I was all geared up for a breastfeeding workshop taking place this evening at Nurtured being held by Robyn Berman and I was the only person who signed up, so it got canceled! lol I was interested in the class mainly because Robyn was the Doula that my family doctor originally recommended to me if I was considering hiring one. At that time, I didn't even know such things existed. I did contact her a while ago, but she was already booked up and a little on the pricey side, so I let my interests in getting a Doula go. From what I could tell, she seemed like she was one of the more well-known Doulas in Halifax with a wonderful reputation. They did say that she can make one on one home visits for a bit higher of a price and while I don't think I'm going to do that at this time, I will certainly keep her phone number handy if the need arises.
I figured signing up for this workshop was a good compromise. I want to feel as confident as possible starting out with the little peanut. Confidence really is the issue here I think. My doctor discussed with me during my last visit that due to the fact that I have PCOS, it can sometimes cause some women difficulty in establishing their milk supply. I had read about it on my own and read that it effects 1 out of every 3 women. She said she would like to discharge me from the hospital with a prescription in hand that can help with milk supply given that my milk won't likely be in yet when I am discharged which is usually on day 2 following a vaginal birth. She said that it's better to have it on hand if I find that my milk still hasn't come in on day 4 or 5 and find that peanut is getting hungry and not wetting a comfortable amount of diapers. I suppose it sounds like a good proactive plan for that potential situation.
So, with all of this in mind, I was hoping to gain a bit more confidence in this area so that I could hopefully avoid any "other" potential challenges that I can learn how to handle ahead of time. I can imagine that feeling panicked over having a hungry baby and not being able to hold up to your end of the breastfeeding bargain to be quite upsetting and stressful. Formula is always available, but I am hoping to avoid having to need that in the first place. If it happens and is needed, then so be it, but I'm trying to do everything in my power to do the best I can! I will feel better if I truly feel like I've done everything I could to educate myself, the rest is up to mother nature.
Speaking of formula, I received a little gift pack in the mail from Nestle which was a small backpack diaper bag filled with samples of wet and powdered formula samples. I had no idea where it came from, but then remembered that I put my name and address in at Thyme Maternity store way back when and she told me that I would receive a diaper bag gift pack in the mail closer to my due date and sure enough. If I remember correctly, Motherhood Maternity said the same thing, so there could be another little package of free mommy swag from them at some point. Breastfeeding or not.....it was FREE and I like the little diaper bag. It's smaller than a regular bag, so I'm sure it will be handy!
P.S. I'm 33 Weeks today bloggies!
11 comments:
Heard someone talking about a doctor in Halifax the other day who has a Yoda approach to breastfeeding. "Do or do not. There is no try."
While some will not be able to breastfeed, I think many people just give up because it can be so damn hard in the first 6 weeks.
Anonymous: I have heard a lot of truth to that - like if you have any thoughts that it won't work you will give up and it takes true persistence to make it work a lot of the time.
If I end up with milk supply problems, it will break my heart and while it is rare, it does happen to some women with PCOS so
I hope you don't interpret this post as me being prepared to give up. Milk supply is an entirely different animal when it is legitimate and not just because breastfeeding is hard. I am reflecting on my doctor's proactive approach to what realistically can happen in my situation.
You are wise to arm yourself with all you can. I have PCOS, was an absolute breast feeding nazi,refused any form of supplementation . My son and I were discharged from the hospital with him only having ONE wet diaper in 24 hrs, and the next day he nearly died from dehydration. Turns out that in my body the PCOS also meant a complete absence of a few hormones and I never produced milk (PCOS is a very complex issue that takes all the normal hormonal cycles and throws them right out the door). My breasts actually got smaller while pregnant. My son was put on an IV to bring him back, I was given a nasal prostiglandin spray and we were able to nurse. Learn all you can about breastfeeding, and odds are very good that all will be well. My condition is extremely rare, but it does happen. If you are nursing and your baby is going through plenty of diapers, all is totally well and in working order.If there is a problem, there are fixes. For 99 percent of the women in the world it happens without a hitch, and for those with difficulties modern medicine has ways of helping.
