Breastfeeding & Pumping

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009 - Day 5

In the hospital, about an hour after birth, I breastfed Tia for almost an hour. The lactation specialist gave her the big honors of being the best breast feeder out of all the newborns in the ward. Tia had no problem latching on and going to town. My theory is all of those hiccups she had made her swallowing and sucking capabilities more mature (doc said something to this effect). So for the next few days in the hospital, Tia would eat every 2 to 3 hours and she would stay latched on for 45 to 50 minutes at a time. This is great for her because she was getting the colostrum she needed, but after that ran out, I turned into a human pacifier and the 'nips' were starting to get very sore. By the time I got home on Monday and breastfeeding on my own - it was rather painful. Now there are a few reasons to this: (1) she wasn't always latching on properly, but she a tiny baby and it is a bit harder for her (2) soreness is very normal since our 'nips' have not gone through this sort of treatment before (at least mine haven't).

I will say that sitting in the glider chair with the boppy pilly across my lap and Tia laying close to me eating her meal is super sweet to experience. I can hug her, rub her hair, check out all of her features and watch her slowly fall asleep. It is amazing how special it is...BUT my 'nips' just take a beating when I am trying to get her latched on in the beginning.

I talked to another friend who recently had a baby and she said that she started pumping before she came home from the hospital (her baby was super early). So that made me feel better when I was wondering when I can start pumping and giving my 'nips' a break. I did all of my reading and research and although lactation specialist really want you to breastfeed early on as opposed to pumping - many places said that if your nips were sore to go ahead and try to pump to give things a change of pace from time to time. I will still breastfeed on a normal basis, but I'm going to take advantage of pumping while I can.

A good friend of mine was kind enough to give me her Medela electric double pump which I have heard is the best so I was all set to go with pumping. I was a bit scared, I'll admit and Chris was kind enough to wash everything for me and get it all prepared. He watched me as I turned the pump on low and tried it out on my right. As I turned it from low gradually higher, Chris cringed in pain. I also was a bit freaked at first - it just seemed weird and sort of hurt. But after a bit, it worked like a charm and is definitely going to do the job. And after I did one side for a small bit, it made it easier for Tia to latch on that next mealtime. Also, when I need a break from breast feeding, Chris will have a bottle he can supplement her meals with.