Mila Breastfeeding Dolly

Mila is at the age that she is very aware of what people are doing - especially Mom and Dad - and she wants to do it too - usually with Dolly. So Mommy puts Mila in her high chair to eat, and later Mila puts Dolly in her high chair to eat. Mommy gives Mila her sippy, so Mila gives Dolly her sippy too.

Sometimes she'll shout, "Mee-na!"mispronouncing her own name when she's trying to say she wants to do something herself. (That's how she pronounces her name; she doesn't pronounce the "L" yet. And, yes, she refers to herself in the 3rd person,  LOL!)

Anyway, she's seen something new in the month that Emmy's been home... Mommy's been breastfeeding Emmy. She's funny - she comes and peers down at Emmy to see what she's doing. She even says, "Emmy come booboo." ("Emmy eat boob.")

So I guess it was inevitable that she see me breastfeeding Emmy today and then she tried to do it too... with Dolly.

OMG. I just about died laughing.

She just kept shoving her under shirt! "Doh come booboo!" ("Doh eat boob!") she'd say matter-of-factly, (like I said, she doesn't pronounce the "L" yet so Dolly is "Doh") as she'd continue to shove Dolly's head under her shirt... Some kids give their dolls baby bottles. Mila doesn't see bottles. She sees Mommy nursing. So she breastfeeds! Love it!!

I ran to grab the camera a snap a few shots! I even got a little bit of video...

Breastfeeding Problems... Resolved

So despite my best efforts, Emmy and I have been having problems with breastfeeding. :(

Remembering all the problems Mila and I had, I knew I wanted to do my best to make sure we didn't have the same problems when Emmy was born. So I made sure to have multiple nurses take a look at her latch to make sure everything was alright. Everyone said she was doing great and that her latch looked good! But I was having pain and I couldn't understand why. She was making clicking noises too, and she shouldn't be making any noises, if the latch is right. But all the nurses said everything looked good. So I just figured it was that I was getting used to it again - it had already been about 9 months since Mila stopped nursing.

I was trying to suck it up and deal with the pain, but every nursing hurt so much! Within a day or two of being home, I started pumping and we were feeding her with a syringe (there is a concern that using a bottle with a baby this young could cause nipple confusion and would cause more problems with her taking the breast - the last thing I need is to add to the problems we were already having!) Once my milk had come in (those first few days you only produce colostrum, not milk) I figured I could use a nipple shield to help with the pain (I did this with Mila as well) and that I could put her back on the breast. But strangely enough, she wouldn't take the nipple shield! I didn't know what to do - since I'd been pumping, I was starting to feel better enough to try nursing again but it would only leave me sore again!

To add to the pressure, at Emmy's first pediatrician appointment on Saturday, he said she hadn't gained her birthweight back and was concerned I "wasn't producing enough milk" and he thought perhaps my milk hadn't come in yet. I didn't really believe this, because I knew my milk had come in, but regardless, he wanted me to put Emmy on a feeding schedule (I've been feeding her on-demand) and he
wanted to see her again in a few days. I was starting to stress about it.

That night, I stumbled across this blog post that my Bradley teacher posted on her Facebook page. It was a story of one woman's determination to breastfeed despite difficulty due to something called "tongue tie." I'd heard of it before - it's when the tissue under the tongue, called a frenulum, is tight and doesn't let the baby latch on right. It can cause pain while breastfeeding. I had started reading the story because it was breastfeeding related, but the more I read, I started noticing similarities between Emmy and the baby in the story. By the time I was done reading, I was convinced Emmy was tongue tied and started to do research on it.

I found lots of articles and she had several of the symptoms, the most obvious was pain during breastfeeding, a clicking noise when nursing, she cried with her tongue down (it should curl upward) and when she was on the breast, she'd leave my nipple shaped like the tip of a lipstick. This first article was the most helpful, as it showed pictures of what a baby with a tongue tie looks like and what symptoms to look out for.

Is My Baby Tongue-Tied?
http://cwgenna.com/quickhelp.html

Diagnosis of a Tongue Tie
http://kiddsteeth.com/Does_Your_Child_Need_a_Revision_of_the_Lingual_Frenum2010.pdf

Tongue Tie Assesment
http://kiddsteeth.com/articles/tonguetie%20assesment.htm

After reading all of this, I was even more convinced Emmy had it. I printed out these articles and showed them to Jorge. He wasn't completely convinced she had it. To me - there was no doubt in my mind!!!

The first obstacle is getting her diagnosed. Apparently, it isn't easy to find someone that is trained to recognize the different types of tongue ties. Usually a pediatric dentist or pediatric surgeon would be able to accurately diagnose it. Not all tongue ties are the same and not all pediatricians can recognize the lesser common posterior ties.  The next obstacle is then finding someone that can clip the frenulum to relax the tissue. That's the only cure. I emailed my Bradley teacher, Tracy, to see if there was anything she could recommend and I was so happy I asked! She was amazingly helpful and it turned out that her son had a tongue tie when he was born (he is now 5 months) and she had to get his clipped. She explained that it's a quick outpatient procedure done right there in the doctor's office with no anesthesia and once they clip it, you could nurse right away and you may even notice immediate difference in the latch. She gave me her lactation consultant's phone number to help me get more information on it.

