Breast feeding success stories

[monnie]

We've been breastfeeding for 8 months now.

I so wanted to breastfeed, especially after finding out I was having a c/s. It was really important to me to try and get the breastfeeding happening.

The first few days were pretty tough. My milk didn't come in until day 6 or so...I had to do FF syringe feeding with a little tube attached to my nipple for a few days (can't quite remember the official name for it). It was pretty tough as none of the midwives felt confident to help us with it, so after an initial demonstration from the LC, we were on our own. DH would do the syringe whilst I would try to get Felix to attach to my nipple + tube. It was tricky but it was actually a really bonding experience for us all...

Thankfully, that only lasted a couple of days and it helped my milk to come in...and pretty much from then...it's been fantastic!

When Felix was about 4.5 months old, I went back to work part-time (I have my own business) and have managed to keep breastfeeding through expressing...

Breastfeeding has been such a joy...I knew it would be hard...but the rewards are just so wonderful!

[Beatrix]

My story is only a small success atm but am aiming for bigger and better things.

With my first DD i stopped breast feeding at 10 days due to cracked nipples and to me basically lack of information. I didnt know it was the norm for a bay to feed every 2hrs and just thought i was starving my child.

With me second DD again made it to 9-10 and threw in in cause i just coulndt cope (suffered from PND with her)

When i fell pg a third time i new that this was my last chance to have that bf relationship!! So i researched and read up on everything and with the suport of BB i knew i could do it.

Well DD is only 3 weeks and 3 days but we are still bf!! which to me is massive. We havent had a single cracke nipple or graze and i demand feed. while its hard with the older two climbing all over me i know i can do it. I know things will get even easier and quicker as she gets older

[beckles]

such lovely stories ladies. Here's mine:

Josh latched on within about 5 minutes from birth. i didn't feel like a first time mum as i have a VERY large family all of whom breastfeed until about 2-3 years old, so i had grown up around babies and breastfeeding. Whenever he opeded his mouth i would put a breast in it... when Josh was 5 weeks & 5 days i felt really unwell, he had an appointment with the MCHN and so took him, he had not gained much weight and had certainly not returned to his birth weight. she advised me to weigh him, feed him and then weigh him again (pre/post feed weigh) which i did and he 'only' gained 50grams (considering the stress and fear of failure was a fantastic gain), she told me i was starving my son and handed me a box of formula to give him. i ended up in hospital on IV antibiotics with severe mastitis. Josh was diagnosed with a kidney dilatation and infection. i rang nursing mothers (aba) as it was called back then and organised a supply line (a tube to place on your nipple whilst feeding your baby), i expressed and fed 2 hourly to try and increase my supply. i was feeling very depressed and like a failure but refused to give my baby formula. i had lots of wonderful support from the aba and continued. Josh didn't reach his birth weight until about 7 weeks and only gained small amounts every month. i had to wean josh off the supply line and eventually did at 7 months. he was gaining an ok amount of weight and i lied to the MCHN and said he was having formula so she would get off my case. she ended up saying that he was just a lean, long baby well der! he is now 170cm and weighs 45kg. i continued to breastfeed him until he was 2 when he decided he just didn't want to feed anymore. i did struggle with nipple thrush throughout the whole time he was breastfeeding.
Zak latched on straight away also, i felt more confident about his slow weight gain as i had been through it with Josh - neither ever lost weight but woud sometimes only put on 50 grams. i feed him to need which was about 2 hourly. he was a very high needs baby and lucky the breast comforted him. i got mastitis again when Zak was 5 weeks & 5 days (exactly the same time as Josh) but knew what it was and how to treat it so it didn't get bad at all. he weaned when he was 3 years and 10 months. again i had nipple thrush on and off throughout our breastfeeding relationship - ouch
Oscar latched on after a very difficult birth. the only thing different with his first attachment was he licked the nipple for about 5 minutes before i actually couldn't stand it any more and attached him (probably not the gentlest of ways but it was started to freak me out), he did not reach his birth weight until about 6-7 weeks like his older brothers and was slow at gaining weight but it just didn't bother me because i knew that my babies just did that. i had lots of trouble post birth needing a blood transfusion etc but really i just breastfed to need and we got on with it. i did have mastitis once when oscar was about 5 months and had 1 lot of nipple thrush which finally they made a cure for and took the diflucon 1 for 3 days under the instructions of the breastfeeding friendly pharmacist (my hero) and i never got it again - argh relief. oscar is still breastfeeding and doesn't look like he is anywhere near weaning yet. i have really enjoyed my 3 different breastfeeding relationships with my babies and am amazed how differently they all were regarding feeding and weaning etc.
thanks for starting this thread MR it is a great one.
beckles

