than later, I'll provide some stats.  He is now the size of a watermelon.  Granted, watermelon sizes vary quite a lot.  But that is the last fruit.  And his heart rate is a healthy 140 bpm!

So now it's just a guessing game of whether we'll have a June bug or a July baby! ;)