I called her lactation consultant, Pam, who was also very helpful and generous with her time explaining everything to me. She sent me to the some of the same sites I'd just been researching to compare pictures to Emmy. She said based on my descriptions of everything, (pain when nursing, baby crying with the tongue down, clicking noises when she nursed and the strange shape she left my nipple in) she thought it was very, very possible Emmy had a tongue tie. She gave me the information of a pediatric surgeon at Joe Dimaggio Children's Hospital in Hollywood (the one that Tracy used for her son) that I could call and make and appointment with. She said Dr. Long could diagnose as well as cut the frenulum if she needed it. What a relief!! I called first thing on Monday morning and they were able to squeeze me in for Wednesday - which I was so thankful for, but it was two whole days away - that's over 20 feedings!

In the meantime, I had the follow up appointment with the pediatrician. Leading up to the appointment, I had made sure to feed her plenty and I was confident she was eating well. The nurse weighed her, and to my relief, Emmy had gained her birth weight back, but he said expected her to have gained more. He recommended that I should supplement Emmy with formula and he wanted to see her back in a week. Despite what he said - I honestly believed that she was doing well. She'd been peeing and pooing great, her lips were always moist (they dry out easily if they're hungry) and most importantly, she'd been in a great mood!

(Later on, I gave it some thought and I realized I didn't finish nursing her before she was weighed. Perhaps that's one of the reasons she hadn't "weighed enough"? Even an ounce makes a difference at this point!! Plus, they didn't weigh her on the same scale - were all these calibrated?)

I told him I thought she had tongue tie. I explained her symptoms and my reasons why, but he was skeptical and he quickly checked her mouth and said no. He barely looked! Sigh. I felt like he wasn't taking my concerns seriously. So frustrating. I may not be a doctor, but I KNOW my kid. I didn't even bother to tell him about Emmy's appointment at the Joe Dimaggio Children's Hospital with the pediatric surgeon in a couple of days.

Yesterday was finally the day of the appointment. The place was PACKED! Apparently, this doctor sees all kinds of cases. Since they'd squeezed us in, we had to wait - and wait we did! We waited about 3 hours!! Thank goodness Cindy came with us - we definitely needed someone to keep Mila entertained at the doctor's office.

Once Dr. Long saw us, it was quick. I explained my concerns and what symptoms she had. She looked in her mouth and, sure enough - said Emmy had a posterior tie (one of the harder ties to diagnose). She said it wasn't too bad, and should not affect her speech but if we were having problems breastfeeding, cutting it could help. We agreed to cutting it - I was both relieved and terrified! I was thrilled we had discovered the problem, but in just moments she would be cutting her mouth and I knew it would be painful. :(

Thankfully, just like Tracy said, the cut was quick - Emmy cried more that Dr. Long was forcing her mouth open! She cut it and immediately soldered it silver nitrate so it wouldn't bleed. She did it right there and it took like 2 minutes. I nursed her right away, but didn't feel an immediate difference until later that night. She was even nursing with a nipple shield!

I am so happy I followed my instincts and researched the tongue tie! I'm so thankful for friends like Tracy and people like Pam, the lactation consultant! I don't know what I would have done - I'm sure if this hadn't been resolved, I wouldn't have been able to continue breastfeeding, and that would have been heartbreaking for all of us. Since she got her tie cut yesterday, I've definitely noticed a difference with the mobility of her tongue and now that she's able to latch on to the nipple shield, we're almost exclusively back on the breast. Soon - no more pumping!! Hooray!!

Don't mess with the boob!

Strep Throat, Antibiotics and Breast Feeding

Last week on Thursday I was feeling really run down. I thought it might be from our day at the Fountains at the Baby Class and didn't think much of it. Then Friday I woke up with a really bad sore throat. Ugh. Then came headaches and hot flashes and cold flashes, which later I realized was a fever.... not a good weekend. Monday Jorge convinced me to go to the doctor. After she took a look at my throat and seeing I had no congestion and still had a fever, she was convinced I had strep throat. But the strep test would take a week to get the results and since I had already been sick for 4 days, she wanted to start me on antibiotics as soon as possible. She said my throat looked really bad and that it was most likely strep. If it wasn't strep, the antibiotics would kill the virus anyway. Ugh--- I was dreading that she would want to put me on antibiotics! Since I'm still nursing, I'm always concerned about any medicine I take. I was even reluctant to take ibuprofen for my fever!

