Fed IS Best
When I was pregnant with my first daughter Kennedy my plan all along was to breastfeed her. I had so many friends that were able to nurse their babies until toddlerhood and store up this incredible supply of milk for cereal and solids down the road. All of the books I read boasted how insane the bond was with your baby if you are able to do so and of COURSE BREAST IS BEST. If you have read my first post about my labor with Kennedy, you will know that my labor last a good 36 hours followed by a c-section. By the time we were back to recovery it was super late, and I was so exhausted I kept telling my husband Jeff I felt like I was dying. Kennedy’s sugars were low, so our nurses recommended we start her on some high-calorie formula until she was a little more stable. The next day after a few hours of sleep and recovery, I was very eager to get her latched (at the time I had no fricking clue what that meant or how hard it was going to be to accomplish.) The first time I tried, I thought that I got her on and she was sucking so clearly that meant she was eating and was getting adequate supply. NOT… the next 5 days were a terrible cycle of me pumping to get nothing, breastfeeding a starving child and having to supplement with formula and her not passing her sugars test over and over which led to another day in the hospital. Somewhere around day 5 we met with the lactation consultant. I have said before our experience in labor and delivery and Mom and baby was incredible – except for this part. Let’s just say the LC and I didn’t vibe. She was super aggressive shoving by boobs into my babies’ tiny mouth and grabbing my face as if I was a child. The day we left; we were still very unsure about nursing, but the formula situation was in the bag. We went home and I spent the next day or so nursing and pumping around the clock for about an ounce a day. I went back a few days later for a class with a bunch of other Mom’s. I listened intensely, did exactly what she said, and it turns out after all this time Kennedy had a bad latch and she wasn’t feeding or getting anything, she had lost weight and I was crushed. I felt like the worst Mom ever to live as Its our maternal instinct to feed our babies and for whatever reason, we couldn’t do it. As I mentioned in my first post- about a week and a half in to being home, I started to feel very un-well. I was anxious, crying all the time and my mind would wander to very dark places. The day I hit my breaking point was the day I went into my OB. She asked how nursing was going. When I explained to her how I was feeling she told me…. I need a fed baby and a happy mama. So, if nursing is too stressful then its ok to formula feed Laura. PLUS, your body is desperately trying to make milk and its wreaking havoc on your hormones. Her just telling me that, was the BIGGEST freaking relief ever. It was almost like I needed someone smarter than I to give me permission to do what I already knew I needed. My second baby Taylor was the same story, I had a pump and everything I needed to be successful. She was born by cesarean, low sugars but this time I knew what was ahead of me. We tired, and just like Kennedy she is thriving on formula.
Moral of the story—Mama’s we need a HAPPY MAMA and FED BABY! However that looks to you, is what is BEST!