The Saga Has a Happy Ending!

It's been a few weeks since I had to start my new breastfeeding routine of nursing Sophia, then pumping, then giving her what I pumped (plus taking Domperidone four times a day to increase my supply).

We tried the SNS, and absolutely hated it. My doctor didn't want me to give Sophia a bottle because she was afraid that Sophia would stop taking the breast, but after spending an entire morning being frustrated and crying our respective heads off, I bid good riddance to the SNS and just decided to supplement using a bottle instead.

And you know what? She goes back and forth between breast and bottle just fine.

The other change I made was that I got rid of the nipple shield. I actually think that this made the biggest difference. When the Lactation Consultant was showing me how to use the SNS, she commented that she didn't think we needed a nipple shield, because Sophia had a good latch without it. This got me thinking, and I started doing some research.

I found out that the purpose for nipple shields is for babies who have a poor latch, and/or mommas who have flat or inverted nipples. When Sophia was three days old, a different LC told us that Sophia had a good latch, but she was an inefficient nurser. My research made it clear that a nipple shield is NOT the answer to inefficient nursing. In fact, it can make the problem worse. When a nipple shield is used, the baby does not stimulate the breast in an optimal way, so baby does not get enough milk.

Some mothers can successfully breastfeed with nipple shields, but they typically cause more problems than they solve. And it makes sense now that Sophia was not gaining weight properly; she just wasn't getting enough milk.

So what is the answer to inefficient nursing? Breast compressions, or pumping and supplementing, which is what we're doing now, but we really should have been doing this from the beginning.

I'm glad to finally have some answers, and a method that will finally work, but I feel a bit thwarted by the people who are supposed to be experts on breastfeeding. I feel like we weren't even given a chance to prove that we could be successful at breastfeeding, before a nipple shield was introduced. She had a good latch from start, and a good latch is the biggest key to avoiding or correcting problems.

So how are we doing? After the first week of supplementing she gained seven ounces, and the second week she gained nine ounces. As long as she shows a trend of gaining at least five ounces per week, my doctor will be happy. Hopefully we can end these weekly weight checks soon.

Sophia is improving in other areas as well. She is a much more efficient nurser, and now that she is getting enough, she has happy times between feedings. She takes naps. She sleeps for several hours at night. In fact, she's doing so well that I no longer feel the need to pump after feedings. I still will pump occasionally, but now it will be to build up a stash again.

Here's to a happy, healthy, growing girl!



P.S. Here are the links to my favorite breastfeeding websites. These resources have been invaluable to me.
KellyMom.com
DrJackNewman.com
The Leaky Boob Facebook page - this is a forum for mommies all around the world to share their questions and answers, frustrations and joys regarding breastfeeding and other topics relevant to raising young children.

Our Bundle of Joy

I realized that most of my "mommy and baby update" posts are about all the problems I'm having, and that I may be giving a false impression. I want to assure you all that our little Sophia brings us much happiness. Here are just a few of the many many many many precious moments from the past seven weeks.

In no particular order...


Not her first bath, but her first bath tub bath. She didn't like it then, and she doesn't like it now.


"Studying" with Daddy.










Her first cloth diaper. It's newborn size and still huge on her!


All bundled up in a sweater that's clearly not her size. She looks like a little Eskimo.




Her first Easter dress and Easter bunny.


Fast asleep in the Moby wrap (from my POV).


Sometimes she curls up, sometimes she dangles.


My mom put her in the bathtub, and she stayed like this for a while. I guess she liked it!


Her St. Patrick's Day outfit. She is two days old.


Napping with Mommy.


Five weeks old.


Five days old, sunbathing (inside) to help her jaundice.


Every baby comes with their own set of challenges and concerns, and Sophia is no exception. But thankfully, she has caused far more smiles than tears. :)

And the Saga Continues

I just wanted to let ya'll know that I have not forgotten about this blog. I've been wanting to post for a while, but I feel like I have nothing to talk about. It seems like all I do these days is breastfeed Sophia. So that's what I'm going to talk about.

In my last post I said that things were finally getting better, but now I realize I may have been a bit hasty with those words. I had a doctor's appointment this past Tuesday, and when my doctor weighed Sophia, we discovered that, in one week, she hadn't gained any weight. At all.

My doctor was already concerned because Sophia's weight gain has been so slow (about half an ounce per day, or around three ounces per week). The preferred gain would be around one ounce per day (or at least five to six ounces per week). At six weeks old, her ideal weight right now should be 8 lbs 11 oz. Her current weight? 7 lbs 6 oz.

So my doctor told me it was time to pull out the big guns. She wrote me a prescription for Domperidone, a drug to increase my milk supply. One capsule, four times a day, for six weeks. Cost? $90.

She told me I had to buy a double electric breast pump. Cost? $300. (I would like to thank my friend Kat for getting us a big fat Target gift card. It helped pay for this ridiculously expensive pump.)

She had me go for a consultation to get me set up with an SNS (Supplemental Nursing System). I was going to explain it, but it's basically an alternative to the bottle, to avoid nipple confusion. It's also incredible frustrating, and I don't think I'm going to use it.

We think the reason that Sophia isn't gaining properly is twofold: she doesn't nurse with gusto, so she's not getting all my milk. Since breastfeeding is all about demand and supply, if she's not demanding it, then I'm not supplying it. So we need to get her to a place where she eats with vigor, and me to a place where I have lots to offer.

So: my new breastfeeding routine is to feed Sophia on both sides for as long as she'll go. Then I have to pump on both sides for 1o minutes, and then give her whatever I pump. No storing it in the freezer. I already had a small stash built up that I had pumped over the course of a few weeks, but my midwife told me to give that to her as well. She needs to take in everything that I've got.

I also have to keep getting Sophia weighed every week, and calling my doctor with those numbers. And I'm going to have yet another consultation with a Lactation Consultant so that they can observe a feeding, weigh Sophia before and after, see how much I pump, and then make suggestions from there.

And I still have to keep track of her diapers.

*BIG SIGH* So we're not out of the woods yet. But I'm praying like crazy that this new routine works. This whole ordeal is mentally and emotionally draining, and I feel like I can't enjoy motherhood while this is hanging over my head.

Your continued prayers would also be appreciated.