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| This is what nursing looks like with the Lact-aid. |
This morning when I woke up, my boob was leaking! For most people, this wouldn't be cause for celebration, but it hasn't happened to me for a while. She nursed this morning, then I pumped 1.5 oz (0.5 from the side she'd nursed on and 1 oz from the other side). That's more than usual. I'm hoping it means that milk production is on an upswing. We've done some really quality nursing with the Lact-aid in the past couple of days. Sterling suckles really well for much longer than she used to because she actually gets milk out. It's a little bit fiddly to use; I keep having to adjust it because when she moves her mouth she sometimes moves the tube to a place where she can't suck milk through it anymore. She's much more effective at milk removal from the breast, though. I'm not sure if it's because she's suckling longer or if she's actually more efficient now that her tongue and lip have been snipped, but if I pump shortly after she's nursed I don't usually get much out. I used to pretty consistently pump about 0.5 oz after she'd finished.
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Mike and Sterling reading together this morning.
Not related to nursing, but much cuter than
what I'm talking about in this paragraph. |
I'm choosing to not look at the other possibility - that nothing has changed. It had been quite a few hours since she'd last nursed from the boob that was leaking this morning, so it's possible that it had longer to fill up than it normally does. For a couple of days after the first appointment with the LC, the amount of supplement she was taking went down by about 3 oz. That doesn't sound like much, but really it's one whole extra feeding that I was producing (or that she just wasn't eating). The last two days, it's been back up. I think that might be because she enjoys nursing more than she enjoys the bottle, so she'll just drink more that way. And it's possible that I'm not pumping anything after she nurses because production has actually gone down.. but I'm choosing to not focus on any of the things in this paragraph.
I bet she's just nursing better and you are making more milk! I feel for you Lisa. You are doing an excellent job. Seriously. It will get easier!
ReplyDeleteWe used a supplemental nursing system for a while with Anika. I remember being all thumbs with it!
ReplyDeleteMan, I can't believe I lapsed in checking your blog. I missed all of this going on with you, and I wish I could have been more supportive throughout. I went through all of the same work and worry (and depression) with breast feeding, and not succeeding at it for a long time. It was a living hell for the first three months. I'd never been so frustrated and sad about anything, really. I remember non-stop nursing, pumping after every feeding, thrush, supplements, dietary changes, nursing shields, that damn SNS, and the sinking feeling of being inadequate as a woman and mother. I was so depressed. Things changed 180 degrees for us after Anika's tongue was clipped, and I hope things go the same direction for you. But even if they don't, you've done everything you could to make it work. And that doesn't make you inferior in any way - it makes you MORE of a woman and MORE of a mother. You are so smart and strong and awesome, Lisa!
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