that will HOPEFULLY be ending SOON!!!
Where do I begin? Well, lets start in the hospital. Ava had jaundice & I decided to supplement with formula to make sure we got rid of it before any medical treatment was necessary. Because I had no milk yet, I wanted to get the natural cure of lots of eating & pooping going. Since birth, I have been breast feeding & formula feeding & even pumping occasionally to get a good supply going, or give my sore boobs a break now & then, LOL! Things were going very well for us, until I decided to change EVERYTHING...
Nursing was going great and she was latching on wonderfully, which for me is a first. Yes, I have three other children, but each had thier own BF issues (another post all together) which kept me pumping and bottle feeding. I never lasted longer than 6 weeks with any of them, as it is like double feeding. I would feed the bottle of breast milk, then pump to get the next bottle ready...UGH ~ it was exhausting. I also never had to bf in public & was quite unsure about it. The holidays & numerous family gatherings this year gave me the chance to do that, and I feel much more comfy now (I just posted a pic on of us on here, so I guess I am not so modest now, LOL!!) SO...I decided that things were going so well that I should just exclusively bf her. Well, I started that Thursday and things seemed to be okay. Of course, she was attached to me non-stop because I was only used to bf some times, and my body was not making enough milk due to the formula supplementing.
I continued this & the sleep was much better because I would feed her in bed (and be half asleep doing it), but throughout the day, she was fussing ALOT & seemed hungry all the time. Like I said, I was feeding her constantly. By Sunday morning (and following a 3-4 hour crying/fussing/nursing/I am still hungry fit) I was just completely exhausted. I went to lay down and just cried to dh...."I am SOOOOOtired, and my boobs hurt SOOOOO bad, and she is always unhappy, and breast feeding is SOOO hard" (etc, etc. ~ you get the picture). He decided to take over and let me sleep, and sleep I did :) for a few hours, then I got up & showered and went to try to find a pair of jeans that actually fit *sigh*... but retail therapy always works for me! I felt better & she had formula almost all day with Daddy and was HAPPY too!
Now, she still seems fussy quite often, but I am hanging in there with the bf. I am wondering if she might be hitting her first growth spurt, which could be why she is ALWAYS hungry. A few times I have given her a couple of ounces of formula first, then let her finish with bf and she then falls right to sleep too, and I get to relax along with her...ahhhh!
Things have also been made worse by a HORRIBLE pain when my milk lets down. Being the internet junkie that I am, I went looking for causes and found that thrush in the milk ducts can cause it. That started last week while the office was closed (of course) so Monday I called the Dr and just started some meds yesterday, so hopefully I'll see some relief soon, as it just adds one more problem to our already complicated feedings.
All of this also left my body feeling achy, like feverish aches, so I've just been pretty miserable the last few days. And, wouldn't you know...today I figured out why. I am SICK! I woke up with a stiff/sore neck and a sore/scratchy throat. Today I took it easy & even got a nap :) Tonight I took a WONDERFUL hot bubble bath, which always takes the aches away. Now they are back though, so I am off to bed (EARLY) and hope that I feel better VERY soon. My father in law had a cold that lasted TWO WEEKS...oh, I pray that I do NOT have the same one. With my lack of sleep, I'll never be able to get over it :(
awwww poor mama! I'm so lucky to have Jo breastfeeding because I had soo many problems with Karsten...here's praying it passes soon!
Posted by: thescrapmommy | November 28, 2006 at 10:20 PM
Oh, Angi - yes, she's going through a growth spurt. They go through one at three weeks, six weeks and then either 3 or 4 months (all of my girls were 4 months). Give her a couple of days and your body will catch up to her demand. And definitely, nurse laying down! OMG, that made such a difference with each of my girls. http://www.kellymom.com is a GREAT resource for breastfeeding. And if you ever have to take any meds while you're nursing her, give me a shout. They tell you to stop BFing with almost everything but you rarely actually *have* to.
I.LOVE.THAT.PICTURE! OMG, that is THE sweetest thing, ever!!! :)
If she keeps up with fussy, evaluate your diet. Dairy is a big culprit in fussiness. Citrus, tomatoes, garlic, and caffeine can be as well. (and I never crave chocolate as much as I do when I'm nursing a newborn). Oh and carbonation - totally weird, but a Caffeine Free Diet Coke could send my kids over the edge just as much as a slice of cheese. Not pretty!
Keep at it! You can do it!!!
Posted by: ginaegg | November 29, 2006 at 02:40 AM
Wow I finally get to comment! I've wanted to comment several times but things weren't working for some reason...
Anywho! I definitely feel your pain with breastfeeding. My daughter would not bf. At all. I pumped for 6 months, then gave her frozen breast milk and formula for the next 6.
My son was an avid nurser from the start. And he nursed every hour...hour and a half...sometimes every half hour. He was 20 lbs at 4 months.
It was hard, but not as hard as pumping.
He nursed until he was 14 months old.
Whatever works for you and your family is the best method of feeding your beautiful little girl.
But don't give up too soon. I kick myself for giving up too quickly with my daughter.
Posted by: Heather | December 01, 2006 at 12:38 AM
I also love the photo, btw. I wish I had a photo of myself nursing my son.
Posted by: Heather | December 01, 2006 at 12:39 AM