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01/05/2005
Gee, why didn't I think of that?
Since I became pregnant with Charlie, the one piece of advice I've been given most frequently is this:
Talk to a lactation consultant.
It got downright comical, in fact, and became the immediate answer to any number of questions, practical and rhetorical. "How do you get red wine stains out of a white heirloom damask tablecloth?" "Ask a lactation consultant." "Is the Pope Catholic?" "I'm not sure, but I know who you could ask..." "Who's on first?" "Lactation consultant's on second!" ("Yeah, well, Hit-you-in-the-face's on third.")
And I always thought I would talk to a lactation consultant, since until now my experience with my breasts has been purely recreational. In fact, they've been a barrel of goddamn laughs, exactly the kind of companions you'd like to get drunk and do something stupid with, like trying on a chiffon spaghetti-strapped slip dress. (Yes, the police were called, but no citations were issued.)
Only lately have they become worthy of the terrified respect I now accord them. These breasts mean business, and as my pregnancy continued and they got larger and larger, I came to understand that they must be approached with the exquisite diplomacy of, say, the 1945 Yalta conference. (Left breast: Stalin. Right breast: Roosevelt. Now who wants to nestle in my cleavage?!)
So it was always part of the plan to get some help with breastfeeding, which for some reason is often called "the womanly art," making me anxiously wonder whether my breasts should be spraying jets of tempera paint, or girded in a prickly net of macramé, or perhaps glazed and fired in a kiln.
When Charlie was born so early, unable to breastfeed, getting that help became imperative.
When your baby can't be put to the breast soon after birth, you need a way to deliver the necessary stimulation to your nipples. That stimulation is what encourages your body to make milk. And you need a way to empty what your body makes. That emptying is what signals your body to make more. If you eventually want to breastfeed, you need to get these processes in motion shortly after delivery. So the day after my C-section, when I incoherently asked one of the nurses about, well, nursing, I was unceremoniously introduced to the breast pump.
There's not much trick to pumping. You plug your breasts into the plastic cones, hit the power button, adjust the suction level from "Dustbuster" to "irresistible vortex that will draw out your soul through your milk ducts and fling it into another dimension," and sit more or less patiently while you drip.
Once your baby is ready to begin nursing, though, things get a little more complicated. It is somewhat more difficult to stuff your nipple into the moving target of a baby's mouth than it is to jam it into the clear plastic vessel of the machine. As far as I am aware, Charlie has no helpful transparent gauge along his side to indicate when he has consumed the requisite 55 cc. And a premature baby doesn't have the stamina of a full-termer — they get tired before they get full, so you can't keep them at the breast for long as they try to figure it all out.
Enter, therefore, the lactation consultant.
I learned how to hold Charlie while nursing. I learned how to make an appetizing nipple sandwich for him to gum. I learned how to make him open his mouth wide to take it in. (Since his mouth is small and my breast is large, this requires him to unhinge his jaw like a python. Viper in my bosom, indeed.)
Charlie did well, I thought. He latched like a champ, his lips ostentatiously flanged around the croque madame I'd made for him. He didn't make a squeak of protest as I deftly whirled him around from football to cradle. He could deliver a few strong sucks in a row before having to rest, and his eyes looked up at my face, calm but alert, unblinking.
And do you know what the lactation consultant said to me, after several lessons, after watching us move through the intricate steps of our milky mother-son ballet?
"I think," she said carefully, "when you get back home, you should..."
Wait for it, wait for it, this is gonna be good...
"...Talk to a lactation consultant."
Posted by Julie at 01:50 PM in It was the breast of times, it was the worst of times | Permalink
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Comments (75)
Maybe they have some sort of underground society that makes them pass you along to someone else until you are either a) done breastfeeding or b) sending Charlie off to college.
Glad he's doing well.
Posted by: Toni at Jan 5, 2005 1:58:30 PM
Well, you've got to give the lady some props for recognizing her own limitations in the face of the Mighty Peaks of Yalta. Perhaps what she was trying to say is that you don't just need a lactation consultant, but a Lactation Consultant. I'm imagining someone on the order of an operatic Brunhilde, complete with horned Viking cap and a mighty rack of her own.