I asked her how safe this would be for me to take since I'm nursing. She paused and said everything affects the baby. She thought it would be best for me to stop nursing while I'm on the antibiotics (5-7 days) and give the baby formula until then. When she said this, immediately, I thought, "Ok, then I won't take the antibiotics. I'll just wait it out until I get better." I told her it was very important for me to keep breast feeding and that I would rather try something else. But then she said that not treating strep throat effectively could lead rheumatic fever, and that rheumatic fever can cause permanent heart damage! Give up breast feeding, or feel sick for who knows how much longer and risk more health problems. I know the choice was clear, but I was devastated.

I left the doctor's office with a huge lump in my throat. What do I do?????!!!! I couldn't imagine not nursing for a week! I mean, Mila's eating lots of solids, but she still nurses after every meal, as a mid-afternoon snack, before bed and during the night. She doesn't just nurse for nutrition either. She nurses for comfort and closeness. When she's fussy or upset, she nurses and cuddles and feels much better. How could I take this away? I was so not prepared for this news! My mind was racing with all the issues this would arise... Flashbacks of pumping when Mila was just born came back to me -- oh how I HATE pumping! They caused horrible clogged milk ducts too. It was torture! Not to mention that Mila doesn't take a bottle. She doesn't know what to do with it. She used to take a bottle, but it's been months since she's had one and the last time I tried giving her one about a month ago or so, she had no idea what the bottle was. She would just chew on the nipple. How would she get the formula??? And what formula would I use??? I'd have to try different ones - which would be the gentlest on her stomach? How long would it take for me to figure it out? Would she even take the formula?? Would she figure out how to use a bottle? AND that's not even the biggest problem: If I were to stop breast feeding for a week, I know for sure Mila would forget to nurse and she wouldn't take the boob again! I was sobbing at this point.

I called Jorge, who had stayed home with Mila during my appointment, and told him what the doctor had said. Immediately, he suggested calling the pediatrician to ask his opinion. He was right. My doctor is great for me, but the pediatrician knows babies best. He would know what was best for Mila. Brilliant! Why hadn't I thought of that? I left a message with the doctor's office and in the meantime, I looked up on the internet about strep, antibiotics and breastfeeding. Interestingly, everything I read were experiences from moms in my situation where the pediatrician said it was fine to continue breastfeeding. There was hope! The pediatrician returned our call an hour later and laid my fears to rest. He said that the antibiotic I would be taking is a low dose one. That, yes, it will still transfer over into the milk, but that it should have a minimal effect, maybe an upset stomach in the baby. He said he thought it was ok for me to continue breast feeding. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Although I hate the thought of her having anything transfer to her through the milk, I can't imagine the thought of suddenly not nursing anymore. It would be very difficult for both Mila and for me to stop cold turkey. Difficult physically and emotionally. I know I have to wean her at some point, but I plan to do it gradually so we can both adjust.

This experience has made me realize how important breast feeding really is to me. I didn't use to think it was that big of a deal. I almost looked forward to having to nurse anymore. But after almost having to give it up all of a sudden, I see how much it means to me. When Mila nurses and she's curled up in my lap, it's a beautiful bonding experience. I love watching her face and seeing her excitement knowing that she's getting her favorite treat. I love watching her nurse and knowing how happy it makes her. I love when she's done and she's full and ready to play. I love knowing that only I can provide her with that. Not just with that nutrition, but also with that comfort. Yes, it's a pain though when it's 1am or 4am or when I'm in the middle of doing something.... but it's not that bad. I realize I really love it. I can't imagine not having that connection with her anymore... at least not yet. I know we'll stop someday, but I'm just glad that day isn't today.

OUCH!!!

I was nursing Mila at bedtime, the lights are dim, the sound machine is lulling me to sleep... when suddenly I'm jolted by this fierce pinching on my boob! She bit me!!! I was so surprised by it that I gasped loudly and it seemed to have scared Mila. She started crying. And not the regular crying, no. This was all-out wailing! I felt awful, I didn't mean to scare her! :( She calmed down after a few minutes though. But, man, that hurt!!!!

Since then, whenever I nurse her, I hold my breath, scared that she'll bite again. But days went by and she was great. She didn't bite at all... then last night she bit me again. THREE TIMES. And HARD! Oh my goodness -- I don't know what to do. I swear, she bit me so hard, I cried! Ugh! It brings back memories of those first few weeks of breastfeeding and how painful it was... I flinch when I think about it! I'd hate to go through that again. It was just awful! 

I referred to my baby reference guide, "The Baby Book" by Dr. Sears and he says instead of pulling baby off the boob, which can then cause more pain because you're scraping the teeth off of the nipple, to pull baby very close to you so it makes it difficult for them to breathe and then they open their mouths and pull off. This also creates an uncomfortable position that will discourage them from doing it again. But it's so counterintuitive! It's like a shark is biting your leg and instead of pulling your leg away, your giving it more of your leg to chew on. Yes, Mila is a shark. This little shark has chomps that rival Jaws. 