[mbear]

I remember when i was pregnant with my first, i thought there was a choice b/w breastfeeding or bottle feeding - i didnt realise some women just couldnt breastfeed for whatever reason. In my preparation for DD#1 i never bought a bottle, sterlizer, bottle warmer etc. I was so determined to breastfeed nothing was going to change my mind.
I had a pretty rough labour with DD#1. She came out face up (tummy up), and i tore heavily. I had retained placenta, and lost massive lots of blood. I never got to feed DD, they whisked me away to theatre for removal of placenta - DH was literally left standing holding the baby.
I was gone for quite a few hours. I found out later my DH was with my DD and my mum. DD was hungry/distressed/needing her mummy, and i wasnt there. The midwives were pushing DH to give DD a bottle. He refused, he knew how much i wanted to breastfeed. Another hour passed and they asked DH if he wanted to give DD some formula from a spoon, that way she's not getting used to the bottle, just gives her something to settle her down. Again he refused. I finally returned from theatre. I was drowsy, but so excited to see my little girl and my DH. I remember DH literally threw her at me, and said 'here, she needs some breastmilk' - keeping in mind 4 hours had passed, i hadnt even held her yet, let alone breastfed before. But she latched on perfectly - neither of us (DD or me) moved till 8am the next morning (later found out not something hossi was allowed to do - let mums sleep with newborns). Whilst i had a difficult path ahead of me (2 x blood transfusions, very weak etc), DD breastfed so perfectly. She really was the one that kept me going in those first 6 weeks. I was, and still am so, so grateful for the experience of being able to breastfeed. I know (gulp) there will come a day, when that part of my life is no longer. Thus the reason i really do treasure every moment feed time comes along. Its bloody fantastic !!!!

[maz]

Fantatic thread babe!

And girls - WTG on all your successful journeys....you have all been an inspiration for me in my times of need

God - were do I start

I wont even bother about my first 3 babies as they were unsuccessful.

BUT

mateauz.....he entered the world nice and blue with some complications and to my assitance i BF him as soon as I could. I fought the nursing staff, who even put a feeding tube down his nose to 'feed him formula' in ICU. My luck was that the doctor had seen me BF him and he told the nursing staff to take the tube out. I have BF my little man from the start and wasnt looking back.
At almost 3 weeks of age we were rushed to firstly the Mercy then the Royal Childrens as mateauz had suffered strokes from clots and a lovely STAF and menigincocils infection. The whole time were were in Melbourne, I BF him, expressed an hour later, then BF him again. One night time nurse gave him formula and didnt do it again after I ripped her head of..her excuse was I looked tired and thought that I needed the sleep.
My little man is BF now but as he is little and needs all the strength he can, he has one bottle of formula at night, once he is around the 5 month mark this will be hopefully taken away. Doctors are very pleased with him and said that he must need the extra bottle. he has a BF at 6pm, then screams for FF at 7, then back for a BF at 8pm.
Im still extremely happy to say that my little man is loving his girls and I know for a fact that by BFing him...well it probably helped save his life as his immunie system probably wouldnt have coped for as long as it did with out my goodness helping him. I can also say that every day now is truely a blessing because the doctors told us if he gets to 3 months then we could start breathing easier...well he made it and is still going strong.
Im also super glad that I stuck to my guns and decided that It was BFing or bust for us.

[Jennifer13]

Oh what a great thread MR, you girls have some inspirational stories!

