I
had an exhausting labor with Dustin. He was born 36 hours after my water broke.
I knew I wanted to breastfeed, and I figured it would come naturally. We went
home after 24 hours, and had nursed only a few times in the hospital. At home
he wouldn't latch on. Quite honestly, that first week is a blur in my mind. But
I remember a few things. One was that he hadn't nursed in 8 hours. My nipples
were cracked and we were both crying. I wanted so much for this to work out, and
we went to the LC for help. She got him latched on, and we nursed for quite awhile.
Went home, and he wouldn't latch on again. I started giving him the ready-to-feed
formula, and felt my heart breaking. I cried alot. We went back to the LC, who
suggested I buy a pump and do that to keep my supply going, then feed him my milk
before formula. So that's what I did. I held him to my breast, and no matter how
it hurt, I tried to nurse him every time. It's an amazing thing he didn't become
nipple confused. Anyhow, on the 10th day he latched on. I remember calling the
LC, saying "Thank you! It's working! He doesn'twant to stop and I love it!". Dustin
continued to nurse until 18 1/2 months, when he self-weaned during my 5th month
of pregnancy. Since then I've read up on the subject and decided I'd like to help
other women who find themselves in that situation. I gave birth to a beautiful
daughter on May 17th, 1997 (at home), and nursed her almost immediately. We went
through a painful thrush ordeal, but this time formula wasn't even an option for
me. We made it through together, and I hope to nurse her for years to come :-).