I still have yet to actually do that method though. I can't help but pull her off immediately. She bites so hard that I scream. Literally, I yelp! I can't help it! It hurts! She doesn't seem phased by it now, though. She just looks at me, startled. Then I say sternly, "Mila! NO BITING!" I hate that I might sound a bit mean to her, but in that moment, it hurts like hell! And I really need her to know that biting is unacceptable.

Mila, I gotta tell ya. This biting thing -- it's a serious problem. I really hope we can work this out. I've had every intention to continue breastfeeding for at least a year, maybe even 2 years if I can because I know how good it is for you. So I'd hate for our breastfeeding relationship to be cut short because of this. But biting is definitely a deal breaker. Let's try to make it work, ok? No biting Mommy please.  Don't bite the boob that feeds you. Love you!

Breastfeeding Rooms in Health Care Law

While reading about a new study on CNN's website about the benefits of feeding a baby breastmilk exclusively until 6 months that I just posted about, I came accross another great article about breastfeeding that I thought I'd share. A new law about breastfeeding in the workplace is in the new health care bill signed by President Obama. According to CNN, "Nursing mothers will now get additional support, thanks to page 1239 of the health care bill that President Obama recently signed into law. It requires employers to provide 'a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.' Only companies with less than 50 employees can claim it's an undue hardship."

This is wonderful news for moms and families. It encourages working moms to continue breastfeeding their children for a longer period, which then leads to healthier children and families. I have heard awful stories where women are told to go pump in the bathroom. That's just simply outrageous! When a woman pumps milk, she's preparing a meal for her baby. Would you prepare your child's meal in a public bathroom? Would you prepare your own meal in a public bathroom??! A woman needs privacy and cleanliness above all else.  Every woman should be entitled to having a clean, comfortable place to pump milk for her baby.

You can read the full story on CNN's website here: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/04/09/breast.feeding.society/index.html?iref=obnetwork

Here's a short video clip of the report:

Exclusive Breastfeeding For First Six Months

I thought this was an interesting article about breastfeeding. Mila is still exclusively breastfed and we plan on holding off giving her anything solids until this weekend, when she's officially 6 months old. I've read much on the topic and I really believe this is what's best for Mila, but I know a few people are surprised to hear that I haven't given her any food or water or juices yet, and I thought this article might help ease any concerns and help others understand our decision. I appreciate everyone's input though! :)

On CNN just last week, they reported another study that supports exclusive breastfeeding for first six months of life. The article says that exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months – where a baby is only given breast milk, no formula or solid food or fruit juice or even water – can significantly reduce their baby's risk of serious lung and intestinal infections. While the benefits of breastmilk are known, "they found that babies who were exclusively breastfed for more than four months had a 'significant reduction of respiratory and gastrointestinal diseases in infants.'  They also found that being breastfed until six months of age seemed to be even more protective and even appeared to reduce the number of infections for the next six months of the child's life."

It's a very interesting article. See the article on CNN's webiste for the full story: http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/2010/06/21/new-study-supports-exclusive-breastfeeding-for-first-six-months/?hpt=Sbin

Here's a short clip of the report on CNN:

Breastmilk and Breastfeeding

o after my post about donating breast milk, and telling you about that amazing article on Oprah.com about the woman who donated 7,260 ounces of milk -- (which if you still haven't read it, stop right now and go read it!) -- I thought I'd quote some breastfeeding statistics that were mentioned in the article that I thought were interesting.

• Though about 74 percent of American mothers start off breastfeeding, only about 12 percent are still nursing exclusively by the time their child is six months old, despite position statements from every major pediatric, family health, and public health organization that babies do best if they're fed only breast milk for six months and continue to nurse until at least their first birthday. The World Health Organization and the America Association of Pediatrics even recommend a woman to breastfeed until the age of two.

• Human milk for human babies—that's how lactation experts sum it up. Although babies can and do thrive on formula, most formula is derived from cow's milk, and then—to make it resemble the composition of human milk—augmented with corn syrup, sugar, vitamins, minerals, and vegetable oils. But no amount of laboratory tinkering has yielded a way to infuse formula with the unique and potent cocktail of hormones, human growth factors, digestive enzymes, and antibodies that human milk conveys.

• Because breast milk is composed of white blood cells that fight infection and stimulate the immune system, babies who receive human milk gain extra protection against illnesses such as pneumonia and staph infections. Premature babies in particular, prone as they are to infection, benefit from breast milk's immunological properties. Breastfed babies have fewer ear and respiratory tract infections, and less diarrhea. Studies indicate that they're less likely to get certain childhood cancers. They have a lower risk of developing diabetes, allergies, and possibly heart disease later in life. Some research even suggests that they can wind up with higher IQs.

• When it works, human lactation is as automatic and easy as breathing, yet it's a finely calibrated physiological feat. The milk that a new mother produces in the first days after giving birth—a thick, protein-packed substance called colostrum—is typically present from about the fourth month of pregnancy. About three days after delivery, colostrum transitions to mature milk, which is higher in water, lactose, and fat content. And over the course of every subsequent feeding, that milk will transform itself again and again: At the start of each meal, it will be thin and watery; by the end, it will be rich and creamy. One more neat trick: As soon as the milk glands empty, the body gets to work refilling them. Demand creates supply. When you nurse, the warmth of the baby tucked against you, skin to skin, stimulates the release of the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which helps trigger milk flow.

