Our Lily was born 4 weeks prematurely. Luckily, her lungs were already fully developed, so she had no major complications. However, getting her to breastfeed was another story. The nurses and lactation specialists at the hospital helped as much as they could, but Lily’s sucking reflex was not quite fully developed and her mouth was so tiny that she could not properly latch on.
Since Lily was not able to get any nutrients while breastfeeding, it then became evident that we needed to begin using the SNS (Supplemental Nursing System) in order to get some calories in her. We started off trying to tube feed her, but that didn’t work. So then we went to finger feeding her, and it worked! At this point, I began pumping and we were able to feed her my expressed milk. After we left the hospital, I would always attempt breastfeeding her first, but this usually resulted in both her and I getting frustrated and upset. We continued using the SNS for a few days and then switched to a bottle.
After Cathy’s home visit, she suggested that I start using a nipple shield at every feeding. This helped Lily to not have to work so hard. The nipple shield wasn’t a miracle worker, but it was a necessary step. We also rented a scale from Cathy for a couple of weeks and that was a big help in letting us know if she was gaining weight. By having support from the hospital’s lactation specialists, friends, family, and especially Cathy, I was successfully able to breastfeed Lily. Breastfeeding was very important to my husband and I. It was our commitment along with Cathy’s help that made it possible for me to breastfeed Lily. On the day of Lily’s actual due date, she was finally able to breastfeed without any additional aids. SUCCESS!
Ben was born on Sunday, October 17 at the North Austin Medical Center.
He weighed in at 8 lbs. 3 ounces and was 21 ¼ inches long.
He was a fierce eater right from the very beginning.
I had always planned on breastfeeding my baby, but must admit I was completely unprepared to discover that it didn’t come as naturally to the both of us as I had always believed that it would. It was clear that we needed some help – and quickly.
Once we got together and started working with Cathy, things started improving. It was a slowly but surely kind of improvement and it was exactly what we needed to keep us moving forward. Cathy provided us with an invaluable amount of assistance, encouragement, and support. All of the must haves for a new nursing mother and baby. She continues to be there for us whenever we need her to help us through a rough patch.
I have said on more than one occasion that if it weren’t for Cathy, Ben and I would never have made it as far as we have.
Today, Ben is a healthy, happy 9 month old who continues to nurse and is growing like a weed. I’ve included a picture of the two of us taken in late May.