Breastfeeding is Amazing

Working in the unit that I do at the hospital, we learn so much about breast milk and the power that it has.  I knew from the beginning that I wanted to breastfeed, and I wanted to make it work for us.  I started hand expressing colostrum at 37-38 weeks and saving it in the freezer until we went in to deliver.  With Jackson being a big baby we ended up needing to supplement, we were able to use my colostrum that I had brought in for that purpose, so that we could avoid formula.  Now at the hospital there is the option to supplement with donor breast milk which is a wonderful thing that they offer, but at the time we delivered this wasn't an option yet.  I wanted to avoid formula supplementation, because even the smallest amount changes the inside of the baby's tummy. (I understand that there are a few specific reasons of why formula would need to be given in the hospital, for prematurity for extra calorie supplementation, however this didn't apply to us.)

To read more on the benefits on Antenatal Expression of Colostrum look here: La Leche UK

To see more information on risks of supplementation of formula look here : Just One Bottle

Even with my knowledge of how to latch a baby and breastfeeding, I was still having difficulty getting Jackson to latch without having some discomfort.  It wasn't terrible but I knew that it was a pain more than just my nipples getting use to having a baby suckling for hours, but a positional thing that we needed to overcome in order to be successful in the long run.  I visited with my fellow Lactation Nurses at Bryan which were very helpful, and I visited a local breastfeeding support office in Lincoln called Milkworks.

I would highly suggest checking out Milkworks or your local breastfeeding support group/ office in your area.  I can't say enough good things about all that they did for us.  Milkworks has scales available for the public to stop in and weight your baby.  I would occasionally go in and weigh Jackson before a feeding, sit down and nurse him there and then re weigh him to see how much he was successfully transferring at breast.  This also helped later on when we started giving bottles so that I knew approximately how much breast milk he would take from me at a feeding.

The lactation consultant worked with me during our appointments to do a weight, and then help me to get Jackson situated, latch him on, and continue with an entire feeding and re weigh.  All while the lactation consultant stayed right at my side, to help to trouble shoot, and answer any questions that popped into my head.  I owe a part of our huge breastfeeding success to Milkworks!

You can visit Milkworks website here to look at their wonderful information or call/stop in to visit with their breastfeeding educators or schedule an appointment.  Plus they have an adorable baby shop attached with the cutest items for baby and mom.  Milkworks

We continued to breastfeed until Jackson's 2nd birthday.  It was such a wonderful experience and I know that we both benefited from it.