The human body is one amazing thing. :)  (And no, that's not a picture of Mila! I wish I could get her in a pose like that, LOL!!)

Donating Breast Milk

So a couple of months ago, my friend Karina mentioned in passing that she had donated breast milk to Haiti. I had never heard of donating breast milk, but apparently you can. Such a beautiful thing to do! Ever since then, it's been in my head that I would like to donate some breast milk as well, especially since I have 77 ounces stored in my freezer from when I was pumping like crazy when I thought I was going to go back to work. Now that I won't be using all that milk, I had been wondering what to do with it and throwing it away was not an option -- it took hard work to make and pump all that milk!!!

The other day, I was googling to find out how I can donate, and I came across this article on Oprah.com about a woman and her story about how she came to donate a whopping 7,260 ounces of milk. This was the most inspiring story of courage, strength and love I had ever read... you MUST read it... tearjerker! Incredibly amazing. I guarantee you'll be moved.

After reading her story I was more inspired than ever to donate milk. There are so many families that can benefit from it! Premature or sick babies and children, whose mothers are not able to produce their own milk, many times due to illness, medication, adoption or foster care need donated breast milk. Such a beautiful thing it is to nurse your baby and know that you're giving your baby the best! Even though Mila and I had a rough time starting to breastfeed, I was determined. It was so important to me to give her breast milk. I can't imagine how hard it is for families that want to breastfeed and for some reason can't or aren't able to. Especially for those babies that are born premature or sick, breast milk is what they need the most!!!

We are so blessed that Mila was born healthy and that I had no complications during my pregnancy. My heart goes out to other families that have had to struggle and if I can help by donating some milk, then that's what I'll do. I encourage you lactating moms to consider it! :)

Here's the link to the Human Milk Banking Association of North America. All you have to do is contact the closest location to you. Even if there isn't a milk bank in your city or state, many of the milk banks will still screen and accept you as a donor. The milk bank will cover the cost of the blood screening test and the cost of shipping the milk. There is a minimum of donating at least 100 ounces of milk (although each milk bank has different minimums), so I'll have to pump at least an extra 23 ounces. And although I hate pumping, I figure I'll do a little here and a little there and I'll reach the 100 ounces in no time. Totally worth it.

How does a Milk Bank work? According to their website: 

Donor milk banks receive milk from lactating mothers who have been carefully screened for health behaviors and communicable diseases, similarly to the way blood banks screen donors. Additionally, milk bank donors must: be non-smokers, not regularly consume any medication (including mega-vitamins), and not consume excluded medications or alcohol within the specified exclusion period.


Milk is transported to the milk bank frozen. The milk from several donors is pooled after thawing, and then heat-treated to kill any bacteria or viruses. The milk is processed and then refrozen. It is only dispensed after a sample is cultured and shows no bacteria growth. Milk is shipped frozen by overnight express to hospitals and to individual recipients at home.


The milk is dispensed by physician prescription or by hospital purchase order only. There is a processing fee charged to cover the expense of collecting, pasteurizing and dispensing the milk.

It is a beautiful thing. Truly is.

TMI: Clogged Milk Duct

As I go through motherhood, I find that I come across experiences that are interesting to me that I would like to discuss, but at the same time they may be too much for some people. I know I appreciate hearing and learning from the expereinces of other moms, especially the ones no one talks about. But I also understand some people just come to read my blog to catch up on the Mila, not to read about clogged milke ducts, haha! So, I'm going to label these posts as "TMI" as in, "too much information." Stop reading now if you're not interested in learning more about motherhood than you want to know. Ok, you've been warned!

Today's topic is clogged milk ducts. What's that, you ask?? I had no idea until yesterday. Last night, my left breast was ridiculously engorged. I thought I must have missed a side with Mila during her feedings. Maybe I put her on the right boob twice instead of alternating between them, which is what you're supposed to do. I loose track of which one I'm on all the time. So I figured I'd use the pump to release some of the engorgement. I pumped for 10 minutes, and where normally I would have expected 2-3 oz, I only got 1 oz. Not only that, but I still felt engorged and it was starting to get painful. For those of you who've never felt this, the closest thing I can imagine an engorged boob feeling like is an extremely full bladder and not being able to pee. Like it's about to pop. It was sore and tender. I'd felt this before, but I thought perhaps I was increasing my supply or something? So I put Mila on the engorged boob. She latched on like she usually does, but after a few minutes, she started crying and pulling off. I'd then put her back on, but then she'd cry and keep pulling off... At first I thought she had a burp, as she does that sometimes when she has one building up. But I burped her and nothing, she just kept crying as if saying, "I'm still hungry, put me back on the boob!" But when I did, she would continue the crying and pulling off. "Is nothing coming out?" I wondered. She would normally be chugging, especially since I know there's a ton of milk in there! She did seem to get some out, as some of the pressure had subsided a little bit, but I still felt engorged. The top half of my boob felt hard to the touch and I can feel the full milk ducts underneath, but the bottom half felt fine.

