Milky ways

I really want to blog more. I will done start  with a little bit about my experiences with breastfeeding, since it is World Breastfeeding Week.

Hadley was born on a Friday evening, and we were released from the hospital on Sunday. Since the hospital's lactation consultant works only on weekdays from 8-3, I didn't get any expert help learning to breastfeed in those crucial first few days. I had taken a class a week ago or so through WIC, but the stress of very suddenly (my water broke at 37 weeks and change, with no warning I could recognize) becoming a new mother must have made my mind go blank.

Do I feed on demand, or wake her up to nurse every 2 hours? (Hadley was jaundiced; her demand was next to nothing.) Or is it 3 hours? Are pacifiers ok? My nipples are scabbed and sore, I know she needs to open her mouth bigger, but I can't get her to, and I'd rather hurt some than let the baby starve. Has my milk come in yet? It's been a week, I can squeeze a little bit of white liquid out, but my breasts never feel "full"or leak or anything.Shouldn't I be engorged?

I finally returned to the hospital to see the LC on Wednesday. Hadley had lost over 15% of her birth weight. (7 lbs 5 oz) The LC had me supplement with formula so she would gain weight, and had me pump after every feeding to bring my milk in. She also gave me a nipple shield which was very helpful correcting her latch.

By the time we had weaned off the shield and supplements, maternity leave was over. Time to head back to work which meant pumping. I hadn't done well as I should have with the pumping after feedings that the LC had prescribed. Mainly because I was using a manual pump at the time -it was exhausting and awkward. Over the weeks of maternity leave, I finally figured out how to work my hand-me-down double electric pump, and used it a little here and there to get practice and build a stash. I was concerned when I first started pumping because I would get SO little milk - like 1 or 2 oz MAX. But then I read online that it was normal to only get around that much since I was still nursing full time and not removing milk that Hadley did not drink. (It was just "extra" milk.) But then I went back to work, took my first pump break and, I got the same damn amount of milk I always did - 2 oz. So I had to go right back to supplementing, even more than before. Basically, when I was at work, she'd get half pumped breastmilk and half formula. I know there are WAY bigger problems in the world, that lots of women don't succeed in breastfeeding at ALL, I should just be glad my baby's healthy, all that. I was thankful for what I have, but I was also depressed. This what not what I wanted. This was not the BEST. She DESERVES the best! I tried not everything, but just about everything I could afford to try. Oatmeal, fenugreek, blessed thistle. I smelled like pancakes. Pumped as much as I could. Never saw any increase. Fast forward a few months. I left Hadley's father and we moved a few hours north to stay with my parents. I started working from home, and my mom (a teacher, off for the summer) watched Hadley, and I would nurse her at my desk. I didn't pump hardly at all until my mom went back to school this week. Now I'm determined to do what i can to get her the most breastmilk I can. I'm starting by keeping a diary of how much I'm pumping. I've actually gotten kind of obsessive with it. I love gathering and organizing data. And the most fun part- at the end of the day, I take a picture of all the milk I pumped. I think I am increasing my production. Monday I got a total of 5.5 oz. Today I got about 8. I spent 2 days (Wed & Thu) pumping once an hour. (I really should stop here and express how lucky I feel to be working from home so I can do this.) Then today I went back to once every 2 hours, but got about the same amount. :) Pumping is weird. No getting around it. My "office" and pump are set up in the living room, so I don't have privacy for pumping. I have 2 teenage brothers. It was so awkward at first, but I'm getting more comfortable. I would love to hear about your experiences with breastfeeding and/or pumping. Or even if you don't have experiences, your thoughts. And of course pumping advice and plentiful milk wishes appreciated. :)