Nursing a Newborn
While pregnant with my first child I knew that I would breastfeed once he was born. My mistake was assuming that because breastfeeding is the natural way to feed a baby it automatically comes naturally to both mother and baby. In my daydreams about nursing my precious bundle, he would be born, placed on my chest and immediately root around for his food source. He’d latch right on and we’d bond immediately. Boy was I in for a reality check!
When my son made his entrance into the world I was feeling too nervous to attempt breastfeeding and just wanted to rest while holding my new baby. He seemed content, so I did not nurse him. Later that night, when he was finally finished in the nursery and brought to me I was ready. I cradled him in my arms and positioned his mouth next to my flat nipple. I had no clue that I even had flat nipples until reading about breastfeeding obstacles months later! He rooted around and tried to latch on. He got it on the first try but soon slipped off. We tried again. He latched on to not enough areola and I tried not to yelp in pain. Just about as quickly he slipped off again. We repeated this process over and over. I was frustrated.
The next morning I asked for the help of a nurse who showed me different ways to hold my son to get a better latch. They all failed. The lactation consultant was summoned. It was around that time the epidural had completely worn off and I noticed that I couldn’t sit upright without immense pain. Having had no tearing or episiotomy, I was shocked at how sore I felt. The culprit was a broken tailbone. I could no longer sit upright to nurse my baby. I had to nurse in a reclined position to take the pressure off of my tailbone. I could not even lay on my side to nurse because the pressure of my hip and leg on my other hip and leg made my tailbone pain excruciating.
The lactation consultant showed me how to literally squeeze my nipple and areola into my son’s tiny newborn mouth and still he’d latch poorly for a bit and slip off. I was told that he would eventually get it, especially once my milk came in. I was sent home from the hospital having never established a good latch for more than a few seconds.
On the first night home I prepared a bottle of formula for my son because I was sure he had to be starving. When my milk hadn’t come in by day three after he was born my fears were only confirmed. I tried to nurse him again and again, but never had a successful session.
Then on Day Four, my milk came in with vengeance. And my baby latched and sucked, but the let-down of my milk was so strong that he coughed and sputtered and had to continually latch on and off to control the flow of milk going down his throat. My nipples became raw and combined with the pain of my broken tailbone I was sure I wouldn’t make it past the first week of motherhood! Every single day for the first month of my son’s life I wanted to stop breastfeeding. I thought about pumping only, I thought about formula only and I thought about a combo of them both. But I kept trying to nurse him and despite his inability to stay latched and keep up with the flow of milk, he thrived and I got through the horrendous pain. By the time he was 3 months old, not only could he handle my let down and stay latched on long enough to finish a meal, he would stay latched 45 minutes at a time and then want to nurse again 45 minutes later! I was providing food and comfort the natural way for my son even though weeks earlier I was ready to forget it all and spend my days preparing bottles and buying outrageously priced baby formula. My oldest son went on to nurse until he weaned himself just weeks before his fourth birthday. I have had two more boys since and had no problems nursing either.
There are few key things that I took away from my first nursing experience that I think would help all new mothers who want to be successful at breastfeeding. First, a mother should not hesitate to ask for assistance from nurses or lactation consultants from the first day. Their expertise and reassurance is extremely vital for building confidence in the nursing mother. Secondly, while mothers should not be afraid to supplement with pumped milk or even formula if it will help to go the distance with nursing, remember that in first few days newborns don’t always have an interest in or a need for frequent feedings. Always offer the breast first so that the baby can have the benefits of colostrum and breast milk and as the breastfeeding relationship gets stronger the supplements can be dropped. Nipple confusion is possible, but offering the breast first should help. Third, for an overactive let-down, pump an ounce or so of milk before feeding baby so that he or she can better handle the flow of milk. Finally, if breastfeeding isn’t going smoothly, don’t get discouraged or self-blame. Keep trying and seek out professional assistance. Most importantly the mother who feels that both she and baby would benefit more from ending the breastfeeding relationship should do so without regret or feelings of failure.