So I put her on the other boob to finish nursing and I figured it would just go away on it's own. I'd felt this a couple times before and it just eventually went away. She finished nursing on the right boob and I waited. I was distracted by the tv for a while, but about an hour later I was feeling worse. I was soooo full! It was getting closer to bedtime and I couldn't imagine falling asleep with all this pain! I tried pumping again, this time using a hot compress and trying to massage it out and still got hardly anything. It almost seemed like the milk was stuck in there. I went to the bathroom and to take a look, not that I expected to see anything... but to my surprise, found a little white dot on my nipple. What could that be??? I swabbed it with a Qtip and nothing. I had read breastfeeding manual "The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding" cover to cover and I remember reading about mastitis, a terrible, extrememly painful infection in the breast caused by a plugged duct. Symptoms include soreness, fever and flu-like symptoms. I cringed at the thought this could be mastitis!

I jumped online and googled "engorged breast and white dot on nipple" and got a ton of responses, all of them referring to a clogged milk duct. After a bit of reading at AskDrSears.com, I realized it was a plugged duct, not mastitis -- at least not yet. Seemed like the white spot was a small milk blister and that if I used a needle as directed on kellymom.com, I could relieve it. Needless to say, I was not keen on the thought of putting a needle anywhere near my sore breast, but honestly, at this point it was hurting so much I was practically in tears. I figured I needed to do try anything!

I sterilized it in alcohol and I gently ran the side of the needle (not the tip) on the affected area and immediately milk came out! Seemed like the blockage was right there. I was so relieved! I then swabbed it with a Qtip and then went back to the pump and it worked! What a relief! It was such an easy fix and I felt soooo much better. I had felt this before in the past and I'd always just dealt with it until it went away on its own, usually after a nursing. Now I know what to do.

It must have been caused by nursing Mila on the same side consecutively. She had also taken a long nap in between, so that also extended the time I had last nursed on that side. Don't let this happen to you!

Another technique you can try is mentioned here in this hilarious post about clogged milk ducts. Despite the pain, it really made me laugh.

Follow Up to Night Time Routine

We've been doing the new night time routine for almost three weeks now and it's been going great! Mila is sleeping longer through the night -- 6 hours is her new record, but she generally sleeps about 4-5 hours at night, which is fantastic! Although just because she's sleeping that much, doesn't necessarily mean I am. I'm still having a hard time making it to bed at 9:30. I get to bed more like around 10:30 and then Jorge feeds her around 11:15 and she's usually asleep by midnight. And then I'm up again around 4am because my boobs are so full and I am so engorged that I have to pump! So even though she's not waking me up, the boobs are! We're making it work though.

The pumping is starting to become a bit of an issue though... she's chugging down a whopping 6 oz at that night time feeding, and she's gone as much as 7 oz. I have to pump 2-3 times just to get that much and that's just for ONE feeding! I can't imagine having to pump to get enough milk to feed her for the entire day. I can only pump for about 10 min at a time (otherwise it starts hurting) and I only get about 2oz at a time. She's an eating machine! I'm trying to build up a freezer stash so I can leave for someone to feed her while I'm out, but seems like she's eating as much (or more!) than I can pump. It's a challenge.

My goal is to exclusively breastfeed until she's at least 6 months and hopefully I can do it without having to rely to much on the pump. After 6 months you can slowly start introducing a few solids, so she won't be nursing as much. I want to continue to nurse until she's at least 2 years old, which does sound like a lot, but it's what the American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization reccommends. I know it won't be easy, but I would love to be able to do that for her. Who knew this breastfeeding stuff would be so hard? It affects everything you do: from working, to leaving the house and coordinating feeding times as well as sleeping. I can see why so many people give up and go to formula. Formula does keep them full longer so they eat less and they sleep longer. And you don't have to pump all the time. But there's just nothing like breastmilk... it's so nutritious, formula just doesn't compete. Not to mention that it's free and it's what nature intended! It's for such a short period of time in the grand scheme of things... So I'll do my best to give her the best! Sleeping has gotten better, hopefully so will the feeding and the pumping.

The Wrath of Mila

Mila goes from 0-60 in a matter of seconds -- when she wants food, she wants it now! Only the boob can soothe this beast! Haha!



The camera was set to take this picture to capture a few frames over a period of 3 seconds or so and it caught Mila starting to cry... click on the picture for the full effect! Scary, huh?? Beware the wrath! Quick -- get her the boob! LOL!

Breastfeeding Again!