Good luck!
Posted by: Andi at Jan 5, 2005 2:02:19 PM
I need some bodywork done on my car. Can you recommend a good lactation consultant?
Great news about him doing so well!
Posted by: Amyesq at Jan 5, 2005 2:04:29 PM
Well, I talked to a lactation consultant and while she was actually in my house (I paid extra to have it at home so I could figure out how to breastfeed in the chair I'd actually be using), I felt great and we got a few drops of milk down Miss Pink's gullet. Then the consultant left. If only I could have bought a month of her time without getting another mortgage on our house. :(
Our problem was pretty much the opposite of yours--huge baby (11lb 5oz--yes, I had GD) and boobs that didn't change at ALL during pregnancy. Sounds like you and Charlie are doing really well with the womanly art *snort*. Don't let the LCs get you down!
Posted by: Pink at Jan 5, 2005 2:06:39 PM
My "lactation consultant" was a nun named Sister Mary, which gave me all kinds of strange visions of the "sisterhood" sitting in the convent discussing breastfeeding and nipples. But I just likened it to the priest giving us pre-marital advice and just went with it. The things you do for your children!
Posted by: Karen at Jan 5, 2005 2:16:49 PM
Have you read the book, "So That's What They're For"? (I know, in your copious free time.)
The best book on BF. Better than the LLL book, better than the Nursing Mother's Companion, better than anything else I read about nursing when I was in the thick of recovering from a million nursing problems and I finally knew how to spot the hurtful advice ("You can tell how good your milk supply is by how much you pump over a 12 hour period." BZZT WRONG!)
So That's What They're For is even pretty frank about Lactation Consultants. Their skill and experience levels range from "Yes I Can Also Fix Your Dented Car" to "I Can't Tell Your Nipple From Your Elbow". Hospital LCs tend to be nurses who wanted a little extra cash from their hospital jobs and thus signed up for Big Formula Co's LC-ing-for-Dummies class. I got visited by the hospital LC. It was traumatic and hurtful and it took me two months to recover from her bad advice. I actually visited another hospital LC and attended her "support group" for almost two months (watching all the moms in the group quit in frustration, one by one, because of how well she "helped" them). I finally found a decent private-practice LC. She helped me recover from the horrible outcome of the first two's advice (well, almost recover - I can't get my baby's babyhood back and do it over, after all).
You already know this, but what you need is someone who has helped moms with preemies and has helped them keep nursing for a year or more.
That's how you can tell they're doing their job right. If they're not doing it right, most of their clients develop problems and quit before one year. The body doesn't take kindly to bad nursing advice. Babies don't either.
If you find someone qualified to help you, then *you'll* get to decide how long you do it - not your boobs. Also your baby won't quit from frustration if you get good advice and things eventually start going smoothly for you. SO.. ask the new LC, "How many moms of preemies have you helped to nurse for one year or more?"
I wish someone had spelled this out for me when my baby was a newborn. I trusted the wrong people just because they had letters next to their name on a nice looking business card. (This includes several pediatricians too.)
Best of luck to you and your gorgeous Charlie!
Posted by: Jean at Jan 5, 2005 2:23:42 PM
Ha!
Did you know that in Brazil so many generations of women had been formula feeding that even the women in very rural areas had lost the knowledge to nurse? When the government decided to start pushing nursing again, they got the (actually quite) brilliant idea to train all mail carriers to be lactation consultants, because the mail carriers were the only people making regular visits to every part of the country.
My mail carrier's name is Frankie and he bears a startling resemblance to Herve Villachaize. I'm very glad to have had access to a regular lactation consultant.
(I know everyone else is telling you this, but it does get easier. Much easier. And the day your baby's head is bigger than your breast is a red-letter day.)
Posted by: Moxie at Jan 5, 2005 2:24:19 PM
A fun thing to do when you're engorged in the shower is to see how far the milk can spray. I used to target drops of water on the shower curtains.
