Challenges with Tongue and Lip Ties - Jenifer and Hannah’s Story

Hannah is our first child and I knew before I had her that I wanted to breastfeed her.  My husband was very supportive; he went to my bf class with me and helped me pick just the right rocker with a nursing stool.

She was born after thirty-eight and a half hours of labor so alert, calm and absolutely perfect.  Knowing that breastfeeding is natural, it isn't always easy.  I wasn't deterred when I struggled to get Hannah to latch.  The nurses were so patient helping me get her latched on, but something just didn't seem right since she wouldn't stay latched.  We quickly discovered she had jaundice and she had to go under the lights.  Over time she wasn't having enough wet and dirty diapers and her jaundice wasn't improving.  The lactation consultants from the hospital visited for a few moments, latched us and by the time they left Hannah had released.  So our wonderful nurse helped me get set up with a pump and we syringe fed her breast milk.  Her dirty diapers immediately increased and the light therapy started to work.  By day four we got to go home.  

At home our doula came to visit and noticed she had a tongue tie and gave us a referral to a lactation consultant.  The LC confirmed a class four tongue and lip tie meaning her tongue had almost no mobility and her lip was so tight it could not flange.  As a result Hannah could not breast feed and struggled even with a bottle, spilling milk from the corners of her mouth and often choking.  When she was five weeks old she had a revision and due to the severity of her tie there was no improvement even after healing for two weeks.  She did not know how to use her now free lip and tongue.

We had the consultant come back and train us on special exercises, positioning and methods for overcoming nipple confusion.  I really had to jump through hoops.  At the most intense time I would have to pump to let down, because she didn't have the patience or stamina to work for my let down.  Simultaneously I would hold her in football hold, elevated on pillows, because she had no tolerance for being repositioned mid-meal, while giving her a bottle to encourage her to eat, then slip on a nipple shield and get her latched. If she released or cried, there was a lot of crying, it was back to the bottle and then transfer to nipple shield again.  My husband tirelessly supported us, cleaning, cooking, getting us things, taking them away when we were done and hugging us both when we cried and were frustrated.  At week 10 she decided she didn't want the bottle anymore.  Just like that during a mid-day session she decided she only wanted the breast.  We slowly faded all the props as she now had the motivation and was gaining strength and skill.

We still had some challenges to overcome.  Hannah like many other babies with ties had some muscle tightness.  It wasn't improving with chiropractic work so we went to a cranio-sacral therapist.  Finally we saw results. She was able to nurse more comfortably and I didn't have to hold her in just the right position.  We continue to go to therapy but with decreasing frequency because her body is responding so well and can now physically do the things she wants it to do. This month my sassy, smart, stubborn girl will be 9 months old.  She has had breast milk her whole life but has only been breastfed almost 7 months.   My little family worked so hard to get here and it was completely worth it. 

Standing Up For the Right to Nurse – Lauren and her sons

 My breastfeeding journey began when I was 20.  I was young, naive and a new mom. I knew breastfeeding was what I wanted to do. What I didn't know was that it wasn't as easy as just holding your baby close to you and letting them do the work. 

Three days after I gave birth to my oldest child, my milk came in - and boy did it. I pumped TWENTY ounces the first time I used a pump. It was the middle of the night, my aunt had just given birth to her son less than 48 hours after I gave birth and my mom called her asking if we could head to my aunt's house to use her pump. I was in pain; it hurt so bad and Connor wasn't latching because he just couldn't at that point. All of my aunts had nursed their babies, why wasn't this as easy as it appeared?

My grandmother, one of the most sweetest and selfless people I know, offered to stay with me and my newborn for a full week when my mom went back to work. I thought she was crazy. I could do this, he's a baby, and how hard could it be? (If anyone ever asks if they could stay with you, don't decline, accept it. Trust me). Almost a full week after he was born, my grandmother sat next to me on the couch and coached me through nursing. Told me I could do it, praised me for doing it and never said "I'll just fix him some formula" when I was struggling. I'm forever thankful for that. Connor had formula twice in his life. Looking back, he probably didn't need it. 

My nursing journey with Connor ended when he was 21 months old, he pretty much self-weaned due to time away from me while I was at work. I was ok with that, 21 months is a great run. 

Fast forward 8 years later and I have a new son to nurse, a new challenge, and a new fear of being so full I couldn't rest. Within the first two weeks of his life, in addition to feeding him on demand, I pumped 100 ounces.  And that's even getting through that 2 week growth spurt that had me so exhausted I couldn't see straight for two days. I seemed to have forgotten those growth spurts from the first time I did this. For some reason my body and mind blocked those out.  But I did it. I nursed on demand every 2 hours for 48 straight hours. It made me cranky, it made me not a pleasant person to have as company but I was determined and I did it. 

A few months later, a friend in need of some milk contacted me asking for any I could donate. She got those 100 ounces and then some. She still thanks me, 2 years later, for providing her son with something she was unable to do.  Raleigh, I consider you part mine, kiddo. 