I have a 4 year old, 3 year old, and 2 year old...all breastfed...and I'm STILL getting free samples of formula in the mail! They never go away! LOL
Wow, it sounds like it can be tough to get on the list for one of those celebrity doulas, ha ha! Good deal on the Mommy swag.
Angie All The Way,
I wanted to point out that if you cannot breastfeed, it is not the end of the world.
I had cancer in my nipple and mammary glands. I chose to have a mastectomy which meant I could never breastfeed. Despite all the hate and rude comments I received about the evils of bottle feeding, my children were never sick and grew into quite healthy young women.
If you can breastfeed great, but don't sweat it if your milk does not come in. You have bigger things to worry about.
Just incase you didn't know about this product...they make a herbal tea called Mother's Milk Tea that helps with milk production and another one called Milkmaid Tea. Might be worth checking into before taking a prescription. It worked for my cousin, that and alot of water drinking. My cousin also kept cabbage leaves cold in the fridge to place over her nipples which helped with pain. I only have adopted children and have never breastfeed, so I have never experienced breastfeeding but I thought I would pop in with what I have learned from talks with friends/cousin. :) -kriss
Just a warning, milk supply problems are heartbreaking, as you said. My baby was born 10 weeks premature at the IWK, and because she was in an incubator and so small, she couldn't breastfeed. I started pumping like crazy, but after a week, I was still only getting drops. It was so stressful and I cried every time I pumped and I felt like a failure, though of course my body wasn't ready to produce milk -- she was born too early.
I was put on domperidone, a medication for stomach problems that increases breast milk. My baby is now 16 weeks old, and as long as I take my pills, I have enough milk for her. Because she was so little, breastfeeding was very difficult for her -- it takes a lot more energy than bottle feeding. So today, I breastfeed only twice a day and the rest of her feedings are pumped breast milk in a bottle. Pumping is a lot of work, but she is getting breast milk so I keep at it. My supply will probably eventually diminish if she can't handle full-time breastfeeding, but I want to keep her away from formula as long as possible.
In the beginning, we had to "supplement" my breast milk by mixing it with formula to increase the calories -- she became so constipated she didn't poop for 6 days. After one day on breast milk only, she started pooping normally again. Anyway, that's my story - I really enjoy reading yours.
I think you are so smart to arm yourself with knowledge and information about what is a challenging thing for many women, let alone those who have underlying conditions that could cause complications! I nursed all three of my kids, and didn't have problems with the first two, assumed the third would be easy too, and it was not. She was much harder to nurse, I ended up with cracked and bleeding nipples, and it was really hard to keep going. I did, but I think it helped that I knew I could do it, because I had done it before. I am not sure what I would have done if I was a first time breastfeeder.
Yay for 33 weeks - you are so close!
Ug I used that diaper bag for 5 months until Babysteals.com had a deal on diaper bags. BUt nice it was free. I was so surprised with all the breastfeeding stuff and info that came with the Nestle package.
My milk didnt come in for several days, which i think is normal. Look for a red powder in his or her diaper called brick powder meaning he is dehydrate. Oh and when you get out of the hospital the public health nurses come to your house and help with the breast feeding and such.
you are so close!!!!
Hi Angie,
I haven't been on the blogs in ages (my own last post was over a year ago *cringe*). Congratulations on the imminent arrival of Peanut!! My own (unexpected blessing) baby #3 arrived in late April. I too got the Nestle diaper bag and love it! Good luck with everything.
On a breastfeeding note, I completely agree with Anonymous. I have breastfed all three of my children and I really think my initial success was due to the fact that I would even think about bottle feeding! This time was a bit more difficult (the 7 1/2 year gap between kids probably had a lot to do with that) but my little girl is now 10 weeks and we are going along swimmingly!
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