Well, I thought it was fun.
Glad the C-man is doing so well.
Posted by: Yatima at Jan 5, 2005 2:35:49 PM
I'm glad I get to watch you do all of this first. :)
I have a class with a private LC just before my big day. I'm hoping I'll actually retain some of the information that way. Heh. We'll see.
Posted by: Julia at Jan 5, 2005 2:39:32 PM
Since these lactation consultants are are the equivalent to the great oracle, do THEY perhaps know why I can't make a baby? ;)
Posted by: Emily at Jan 5, 2005 2:46:52 PM
julie, i had a lot of trouble (i've linked to the specific post in which i rant about my woes), and the thing i would have done, had i to do it over again, was to buy or rent a good-quality digital baby scale so that we could measure CX's intake from nursing. information about his actual intake--not the amount i was able to pump--might have prevented us from continuing to supplement. as it was, i gave up pumping because i never got more than 1 oz (combined) from a single pumping session. but, as we found out at our LC visit, CX was taking in 2 oz at a feeding. he'll be 8 months old on saturday, and i'm still nursing, but still supplementing, too. thankfully, now that he's on solids, he gets more breastmilk than formula most days.
Posted by: wix at Jan 5, 2005 3:05:20 PM
I had lots of problems nursing due to having a preemie.
If you want a "real LC" who has taken tons of classes and exams, try here:
http://www.iblce.org/US%20registry.htm
I had a LC/Home Health Nurse come to my house every other day for 2 weeks after baby came home. She would weigh DD, assist/watch me nurse, then weigh DD again to see how much milk she was getting. With my Drs. orders, the visits were covered by insurance with just a copay for each visit. Totally worth the peace of mind in knowing that DD was getting enough milk and I was positioning her correctly.
Still nursing her at 16 months, although she is down to once a day now.
Posted by: Jennifer at Jan 5, 2005 3:07:49 PM
The lactation consultant I had with my firstborn used her, um...position? as a way to get more Mary Kay customers. She came to the house for a consult, and ended it with a makeover party pitch. (I didn't bite.)
Hope everything's going well, and you guys can head home soon.
God bless,
LadyBug
Posted by: LadyBug at Jan 5, 2005 3:17:49 PM
ha! viper in my bosom! that's from sense and sensibility! I love you.
Posted by: april at Jan 5, 2005 3:25:24 PM
Yatima! I'm so glad I'm not the only one who has strafed the shower with milk cannons :).
You and Charlie have already gotten tons of good advice. If you want more, mine is "test the waters at your local LLL group." Some LLL groups are really great -- others are comprised of bf militants the like of which terrify me (and I nursed my first son past his 3rd birthday). No way to know which kind you have except by giving it a try. The good groups are so, so, so, so great.
My personal experience with LC has been hit and miss too, including some really crummy advice. ("Always switch sides after N minutes," is my personal #1 bad advice.)
Posted by: Rachel at Jan 5, 2005 3:28:34 PM
I had lots and lots of trouble nursing, and quit with my first. With my second, I had lots and lots of trouble nursing but was motivated to keep trying. It was still sheer hell for the first 9 weeks at least, and maybe uncomfortable for the next 3 weeks. But, it got better. I also had babies with what seemed like teeny mouths and huge breasts with huge nipples. My lactation consult (at the hospital) helped, but that's cause she had me 1) pumping to let my nipples heal 2) weighed the baby so that I knew he was doing OK. The weight thing was a big deal for me.
Anyone have recs for Julie on a specific lactation consultant (in vermont, or connecticut) -- the clear message here is that they're not all the same, and some are more helpful than others.
bj
Posted by: bj at Jan 5, 2005 3:28:41 PM
I just wanted to second the comment about looking for an IBCLC.
Posted by: Rose at Jan 5, 2005 3:30:07 PM
My LCs sucked, no pun intended.
If there are issues, they are clueless. I was told to rough up the nips to get them ready, then got chastised around 32 weeks for doing it, then chastised again in the hospital for having too soft nipples. Ug.
