06/03/2024
What 10 weeks of breastfeeding has felt like.
I am deeply grateful to be at this mark. 10 weeks feels like a huge achievement of nourishing my baby 24/7.
After our incredible homebirth, which you can hear on episode 420, Mali and I enjoyed skin-to-skin. We missed out on a much-anticipated breast crawl, so our first feed was in bed side-lying. He knew what to do, he latched and sucked well. Our breastfeeding journey was interrupted by a 36-hour stint in NICU where Mali had a CPAP mask on, which prevented us from direct breastfeeding. We continued skin-to-skin as much as possible, and I hand expressed to stimulate my supply. I almost caved and gave formula during a sleepless night, however, I knew deep down that the situation was normal, it was just the pressure of being in a medicalised environment.
Once we settled in at home, demand feeding felt natural. I didn’t care that the feeds and naps were blurred, I chose to tune into my body and let time pass by. My milk came in around day three, and I wasn’t overly engorged which was a relief. I felt trusting of my supply as Mali was satisfied with larger volumes and I was satisfied by hearing all the gulps!
Around day five my ni**les became sore as I couldn’t seem to get the right position to reduce the compression of my ni**le in his mouth. After he would come off the breast, the ni**les looked pinched (my left more than my right), so I booked in with IBCLC & GP Dr Amber Hart . I saw Dr Hart on my birthday, one week of life with Mali - it felt so surreal. We worked together to get a more comfortable fit and made a plan for me to take pain relief and rest my ni**les if I needed a break, which I did. A few days later I asked for a follow-up, as I still didn’t feel I was getting rid of the pinching. After our second appointment something shifted, and my ni**les felt so much better after about 48 hours. Finally, I could settle in and start to enjoy breastfeeding. Continued in comments..