With some encouragement from Jorge, I went to the Breastfeeding Support group provided by the hospital. I was very reluctant to go since it's so far away and coordinating the outing with her feedings are difficult, especially since she eats every 2 hours and she takes about 45 minutes to eat, so I only have maybe an hour and a half in between. But thanks to Jorge's encouragement, he took me to the meeting and I met with Carrie, the Lactation Consultant from the hospital. Although I was feeling much better with the soreness, I still felt I needed a few more days to make sure it was completely healed. Carrie is great, but she's a tough lady and I half expected her to tell me to suck it up and just put her on the breast despite the sensitivity -- which is another reason I was reluctant to go to the support group. However, as soon as she met with me and I explained that I was still sore, she recommended something called Nipple Shields.


Carrie brought me one and helped me get Mila latched on. I cringed, expecting pain.... but there was none. I was in shock! Mila was on for a full feeding -- and for the first time there was no pain! The nipple shield covers the entire nipple and protects it from the friction in the baby's mouth, so now I can use it until I'm fully healed. Carrie hadn't recommended it at the hospital because nipple shields shouldn't be used during the first days after after birth. A mother only has colstrum those first days and colustrum is hard to extract with a nipple shield in place. Once a mother's milk comes in, a nipple shield can help.

So now I can finally breastfeed again! No more supplementing!!! I can't tell you how incredibly excited I am!!!!!!!!! :)




Mila's little sleep smiles!

Mila Making Progress

The whole weekend I spent it pumping every couple of hours... we were sleep deprived by the end, but I was determined to plump my baby up for our doctor's appointment! I called the Lactation Consultant that our doctor recommended, and with her tips I was able to pump more. I thought for sure we were making progress!! Where before I was only able to pump 1-2oz, now I was pumping 2-3oz! On Monday, we went to our appointment, and I was confident she was gaining weight -- she was getting so much more now! But the news was not so good -- she did gain weight, but she only gained 1 oz, and that was not enough. The doctor told us we had to supplement with formula. I was so disappointed that what I was pumping wasn't enough, but I was doing all I could. The pump just isn't as effective as a baby would be in getting out the milk and increasing my supply. I just needed more time -- just a few more days to heal, then she'd be back on the breast. Our doctor wanted us to pump and give her whatever we were able to get, and then give her formula to supplement until she was full. It was so dissappointing to give it to her -- I really felt overwhelmed and sad. I wanted so badly to be the perfect mom for her -- and already I wasn't able to give her her basic need -- food! :( It was a really sensitive time for me... I was sleep deprived, exhausted, overwhelmed, sore from my stiches... But when we started giving her the formula on Monday, we saw an immediate change in her mood. She definitely slept longer and didn't cry as much. So sad to think she was crying because she was hungry!






Wednesday, we had another follow-up appointment with the pediatrician to see if she'd gained weight. So to recap: She was born at 7 lbs. 6 oz. and by the time we were discharged from the hospital 2 days later, she'd lost weight (which is normal) and weighed 6 lbs. 13 oz. So she lost 9 oz. She was expected to be gaining weight by that first pediatrician appointment 2 days later, so that by her two week apointment she would back at her birth weight -- that was the goal. But instead, she lost another 2 oz at the first appointment and was weighing 6 lbs. 8 oz. At the follow-up appointment on Monday (one week after her birth) she'd gained only an ounce and was then at 6 lbs. 9 oz, which was progress, but still wasn't enough -- she would have to gain 13 oz in one week in order to regain her birth weight! She certainly wasn't making that kind of progress when she was on breastmilk, due to the limited quantity I was pumping. Now that she was being supplemented with formula though, by her second follow-up appointment on Wednesday -- just 2 days later -- she had gained a whopping 11 of the 13 oz she needed to gain!! Needless to say, the pediatrician was pleased and said she was doing well. Jorge and I were so happy she was gaining weight! I still need a few more days to heal, but I plan on trying to put her back on by the end of the week and seeing how I feel. I'm comforted knowing she won't be on formula for long and that the boobs will be back in order in just a couple of days... For now, at least Mila is healthy and satisfied, and that's the most important thing!

Breastfeeding Trouble

Thursday and Friday Cindy and Blanca came over and help out with laundry, grocery shopping, picking up food, watching the baby while we got a bit of sleep and while we got used to our feeding routine -- she seemed to be eating every 3 hours or so, but since I was pumping, the feeding routine would take forever! We would change her diaper, then it would take 30 minutes to pump, then another 20 to feed her, then we had to rock her to sleep, clean the pump and it's parts... it would take forever! By the time she would finally fall asleep, we had to start the whole routine all over again. It seemed like we were on a constant cycle of changing her and feeding her, we never got a chance to get some sleep!











Friday morning we had our first pediatrician appointment. Mila was 4 days old.