I also have severely flattened nips (knowint that and asking for help several times before birthing) and they had no real clue what to do for them. I wore plastic shields and all they did was give me yeast infections, prolonging when I could try bfing my son.
Our other complication was him doing this chin clenching thing; he could care less about feeding (37 weeker w/lots of premie characteristics) and we would have to work hard to shove a bottle in - so it was just not possible to try to shove an uncooperative nip into an uncooperative mouth. It was hell and I pumped for 8 months instead. It corrected my nips, but of course SIF has made using the new and improved nip models moot. Such is life.
Anyway, with Charlie doing all that you say, you are on the right road. Hopefully your next LC will be ther right one right off. We had lots of problems with driving 45 minutes coinciding with pumping every 2 hours coinciding with when my son ate. It was a circus and it was too hard to shop LCs under those circumstances.
Posted by: Cricket at Jan 5, 2005 3:38:13 PM
Zipping lips, and uh, fingers - because unsolicited advice is so much fun! If you want some, feel free to ask. My LC at the hospital sucked rocks.
De-Lurking today with like, the lamest comment ever. Love you, love your blog, love Charlie.
Posted by: Very Mom at Jan 5, 2005 3:47:41 PM
Sounds like you're on the right track. Soon you'll be collecting stories, ala my mom, to break out in front of all sorts of strangers whenever the topic arises.
"You were playing mind games when you were only (the ridiculously young age I started getting teeth). You bit down just enough so I would notice, but not enough to hurt, then looked up at me as if to say, "What will you do now? I have you!" And I'd say, "No, no, no!"..." etc.
I first was treated to that one in a bar. Nothing like having your not-quite-boyfriend being told you've been playing mind games since infancy. I can't decide if it's better or worse than the one about me biting the dog and getting gently bitten back. Of course, my brother occassionally latched on to the wrong piece of her during night feedings, and the yell would wake up the whole house, so clearly I was the better, or at least smarter, baby, dog-biting not withstanding.
Posted by: JerseyExport at Jan 5, 2005 3:52:25 PM
" Viper in my bosom, indeed. "
Laugh out loud of the day.
Hope it works out for you and that your next LC has more advice than that.
Posted by: mynn at Jan 5, 2005 3:58:12 PM
I had a full term baby and I had problems bf'ing. I can still remember the feeling when the milk let down. Labour wasn't that painful.
I also needed my gallbladder removed and I had an ex who had already kidnapped my son from the hospital once and when I got my son back then tried doing it through the courts.
Needless to say, bf'ing was not the wonderful experience I had hoped it would be. But I persevered and we got to do it for 3 whole months! And then my gallbladder burst, I got peritontis and I had to stop breast feeding. The ex was so happy about that. I swear he made my gallbladder burst somehow.
I had a consultant in the hospital and then consulted with LLL and I just kept at it, but it wasn't easy. My sister on the other hand, has had 4 children, she lives in Sweden, breastfed each of them until they were each 2 years old. I hate her, but for lots of other reasons than her ease at finding husbands, getting pregnant, having lots of kids and easy breastfeeding.
I forgot - this about you - not me!
I'm so glad Charlie is doing well!!!!
Posted by: Scully at Jan 5, 2005 4:03:00 PM
Yeah, I had a slightly traumatic start to BFing due to idiot nurses who thought they knew what they were doing. I finally got to see the "real" LC the day I discharged. I went to her office the next morning with Bekah and we were able to nurse with a nipple shield. Once I knew we could do it, we came home, sat on the couch and I said "this is how we're doing it!" And we did, more or less successfully, for about 7 months.
I agree with getting hooked up with an LC when you get home. You'll hit some bumps and a good LC will help you get over them.
Glad Charlie is doing well - go Charlie!!!
Jenn
Posted by: Jenn in AK at Jan 5, 2005 4:03:00 PM
You could give La Leche League a call and get into some local meetings. I found them to be much more helpful then the LC at the hospital.
