We are thirteen months into our nursing journey, me and my infant son. I used to think it was a bit too precious to refer to nursing as a “journey” but I have trekked these hills and so now I will stake a claim in it because turns out, nursing is a whole thing, y’all, what with a tiny baby being attached to your body practically 24/7.
I have a lot to say about our nursing story so thank you to Amwell for giving space to it by sponsoring this post.
My first baby’s NICU stay and subsequent feeding issues meant that nursing wasn’t a part of our experience. Instead, I was strapped to a pump for hours each day, months on end of filling deep freezers with frozen breastmilk, first ours, then our in-laws, only to add six or seven ccs per day to the syringe slow-dripped into her feeding tube.
When Ridley was born I hoped to nurse him but honestly I had no expectations about the whole thing. We were facing so many potentially daunting situations surrounding his birth that truly all I cared about was that he was healthy. I was thrilled to get to bring him home from the hospital with us and elated to be able to nurse him.
{photo by Ashley Mushegan}
But those first weeks were not easy. I knew something wasn’t quite right but I didn’t know what it was. Breastfeeding was fairly foreign to me so I felt really lost trying to sift through information on the internet to figure out what wasn’t fitting. I had plenty of milk but the baby would sputter and struggle and then fall asleep. And he wanted to nurse every hour and a half, no matter how much he ate.
I think it was Day Four that my husband walked into the bedroom to find me nursing the baby and sobbing hysterically. Post-partum hormones, man. They are no joke.
“I don’t know what I’m doing wrong!” I cried as he tried to console me.
(He eventually just brought me a pint of rocky-road ice cream. I whole-heartedly endorse this method.)
The next morning I called a friend who I knew had a lot of experience and asked her if she would come over and observe me nursing the baby.
She was immediately able to help me position him better and point out to me that his lips were tucked under instead of being fluted out for a good seal. Those two small adjustments made all the difference.
It was so incredibly helpful to have someone come alongside me and make it a better experience for both me and the baby. While I was fine with formula feeding after having gone that route with my first, I really wanted to commit to giving breastfeeding a go the second time around and I am so glad that I sought help to make that happen.
Nursing has been a beautiful bonding experience for me, especially as someone who missed out on most mother/baby bonding experiences after my first child’s birth due to her extended NICU stay. I kind of thought it was a myth, the bond that nursing can provide, especially when it was so hard in the beginning.
But eventually we settled into a good rythym and I’m so grateful for this bit of motherhood that we’ve shared together.
{photo by Ashley Mushegan}
I think having a good support system is a big component to breastfeeding success, which is why I was really thrilled to partner with Amwell to share their virtual lactation consultant services and a discount code for those of you who want to try it out. It would have been so helpful to me to have been able to meet with a professional in the privacy of my home in those early days, when I was sleep-deprived and still healing from a c-section that had some complications, making it hard to leave the house.
I met with one of Amwell’s lactaction consultants, Shoshana, via the video chat on my computer (or you can use their handy app if you’re phone savvy) and we talked about healthy ways to wean as he ages as well as what a typical consult looks like for a nursing mom.
Shoshana usually observes the mom and baby duo nursing so that she can do a full feeding assesment and make suggestions accordingly. She used several visual aids to give me better ideas of positioning and she also gave me a lot tips for different things new nursing moms struggle with, like overactive letdown or increasing supply.
I really enjoyed my visit with Shoshana and kept remarking about how beneficial it would have been for me in those first weeks at home to have used a service like this. I think it’s really worthwhile for new moms.
To make it super easy to get the support you need, my readers can click here to visit Amwell and use the code NEWMOM15 to meet with a lactation consultant virtually and save 50% off 2 visits!*
(Please note that you have to put your credit card information in to hold the appointment, then once you log back in for your appointment time you will be prompted to enter the promo code.)
Lactation video consults allow new mothers to address any concerns they have and get helpful advice concerning breastfeeding and everything that comes along with feeding their baby, no matter what stage you are in. The Amwell lactation services are provided by a network of International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants, so they can provide help with a number of issues!
(Here’s a look at how it works, if you’re unfamiliar with lactation consultants!)
Plus, after visiting with a consultant, you’ll get a personalized plan tailored just for you as well as the ability to follow-up with your provider to continue care if you like.
I hope this is helpful to you mamas who might have come across this post by googling “breastfeeding help” in the middle of the night (I feel you, ladies.)
*Offer = 50% off 2 visits and each reader can use the code twice if they so choose. The first visit is $130, which amounts to $65 after the discount. The second visit is $75, which amounts to $37.50 after the discount. Offer expires 12/31/17.
Disclaimer: Compensation was provided by Amwell via Momtrends. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions of Amwell or Momtrends.