Then came the nurse-in. A friend was told she had to "do that elsewhere" in a facility that had no problem with women in swimsuits. Then the debates with my husband started on how - or even if - I should nurse in public.  I was asked to leave the room when we visited relatives while I was still nursing my oldest. I've missed hot meals, company, and I’m pretty sure I missed part of Christmas festivities because I was in the back room nursing. I wasn't going to do that again. I refuse to retreat to the bathroom, both kids in tow, sit on a toilet, and attempt to nurse. I did that ONCE with Ethan, and only because we were eating outside and I knew he would be too hot. Every toilet flushing was a distraction. Every time the hand dryer turned on, he got distracted. The stall wasn't wide enough for him to sit across my lap, so that was another challenge. I got back to the table to find my food cold, the meal almost over and my party ready to leave. I wasn't going to let that happen again. My husband finally realized that nursing is just nursing, there's nothing wrong with it. It keeps a fussy baby/child happy and if someone has an issue with it, that's their demon, not mine. 

Ethan turns three in less than a month and is still nursing a few times a day. While there have been times I have been SOOO tempted to wean him, I also know that he feels he still needs it. I know I'm judged for nursing a potty trained, fluently speaking tiny human, but again, that's their issue, not mine. We do what works for us. Ethan loves his "more nurse" and rarely falls asleep without it.   He knows he gets to spend the night with Grandpa and Grandma once he can "go night- night without more nurse" but he's in no hurry to stop and I'm ok with that. Besides, nap and bedtime are far too easy when he still gets milk drunk and drifts off to sleep. 

Breastfeeding a baby is hard, not going to lie. It's exhausting, between the lack of decent sleep and the constant burning of calories, it will kick your butt. But knowing your child is getting the best nutrition possible, it's worth it. 

Breastfeeding is Worth It! – Cheyenne and Nolan

My son, Nolan, was born February of 2014. My goal was to breastfeed Nolan until he was at least one year old.

I had breastfed my oldest for 6 weeks, but being a single mom and not having a lot of knowledge and support made it difficult. He was given formula to help him gain weight shortly after leaving the hospital. 

Eight years later I had my daughter. I had done a lot of reading and had an online support group for breastfeeding. I was able to breastfeed her until she was 7-8 months old when I was 2-3 months pregnant with her little brother. I was on medication for the nausea and vomiting that caused my milk to dry up. I had intended on tandem feeding them, but once he was born she didn't remember how to latch. 

When my youngest was born, he breastfed about an hour immediately after his birth. He was the first one that I didn't really struggle with getting to latch. I was still connected with my online support group. However Nolan had pretty bad reflux so when he was 2 months old I went dairy free to help improve his reflux. It did indeed help and it also helped give me the motivation to continue because we didn't want to have him on soy formula and he couldn't have dairy. I went back to work when Nolan was 6 weeks old and pumped 4-5 times a day to get him what he needed.

There were times where we barely made it with the amount of milk he'd need the next day as I never had the huge stock pile of milk in the freezer, but we made it. We made it to a year and continued on past a year. Breastfeeding is very hard work, but it is worth it, especially in the middle of the night when you can just latch and go back to sleep. It was also nice always having food with us so there was less in the diaper bag. The right knowledge and support make all the difference in the world.

Physical Challenges Will Not Deter Me - Kimi and her Daughter

Since the moment I found out I was pregnant I knew I wanted to breastfeed my baby. I was unable to with my son.  However, knowing what I know now, I wish I would have tried harder and pushed myself.

I'm proud to say we've almost reached 5 months and going strong even with obstacles constantly popping up. I've struggled with her latching, not gaining, supply issues, a poor support system, and what we thought was the end.... her doc band which strangely turned out to be a blessing.

I had to use a shield from the day she was born. It was a hassle and messy, frustrating and discouraging. Even with everyone constantly telling me to just give her a bottle I kept trying.  Then at 3 months she was diagnosed with torticollis and plagiocephaly.  Little did we know that this would make us stronger! I had come to peace that my days of breastfeeding were coming to an end but it was ok because she needed the doc band and therapy to help her grow strong. We got the helmet and the first few days were rough. There was a lot of stress.   She was refusing to eat and didn't want a bottle. Then out of nowhere she latched without the shield. She began refusing it but her latch was bad and it hurt like crazy. Soon she wouldn't touch the shield at all and within days my supply tanked because she wasn't latching correctly. But I did what I had to do and I built my supply back up. We've been doing great ever since.

I still have no support system. I get asked by family how long I'm planning to breastfeed and am told to just give her food already.  But this isn't for them it's for her and I plan on letting her lead the way. 

Low Blood Sugar = Sleepy Baby = Not Nursing – Kierstyn and Arthur

Arthur was born only two days early but we spent three extra nights at the hospital due to him having low blood sugar. He would immediately fall asleep at the breast and not nurse; it took those three days for my milk to fully come in.

 Because we had difficulty latching and nursing, we ended up giving him the formula bottles our hospital supplied to us. We even took some home. For the next three days the baby blues hit me hard. I felt like a failure and was heartbroken at the thought of not being able to nurse my son... I couldn't look at him or hear him cry without sobbing.

 Finally, I called WIC and asked about getting a pump. I had thought that if I couldn't get him to stay latched on without falling asleep, I could at least pump for him. We went in that day and saw both lactation consultants they had employed at the office and we spent two hours there finding a way to nurse him. I ended up going home that evening with a nipple shield, feeding tube and syringe, and the pump.

 I think that nursing at the breast finally clicked for my son because later that night I could not get the shield on and he finally nursed from both breasts and was satisfied! After another week or so, we were totally off of bottles, I was no longer trying to pump, and my depression had subsided. Now, in about two weeks, we'll have been breastfeeding for a year! I feel so blessed to have been able to come this far and I don't see us weaning any time soon.