Posted by: Elena LaVictoire at Jan 5, 2005 4:31:13 PM
My hand was actually trembling in anticipation as I mouse-clicked 'Comments' and I have bounced up and down with glee for the past five minutes.
Ha HA!
Yalta! Viper! Croque Madame!
HA Ha!
Posted by: Julia S at Jan 5, 2005 4:34:05 PM
Mom of a 29 weeker too, four years ago. Also had a less-than-stellar LC at the hospital who, upon arriving to assist my daughter and I walked right up to us, didn't introduce herself, yanked my shirt up, grabbed my boob and SHOVED my daughter's head right into it. WTF?!?!?! Not only did I backhand her the *uck away from us but I reported her abuse and, being a nurse myself working at the same hospital, I made SURE she was removed from the LC rotation. I was so traumatized by that little episode that I refused to see any of the other LC's (do you blame me?) and pumped every four hours for the next 8 months. What a stressful thing. I had one of those cast iron hospital grade pumps on loan at home (the rentals just weren't Hoovering enough)which was a total JOY to lug around when I managed to find time to go away for the weekend. What a ball and chain! Oh, and note, cats are REALLY curious about the rhythmic whoosh whoosh sound, and once the milky smell starts permeating the area around your "lactation station" a cat will reliably show up instantly when you turn the pump on, like it's a can opener or something. Don't waste shots on the shower curtain ladies, shoot for the whites of their eyes! Your range is AMAZING. My two cats learned to head for the basement whenever the pump came on.
Good luck to you Julie, and breast wishes!
Posted by: Jen at Jan 5, 2005 4:41:32 PM
Okay - here's my advice:
BEWARE THE THRUSH. And if the thrush finds you, find a LC.
Like you, I had a c-section and my son's collapsed lungs landed him in the NICU (thankfully, only for two days). Because of my c-section and his NICU time, we were both pumped to the gills with antibiotics, which killed off our, um, natural flora.
And the, the yeast found us. His mouth, his bum, my nipples, and OH MY GOD, THE PAIN. Like having a needle and thread run through my nipples every time I nursed.
So, eat your yogurt and keep an eye on Charlie's tongue, and if you see white, which means thrush, get a script for Nystatin for him and some jock itch cream for you. Thrush will knock your hat in the dirt, it will, and you're definitely in thrush territory.
So with that, good luck! And if you can make a tasty nipple sandwich, you're just about all the way there!
Posted by: T at Jan 5, 2005 4:43:49 PM
DE-Lurking also...
Love your blog. Love you and your lovely family. I'm so happy that sweet Charlie is doing better.
You're lucky that you can stand breastfeeding. I was terrified of it and my son refused to eat. I was engorged for 8 weeks without a breastfeeding baby. Next time, I'm bottle feeding.
Posted by: Melanie S. at Jan 5, 2005 5:10:05 PM
Um, Julie, you really should see a lactation consultant about that.
Good luck with the nursing!
Posted by: Brandee at Jan 5, 2005 5:19:11 PM
I nursed two preemies (for 5 and 3 years respectively). With #1, it's amazing we got there, with the "nipple confusion", mastitis, and thrush, and that disconcerting preemie tendency to nurse exactly 5 minutes at a time. I wished deperately for an LC in my area, or at least a LLLI leader. I had neither, but we managed to get the nursing thing to work, over a month after I got him home. If he's already latching, you're already succeeding! It's true that you can't figure out how much milk he gets by what you pump, but after you have him safely home and feeding often and he's sufficiently plumped up so you're not scared to do this --- try pumping on one side while he drinks on the other side. You will likely be AMAZED at how much more will be pumped. I started doing that one feeding a day, and I'd pump 16 ounces off of one side. I stopped worrying that he was getting enough. If you hold Charlie in a sling when you get him home, you get the benefits of "kangaroo care" and he'll have easy access to the boobage, and can latch on whenever he feels like topping off.
Posted by: Amber Lawbyrd at Jan 5, 2005 5:21:45 PM
ACK! It's a Lactation conspiracy! My boobs paid no attention to the LC and told us all to screw off. Stupid boobs.
