The first week was just miserable. We were figuring out her latch and also finding a feeding position that worked for both of us. Through this journey I got blistered nipples and a slight case of mastitis. On top of this we had a really sleepy baby on our hands and I would have to wake her and make her feed which was hard on both of us. Also, I had to pump multiple times a day because I was so engorged it wasn't even funny. With my nipples being so messed up pumping was so uncomfortable and I remember cringing every time I even thought about pumping. In the end we made it through the first week.
Week two was better. Olivia was still having problems with finding a good latch. She started gulping a lot during feedings and swallowing a lot of air. This is when our 'colic' problems started. She would eat, eat, eat like crazy and then cry so hard that her lips would start turning blue. We were blessed with a girl with some lungs on her. The first couple of nights we used gripe water to help her stomach. Within minutes after giving her the medicine she would be fast asleep. We still use the gripe water maybe once a day when she randomly gets a big bubble in her tummy...
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| Organic Gripe Water We Used |
At the same time the gas was happening she started projectile vomiting 2-3 times a day. We both got wardrobe changes multiple times a day because of this. I ended up having to cut out dairy because we found that was part of the problem. We used Nat Phos 6x (a homeopathic remedy) after every other feeding, by day 2 she stopped vomiting and spitting up. Nat Phos was literally a God sent for us and I recommend it to anyone having acid reflux problems both child and adults. Within 6 days we went from giving her the medicine 5-8 times a day to giving it to her only once a day. Since then we haven't had any problems. The great thing about homeopathy is that is cures the problem not just the symptoms which makes it work so well. We bought it from Vitamin Shoppe but you can get it pretty much anywhere, Amazon, Iherb, Swanson, etc.
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| Nat Phos 6x By Hyland's |
We started bottle feeding her the last feeding before we go to bed which has helped her sleep with no extra gas on her stomach. The last thing I wanted to do was introduce the bottle too early. I wanted to make sure she didn't have any nipple confusion problems but that went out the window when the pain of feeding her became pretty much unbearable.
We went to her check up appointment and I told the doctor about how hard it has been to breastfeed and how I am still really sore all the time. He didn't really lend any advice just told me to call the lactation consultant and get an appointment. He said since she was gaining weight that I shouldn't be concerned and that I was just adjusting to breastfeeding. Him saying that really set me off so when I got home I started doing some research.
This is when I learned about lip ties. I looked at pictures and then checked out Olivia's upper lip. There was no doubt about it… She has a major lip tie. I found out that having one causes a bad latch which causes pain during breastfeeding. Also, this lip tie could cause a million other problems down the road for her. We went and saw the lactation consultant and she helped us so much. She fixed her latch as much as possible and did say that her upper lip for sure had a tie and within a couple months it will get tight and we will have to probably get it clipped.
After getting fixed up by the lactation consultant things got so much better! We were finally feeding without any pain and Olivia's gas problems went away which was awesome. Then around week five is when we once again had a problem. Thrush decided to show up and ruin our now great breastfeeding relationship. I couldn't figure out why my nipples started to hurt again but then I figured it out when Olivia's tongue started to turn white.
Thrush is a form of a yeast which can be passed back and forth between mom and baby. The best way to fix the problem is to treat the mom first. So this is what I did…
I doubled my probiotic intake, started taking more vitamin C and zinc, bought myself some grapefruit seed extract, and started swallowing 2 cloves of raw garlic a day. All of these things boost your immune system to help balance the yeast in your body. Also, I cut out all sugars even down to just one piece of fruit a day and cut out gluten and dairy (which I already did prior) altogether. Yeast feeds on sugar and gluten so cutting those out can help so much. Within 3 days the pain in my nipples was gone so I swear by the home remedies I used.
The doctor gave me Nystatin (the oral form) to give to Olivia 3 times a day after she eats. We used it once… She got horrible gas from it and did not like the taste at all of it. I hated seeing her in pain so I decided it wasn't worth it. It has now been about 2 weeks, I haven't had any problems since day 3 but she still has a small patch of white on her tongue. It doesn't bother her at all so I decided I'm just going to keep treating myself until it totally clears up. Fingers crossed it works!
In the end I have learned breastfeeding can be a crazy journey. I know most people don't have any problems at all and I hope that for all new moms. I was the opposite, whatever could happen did happen. I think it has been all worth it though. I love being able to provide for Olivia and give her what God intended her to get.
I know every mom is different and formula is a great option or the only option for some families. I don't see it as a bad thing to formula feed it all, it's all personal preference. My personal preference is to breastfeed and I LOVE IT!! Between the bonding during feedings and knowing I'm the one that can provide all she needs just warms my heart!
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