Our story pales into insignificance by comparison, as we started with so few problems. I had to have a c/s due to placenta praevia so was very focused on bfing instead of delivery. I went to the hospital's bfing class conducted by the LC (which was in total agreement with everything said by the ABA and very critical of some books I know now are full of tripe). DP was on board with bfing and I expected to hold Lucy in the theatre and maybe even sneak a bf in then.

Unfortunately we were very delayed in going in so the theatre was freezing. I didn't even hold her, but gave her face a stroke and kiss before she was taken away. I was in recovery for half an hour before going back to the room. DP bought Lucy in to me straight away and I pulled the gown down to bf her even before the midwife came by. She was perfect! Latched on first go with the absolute widest mouth I've ever seen in a tiny baby (and she was tiny - 2.5kgs). A note was taped to her bassinet 'Frequent breastfeeding' as she was so small. The midwife came by, took one look at her attachment and said 'great' and left us to it. I got a slight nipple graze on day 3 from not being able to sit up properly (spinal fluid leak from the epi = exploding head) but that healed quickly and I was shown how to bf lying down.

At 6 weeks and with a massive oversupply I had my first brush with mastitis in the middle of the night. I expressed for the time that was unbearable. I visited the LC at the hospital at lunch time but by then had gotten through it by bfing constantly on that side.

I had another half a dozen bouts with mastitis over the next six months (honestly, I lost count) and learnt better management techniques every time. I had one more bout after she was 12 mths old but managed to avoid a/bs this time using all of my knowledge! Nothing since (touch wood) so perhaps after 2 years I've finally gotten the hang of this! The ABA provided some great advice and I joined when Lucy was a few months old.

The only other drama I've had is a persistent fiddler in my DD (look out belly button, nose, chin, fat pinches - ouch!). I have been lucky enough to have a bfing-supportive husband, family, friends and medical system. I have nothing to complain about and they've all contributed to giving my little girl the best possible start in life. I think I'm an example of how it SHOULD be for all first-time mothers.

[Phoenix]

What a great idea!!!
My story starts with DS. From the start we had troubles with cracked nipples(read bleeding pussy horrible OUCHY!!!), top ups of formula in hospital due to dehydration and really really engorged breasts when my milk did come in. By week 3 I had a blocked duct and a couple of days later this turned into mastitis. The antibiotics that I was prescribed took away the flu symptoms but not the lump. 3 course of AB's and 4 weeks later I found myself undergoing surgery for a breast abscess. The abscess was 7.5 x 8cm and I had to have a drain inserted. 3 weeks later the drain was removed and slowly the hole in my breast was closed. This involved having gauze and solugel inserted in the hole at each dressing change OUCH!!!Every time my milk letdown it would run out of the hole. I had several dressing changes with half a dozen students watching while being told 'now this is what happens when BF goes bad" and nurses scaring me by telling me how I would now probably get breast cancer in that exact spot!
At 4mths the hole was closed completely. I was lucky that when this started no one suggested weaning but I was unlucky that no one told me to contact ABA. Once i had the surgery I was referred to ABA where the lovely ladies gave me advice on how to reduce my engorgement which at 8weeks I still had and a lovely midwife told me about nipple shields to help with the severely cracked nipples. From there it was pretty smooth sailing. DS was weaned at 23mths.

DS2 is a completely different and very successful story. My partner was in a car accident when I was 4.5mths pregnant. He was out of a wheelchair 2 days before I had DS2. Stress and bad eating meant I developed gestational diabetes. I expressed from 34weeks to build up a store so that DS2 didn't have to have any formula. In the end I didn't need it as he fed like a champ for 1.5hrs after birth. Constant contact with ABA counsellors and a feeding plan meant I had very little trouble feeding him. I used nipple shields for 1 week before he rejected them and apart from 2 doses of mastitis everything has been great. He turns 3 in July and is still feeding once every day or so. I intend to wean him at 3 but I think he's go other ideas so we'll just see what happens.
Considering when I was pregnant with DS I said I would not be feeding past 1yr I think I'm doing well!