Posted by: MollieBee at Jan 5, 2005 5:36:27 PM
:)
Posted by: Cathy at Jan 5, 2005 5:56:59 PM
I have some connections to Good LCs in CT, but I don't know where you are, Julie. I have connections in the Waterbury and Hartford areas, and hear there are good ones in the New Haven area.
You've gotten all the other ideas/suggestions I'd have. good luck, and Yay Charlie!
Posted by: rachel at Jan 5, 2005 6:00:49 PM
That's just it, MolliBee - boobs can smell an imposter LC a mile away.
I second the motion to BEWARE THE THRUSH- oh oh oh - flashbacks of searing pain thankyouverymuch!
Air out those nipples. I used to leave mine out on a nice fresh windowsill in the kitchen.
Posted by: Jean at Jan 5, 2005 6:01:12 PM
Having no kids, I've got no nursing advice, but I do have to say that I always thought that calling it the "womanly art" was bizarre. Does that make standing urination a "manly art"? And referring to the baby's lips as a "flange" always kind of freaks me out too, because I think of a flange as a kind of small, useless object you find in a toolbox with maybe a screw on one and and a sort of bent part on the other end, and maybe a hole in the middle. Know what a mean?
Posted by: Queenie at Jan 5, 2005 6:02:30 PM
Hospital lactation consultants are a farce. It's a shame, really.
It can sometimes take a few LCs until you get one you click with. Unfortunately, that's expensive.
I am not kidding, I had a nationally known, well-published, private LC recommend this, saying it was a take on a Native American trick: Sit with the baby in a chair that you can turn around in circles, spin around a few times to get the baby dizzy, then try to have the baby latch on (my son wouldn't latch at first). And you know what? It worked. For about two minutes. But it was a start. What she did have me do that eventually worked was a lot of skin to skin contact and making a nipple sandwich in a "U" shape rather than a "C"--I'm pretty busty and that was the only way the poor kid could latch on.
Anyway, good luck.
Posted by: chris at Jan 5, 2005 6:04:07 PM
I will join the chorus of MY BOOBS DIDN'T WORK, either.
I never seemed to make enough milk for Evan. He was a tiny bit preemie (37 wks) so I don't have that excuse.
MY BOOBS DIDN'T WORK.
Hope yours do better...
Posted by: sheilah at Jan 5, 2005 6:30:52 PM
I wish you the somewhat startling experience of reaching orgasm and finding yourself the owner-operator of two chest-mounted fountains.
Loads of laughs for the whole family.
Posted by: Jonquil at Jan 5, 2005 7:00:57 PM
Holy crap! You are one funny woman Julie! I cant tell you all how glad I am that my best friend is a nurse, after hearing your horrible LC stories. She told me to call her the moment I find out I'm pg so she can schedule time off around my due date and come help me with the baby and, as she says, rub my feet. God, how I love that woman. I am so glad that so far Charlie's doing well with bf'ing. Good luck to you and your impressive boobs!
Posted by: Carrie Jo at Jan 5, 2005 7:02:53 PM
Me the NICU nurse again...
I love love LOVE our lactation consultants. My favorite thing to do at work is page the lactation consultants. I've already personally consulted them on what breast pump to register for and how/when to introduce the bottle since I need to go back to work full time after maternity leave. Heck, I've even consulted them on mortgage rates and weather reports!
Seriously though, I do love to see a preemie go from ng and bottle feeding to exclusively breastfeeding (if that's what the mom wants of course) and thriving. It's one of the most satisfying aspects of my job. And since I've yet to breastfeed a baby, what the heck do I know? Is now a good time to refinance? Page an LC!
Dang, I want to page an LC right now. Since I'm at home I probably shouldn't. But don't think I won't once I'm on maternity leave in 9-ish weeks! (hope they won't mind)
Julie, I'm so tickled Charlie is doing so well. :)
Posted by: KathyH at Jan 5, 2005 7:17:52 PM
Blink.
Blink. Blink.
Um.
Huh?