Unfortunately, the appointment didn't go as well as we'd hoped. Mila had lost weight. :( Seems like I wasn't getting enough milk for her with the pump. After all the work we were doing to make sure she was eating, she still wasn't getting enough! The doctor smelled her breath and he was able to determine by it's smell that she was burning her own fat to get the extra calories she needed. He was very concerned. My heart just dropped. I explained the trouble I had had with Mila's latch and that I was pumping for now until I healed. He recommended a lactation consultant that could help, but that he still wanted to see Mila again in 3 days to make sure she was gaining weight. If she hadn't gained enough, he would want to start supplementing her with formula -- which I SO did not want to do. Formula is harsher on babies stomachs than breastmilk, you can see it in their poop. It's darker and it's really smelly. And once you start supplementing with formula, that keeps them full longer and that means you feed them less, which then brings your breastmilk supply down and then you end up supplementing more! I wanted to avoid formula as much as possible, but at the same time, I wanted to make sure she was getting the food she needed. I was so sad to hear she was still hungry! I called the Lactation Consultant the doctor recommended and I planned on pumping like crazy! I know if I must supplement, I will, but I'm hoping I won't have to...

Saturday night my mom was feeling much better, so she and my sister Cathy came over to visit and help out. They stayed for the weekend and Sunday my sister went back to Miami to work, but my mom will be staying with us for the week.











With the extra hands around, we were able to get some great pictures with our little girl!

First Days With Mila

Mila is only a few days old now and after such a short time I can honestly say this whole parenting thing is definitely MUCH harder than I thought it would be! I have SUCH an appreciation for my parents! How do people do this?? How do people do this and then decide they want to go through this again??!

Mila's first week has been a bit rough. Mostly because of the sleepless nights! When people told me, "Get your sleep now, because after the baby is born you won't get any sleep!" I didn't realize they were serious when they said we wouldn't get ANY sleep AT ALL! Seriously, the first 4 days were more like 4 weeks! I didn't sleep a wink. Nothing. I don't know how I did it. By day five though, I was a zombie. I did get a bit of sleep on day 6 and 7, but minimal. Like 10 minutes worth it seemed! It wasn't because Baby Mila was difficult, it was mostly Jorge and I being paranoid about her sleeping without someone watching her to make sure she was ok.

Ok, let me catch you up: At the end of the day on Monday, we were moved to a recovery room. It was much smaller than our delivery room. Jorge had a pull-out bed to sleep on that wasn"t very comfortable. I slept in the hospital bed. Baby Mila slept in her hospital baby bed between us. That first night she spit up while she slept and we had to turn her so she could get it out. From that night on we were worried that it might happen again and we wouldn't be awake to see it and she might choke on her spit up. We thought we'd take sleep shifts, but I couldn't sleep. I'd just stare at her. I couldn't help it!





The other problem we were having was breastfeeding. When Mila first latched on after she was born, she seemed to have latched on wrong and it really affected me being able to feed her. I would do it, but it was so incredibly painful!! It wasn't until the following day, when I was able to meet with the hospital's Lactation Consultant, that we were able to fix Mila's latch, but by then the damage was already done on me. :( It would take weeks for me to recover, but in the meantime, the Lactation Consultant showed me how to pump. It was a bit awkward at first, but at least it didn't hurt! It does enlongate the feeding process though...

To make matters even worse, my mom was going to stay with us that first week to help with the baby. But she ended up getting a cold, so that first week she had to stay away! Jorge's sister Blanca was also just recovering from a cold, so we thought it was best to play it safe until we knew that she was better for sure. Thankfully, my amazing sister Cindy was able to get time off of work and she took the whole week off to spend with us! I can't even begin to tell you what a Godsend that was. She would come over in the mornings and bring us breakfast and then she'd spend it with Jorge and me. She was so incredibly helpful -- I mean, I was still recovering from the birth and I had stitches from the tear so it was a bit hard to get in and out of bed and to get around. And Jorge would be busy with the baby: rocking her, changing her, getting her to go to sleep or to stop crying, so it was hard for him to tend to both of us by himself! Don't know what we would have done without an extra set of hands! Cindy was just AMAZING!!!! Even just to have someone around to talk to and vent to. She was so helpful!

Blanca then was given the all-clear from her doctor and she was able to come over on the second day to meet the baby. She stayed overnight after Cindy had left for the night shift and helped keep an eye on Mila so we could get a bit of sleep. She was another huge help! We don't know what we would have done without our sisters!





During those days a lot of friends and family called during those first couple of days, but with all the sleepless nights and breastfeeding troubles we were having, it seemed like I was constantly feeding her and I just didn't have the energy to to really talk to anyone... it was really rough.

Tuesday and Wednesday we were recovering in the hospital and we were discharged Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday my uncle Ricky was in the area and stopped by to visit. A lot of my family wanted to drive up from Miami to visit as well, but we figured since we were 2 hours away in Boca, that we would just wait until we got home to have everyone over to meet her so we would be more comfortable. It was nice to have my uncle visit though! He held her for a bit and took these cute pics of her:











Wednesday we finally went home with our sweet little girl! It was both scary and exciting to bring her home. It was nice to have her to ourselves, but we wish we could take the nurses home with us! Especially the Lactation Consultant!