[Lewis's Mummy]

I had a dream pregnancy and really positive birthing experience. I'd decided early on in my pregnancy that I would try to breastfeed, but it wasn't something I was passionate about at that time. Initially the decision was made because my boobs are there and I can't be stuffed dealing with formula and bottles etc plus of course breastmilk is free. I still figure these are great reasons to keep bfing.

I gave birth in a certified 'baby friendly' hospital - bf is strongly supported, dummies, bottles etc are strongly discouraged there, there are bf how to posters everywhere... one would assume that meant I'd get all the help I needed... nice theory...

DS was very alert from the minute he was born. He attached immediately there in the delivery room but it wasn't long before I had a blister on lefty. So the midwives helped me move him over to the right... that became his favourite side for the next few days. I wasn't prepared for the constancy of newborn feeds. It felt like he was constantly suckling and on night 2 he was very awake and unsettled - something I now know is pretty normal, especially when the mum had no drugs during delivery...

That was the start of my bf nightmare... The night shift midwife told me he was hungry and that I wasn't feeding him enough, so for that night and the next 2 days I was feeding all the time, every hour and a half for an hour at a time! My nipples quickly became cracked, bleeding and very sore, and I felt guilty as hell that I wasn't feeding my baby enough - my milk hadn't yet come in and I felt like it was my fault. I had two midwives who were my saving angels and without them I probably would have given up by then end of that first week! One took the emotion out of the feeds for me and put in the logic, reminding me that Lewis had such a tiny tummy there was no way he needed to feed for so long each time. She was the midwife who delivered him and knew that he had sucked his fist as soon as he was born - he is a sucky baby. She also helped me feel less guilty for giving him a dummy and gave me other ways to settle him, reminding me that crying didn't always mean hunger.

So feeling a bit better I discharged myself on day 4, although they had recommended I stay longer to get the feeding sorted - I dreaded the nights and the night shift staff, feeling anxious at shift change etc, so couldn't wait to get home. By the time the midwives visited when Lewis was about a week old I had my first bout of mastitis. Feeling even more miserable than before, the CYH nurse who visited for Lewis's first check up gave me nipple shields and talked me through my emotions. I decided to keep trying.

4 weeks later came a second bout of mastitis That time I was hospitalised because over 2 thirds of the breast was inflamed and my temp was so high... I couldn't keep down any food or fluids and just about collapsed in the drs waiting room...

Determination and stubbornness run in both sides of my family. I started to see bf as a battle of wills. My mum reassured me that I would be able to do it if I wanted to, but that if I decided to switch to ff noone would think worse of me for not giving it my best shot. My stubborn side was not going to let bf beat me without a fight. I decided I had to exhaust all avenues of support before giving up. That was when I found BB and Barb recommended a private LC. The 90min drive to see her was so worthwhile! My GP was great too, and I ended up attending a day feeding clinic nearby. Amazingly I had the whole clinic to myself for the full day which meant the midwife was there for me all day too. It was wonderful to have someone who could take the time to sit with me and really help with each feed. It's such a pity that didn't happen at the hospital as I'd expected when Lewis was born.

So now 5 months on we're still going. I've had 2 blocked duct episodes since, but I'm now so paranoid about getting mastitis again that I jump straight into the shower, grab the pump, feed constantly from that side and phone the ABA helpline if nothing else seems to be working, just to check I've done everything recommended again. We've had a short stint of breast refusal but given his chubby cheeks and thighs, I know DS is fine and will feed again when he's ready. His latest trick is taking mini-breaks during a feed to sit up and check out what the dog is doing or what is on the tv... we're back to long feeds again for now, but he does amuse me I no longer dread feeds, instead looking forward to putting my feet up and watching an episode of my favourite series on dvd - just the right length for most feeds.

My minigoal was to make it to 6 months. The formula sticks I bought in the early weeks in case are still unopened in my pantry and only go in the nappy bag when I haven't been able to express enough if I'm going out and MIL is looking after bubs and gets desperate, but thankfully she's been calm enough to hold out until I get back to feed him. Once we hit that 6 month mark I intend to just keep going, taking each day as it comes.