Posted by: Liz at Jan 5, 2005 7:21:10 PM
I've got to say I always felt sorry for the various health professionals all stupid or awkward message board questions and referred on to.
I mean, they actually have to deal with it, or so I thought...
Posted by: Expat at Jan 5, 2005 7:37:22 PM
Oooh, it hurts... can't. stop. laughing.
croque madame... heeheehee... ouch.
Good luck to you and Charlie!
Posted by: Kimberly at Jan 5, 2005 8:09:43 PM
A nipple sandwich?
A nipple sandwich??
Does Charlie at least get his choice of soup of the day or house salad on the side?
Posted by: akeeyu at Jan 5, 2005 8:43:29 PM
First the croque madam, then Jonquil's chest-mounted fountains (possibly both the funniest and scariest thing I've ever heard!)...
...have mercy ladies, my sides hurt and my screen's all covered in Fanta!
Posted by: Fraggle at Jan 5, 2005 8:50:28 PM
Ha ha. My last son REFUSED the breast. He bit me until I bled. I begged and pleaded and he said not. My first son latched on but my body just wouldn't make enough milk. I fed him and fed him and it wasn't enough. And yes I talked to a lactation consultant! So I didn't even try with my daughter. I'm so happy you and Charlie are learning the dance. My sister had enormous boobage and her daughter loved those things. (She had a reduction due to back problems.)Boys love boobies. Even when there wee little!
Posted by: jenni at Jan 5, 2005 8:52:41 PM
ahahahahahahah.
I called my lactation consultant the "Boob Nazi" she was a raging bitch.
So, are you still nursing? If so, good luck in a couple months when the teeth come. I'm experiencing it right now, and there's nothing like a tiny little human gnawing on your breast.
Posted by: Stacey at Jan 5, 2005 8:55:09 PM
Speaking of thrush - Nystatin SUCKS.
My daughter and I like to play the game of pass the thrush, and one of us ALWAYS has it.
Run, don't walk, to your nearest health food store and buy Grapefruit Seed Extract.
Mix one ounce of DISTILLED water, with ten drops of the extract. Shake until mixed. Use an extra bottle that's hanging around. Dip q-tip and swab inside of baby's mouth. Dip cotton ball and apply to breasts & baby's bottom.
If it doesn't work after a day, up it to 15, and so on.
I had THREE prescriptions of the Nystatin shit, before I gave up and got a home remedy, and it worked in a day.
<--- thrush queen
Posted by: Stacey at Jan 5, 2005 8:59:46 PM
It's rather ironic that breasts having the ability to nourish our offspring and babies needing that nourishment can cause so many problems.
I've nursed preemies- none as early as yours- and it took quite a bit of time to get things going the right way.
Even with a full term baby you both have to learn what you are doing.
You'd think have boob will feed would be an apt description but for many women there are a lot of tears and some hard work involved.
LLL helped me so much when I needed it. Yes there are some militant ones out there, but that's true in any arena. Look around, find the right person to help you if you need it.
What worked best for me with my early twins was to just keep them at the boob as much as possible. Not waiting till they were hungry and less patient, and doing just about nothing besides nursing or trying to nurse.
Now that I've got them on, I can't get them off! HAHA Almost 16 months and they are as addicted to boob as an addict is to crack.
I think they'll need a 12 step program to kick the habit!
Best wishes to you and Charlie as you get this figured out!
Posted by: Janis at Jan 5, 2005 9:14:57 PM
You already know that breastfeeding has been excruciatingly difficult for me. It took me 8 days to get an LC to come have a look at my INFECTED NIPPLES and now that S. is 2.5 weeks old, I'm finally at the point where it's not agonizing, just uncomfortable. The LC was actually helpful (as well as unintentionally amusing, as only an orthodox Flatbush hippie can be) -- I have to make S. do little exercises with her mouth, which look like total bullshit but actually seem to be working so who am I to snark? But even though it isn't painful like it was initially, I still hate it. Hate hate hate it. But I feel too guilty about the idea of stopping. Oy.
Posted by: M. at Jan 5, 2005 9:35:16 PM
