breastfeeding
Meeting With A Lactation Consultant
Breastfeeding has not been a walk in the park for me…or for Mabel. Before she was born I had the idea that it would be easy as pie and something that would come very easily. Well, boy was I wrong! Sure, most of us have this romantic idea of breastfeeding our babies but a lot of us learn that it’s a tad more challenging than we thought. And these challenges run the gamut of not producing enough milk, baby won’t latch, flat or inverted nipples…and the list goes on and on. So you’re probably wondering what my story is and why I had to meet with a lactation consultant…here it is:
Two days after Mabel was born, we had our home visit with a nurse from the birth center we delivered her at. Shortly after asking to watch Mabel nurse at my breast, the nurse asked to check her sucking since she wasn’t latching correctly. Upon looking in Mabel’s mouth, the nurse realized that Mabel was ‘tongue tied’. What’s that? Well, it’s when the little flap under your tongue is too tight and restricts movement of your tongue. This was preventing Mabel from latching and required a visit to the doctor to have tongue frenulum clipped. It’s a very easy procedure but as a momma, the last thing you want to hear is that your child needs any procedure that is going to hurt them. Luckily, it was done quickly and Mabel was back to herself a minute after it was done.
During the time while waiting for Mabel to get her tongue clipped we had to find other ways to make sure she was getting the milk she needed. I pumped like crazy to keep up my supply (I’ve been lucky and am actually over producing). Mabel had been fed by bottles and a feeding tube (not a feeding tube through your tummy but it’s a little syringe that pushes breast milk through a tube into your baby’s mouth). Basically you put the tube on your pinky finger, stick it in Baby’s mouth, and Baby will suck it like she’s sucking on a nipple…it’s supposed to cause less nipple confusion.
Mabel still wasn’t latching…the tongue clipping wasn’t a magic fix. So in order to correct this problem I scheduled a meeting with the lactation consultant at our birth center. Our insurance through the military doesn’t cover the whole visit but we figured it would be well worth the cost we would have to pay ourselves. Shortly after the meeting started it was determined that Mabel has nipple confusion. It’s nothing that can’t be corrected but it’s something that will take a lot of practice and patience on my part (and Mabel’s part too!).
So…what goes on during a lactation consultant meeting? Well, both me and my husband went to the appointment. The lactation consultant started out by having me remove my shirt and put on a Brest Friend (if you haven’t seen one of these, you must check into them!). We have a Boppy at home but it’s always been awkward and wouldn’t hold Mabel correctly. She then had me show her how I would attempt to nurse Mabel at home. We then went over better positioning of Mabel and ways to get her to the nipple, how to not force her to the nipple, and how to use a nipple shield. After a bit of a trial…we had success! The consultant was able to get Mabel to latch correctly on both breasts. Now, I’ll admit she made it seem easy…but at least I can see that it can be done.
If you need help with breastfeeding, I highly suggest finding your local lactation consultant and making in appointment. It’s very educational and I learned a whole bunch that I would never have figured out on my own!
I’ve tried breastfeeding once since we got home = epic fail. Mabel was pretty much starving when we got home and pretty much fought the whole process of trying to nurse. The consultant told us this can happen if she’s very hungry since it’ll make her easily frustrated. We tried, like we were instructed for about 10 minutes and then just moved on to the bottle for that feeding. I’ll admit, I was upset afterwards and I think that’s only natural. The consultant made everything look so easy but my husband just assured me it’s going to take time. I’ll push on and try again. Wish me luck…cause I need it! 🙂 I’ll keep you all posted on this journey.
*vote!*
Wow what an ordeal. The things we do for our babies!! I will pray for you both that she gets the hang of it. Once she does, I am sure it will become second nature for you both!
I've been right where you are. After successfully breastfeeding 3 babies, my fourth simply would not latch on. We were both discouraged, but we got through and he's now a very happy, well-fed 2 year old. (:
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Well the doctor said my son was tongue tied too Guess what i switched doctors and it wasn't true!!! All the nurses insisted he was and tried talking me into getting him that surgery I said no thank God i did. I ended up pumping milk for 7 months he never latched on i ended up with mastitis 3 times. now all i ever see him do is stick his tongue out lol.. He's 9 months now and is on Enfamil and doing Wonderful.
@ Sandy- There are many types of tongue tie, some you see and some you feel. Tongue elevation is as much a part as being able to stick your tongue out. I am much more inclined to believe a doctor who says you have it than one that says you don't. Most drs have very little or no knowledge of it or how it affects latch. It drives me nuts when I have a patient with it and all the dr can say is "the baby is breastfeeding well" because they see how many times the baby has eaten. They don't see how damaged the moms nipples are or what it takes to get that baby latched. Such a booby trap!!!
@Modern Momma- I am so glad you're getting quality care! It sounds like you have had sound care and advice. Hang in there! You might try skin to skin baby wearing to get her used to the idea that the breast is home so that as soon as she starts getting hungry, she'll head for the boob. I hope it doesn't take to long to break her of the nipple and flow preference 🙂
Janet RN IBCLC