Best For My Baby
Alison Shook
Gresham OR USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 17 No. 3, May-June 2000, pp. 85-86
We provide articles from our publications from previous years for reference for our Leaders and members. Readers are cautioned to remember that research and medical information change over time.
January 13, 1999 was the
best day of my life. After 20 hours of labor, my first child was born.
I had never felt so much love for another human being. I began nursing
her shortly after the birth. The nurse who helped me get her latched
on for the first time was very nice. It hurt a lot but I persevered.
Despite my incredible fatigue, I could not sleep. I just stared at this
beautiful creature. She nursed great that day and night.
The day after my daughter's
birth was the worst day of my life. My tiny daughter had what the doctors
believed to be a mild seizure. She was taken from me less than 24 hours
after she was born and put in a neonatal intensive care unit. The doctors
immediately gave her medication to prevent more seizures. I felt as
though I couldn't breathe, as though I would just collapse and die on
the spot. I could not stop crying. My husband was very supportive, thankfully,
which is what I needed. The doctors said our daughter was experiencing
minor brain irritation and inflammation, probably the result of the
vacuum extraction used at her birth. A CT scan revealed a small amount
of bleeding in her brain. The neurologist who evaluated her concluded
that she was going to be fine and told us that this sort of thing was
actually pretty common after a hard birth. That night my husband held
me as I lay in my hospital bed and sobbed. Our baby remained in the
NICU for five long days. Leaving the hospital without my child was the
hardest thing I have ever had to do. Fortunately, we lived only three
miles from the hospital. I had bought a Medela breast pump just before
I had gone into labor. The first day our daughter was in the NICU she
could not be fed orally, only through an IV. It seemed as if I was constantly
pumping my milk. I would go home, pump, try to sleep for a few hours,
then return to the hospital. On the second day, she was allowed to have
a few milliliters of my milk. On the third day, I was able to breastfeed
her again. My nipples were very sore from pumping, but I didn't care.
I just wanted to hold her close and tell her everything was going to
be all right as I nursed her. I remember telling her that I needed her
to be okay, that I couldn't survive without her. As my daughter gazed
into my eyes, I felt a strong bond with her. During our first week at
home, I just stayed in bed with her, stared at her, and nursed her.
This is how it should have been from the beginning. Instead of nesting
with my newborn, I had spent the first week of her life running back
and forth to the hospital, surviving on three to four hours of sleep
each night. I knew that my milk was the best for my baby, even if it
meant getting up at 3 AM, going out to a cold car, and driving the three
miles to her, still half asleep.
I suffered from sore nipples.
Using Lansinoh® for Breastfeeding Mothers helped significantly with
this problem. It seemed as though my daughter wanted to nurse a lot.
At one point, early in my daughter's life, I wondered if I was producing
enough milk. My husband and I, being first time parents, almost decided
to give her formula. But first, I called my sister-in-law for help.
She had breastfed her two children. She wasn't home, but my brother
was. Reluctantly, I told him my dilemma. To my surprise, he told me
exactly what I needed to hear - that I was doing the right thing by
breastfeeding and that I would produce enough milk for my baby. He told
me to just keep on nursing her as long as she wants to nurse. I couldn't
believe this could be coming from my brother! I was so touched.
I have suffered from a few
plugged ducts. The best thing for that was a heating pad, massaging
the affected breast, and frequent nursing, even though it was very painful.
Also, avoiding bras with underwire is key to preventing plugged ducts.
I once fell asleep with an underwire bra on, only to wake up with a
plugged duct!
Today my daughter is almost
11 months old and couldn't be healthier. She has just started to take
her first steps and is a beautiful, happy baby. I am still breastfeeding
her and plan on continuing until she is ready to be weaned.
My best advice to new nursing
mothers is to persevere! Breastfeeding may be hard at first, but it
does get easier. Surround yourself with supportive people. Breastfeeding
is the best thing you can do for your baby whatever the circumstance.
Last updated Wednesday, October 11, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:51 UTC 2007.
