My Nursing Joys

by Tiffany
(Enoree, SC)

On August 31, 2009 I had my healthy, beautiful son Aidan. I knew before I even found out I was pregnant that I was going to breastfeed. So the disappointment when he would not latch on was great. He began losing weight and one of the nurses told me that if he kept losing then he would have to stay at the hospital even after I left. This frightened me. After waiting nine long months for my baby boy I didn't wanna go home without him. Not to mention we lived over an hour away from the hospital. So, without even asking me the nurses started giving him a bottle. The lactation consultant seemed to be the only one willing to help me breastfeed my son. We got him to latch on using nipple shields but he still ate better from the bottle. After going home, I used the nipple shields to feed him but sometimes he wouldn't latch on at all-- with or without the shields-- and I had to give him a bottle to feel like he wasn't hungry anymore. Less than two months after he was born, I had to get my gallbladder removed. So, I had to pump to get the medicine that they were giving me out of my system and Aidan was only getting bottle fed. I wasn't pumping enough and my milk dried up surprisingly very fast and I sadly, only got to breastfeed my son for about 8 weeks.

I had my gorgeous, healthy baby girl, Daliya on May 23, 2011. I was overjoyed after I had her that she latched on perfectly. The only problem with feeding her at the hospital was that she didn't ever want to wake up to eat! She is my little sleepy head. She lost weight just like Aidan and she didn't want to eat much either (she would rather sleep) but one of my nurses explained that this is normal. I didn't get threatened that she would have to stay after I leave or anything. As the first day passed she started staying awake to eat and gained back 1 of the 8 oz she had lost before we even left the hospital. We took her to the pediatrician the day after we came home from the hospital and had a weight check scheduled for a week later. Within that week she had gained over her birth weight. So, apparently she was getting what she needed from my breastmilk. Well, it has been almost 5 weeks since I had my precious baby girl and she nurses wonderfully. I haven't had any kind of problems getting her to latch on and I've not even put a bottle to her lips. I am just so happy that breastfeeding her is going so smoothly.
I've always wanted to breastfeed my children because I know that it is what is best for the baby. I also love the closeness that I feel with my baby when I feed her.