Cathy!!!

[Elaine]

How's it going mama? I've been thinking about you and your new family! :support:

[AmsterDamsel]

Hi! I've been lurking to keep up with all of you. Just been too busy, tired, hands full of baby to type much. Overall, we're doing really well. Dan is still off until next Monday so we're really taking our time and enjoying being a family. Gabriel is a great baby. He only cries when he's hungry (which feels like all the time!). He's gaining weight. My only issue is still with breastfeeding. I ended up contacting La Leche League and a lactation consultant. The LC was really, really helpful. She showed me a better way to hold him, how to hold my boob to get him to latch correctly and gave us a very do-able schedule of pumping and practicing feeding. Before seeing her, I was killing myself with trying to breast feed him, then failing, giving him the bottle and then pumping every two hours. This was making me stressed. Now she has me pumping 5 times a day (and I've been making more milk) and I have to try the boob with him 4 times a day but only until he reaches his frustration limit and for no longer than 10 minutes. He's really trying to latch on, I just can't get him to stay on long enough to get the milk flowing.

Overall, its been very hard on me emotionally. I knew breastfeeding could be a struggle, but I had no idea I'd be sitting here with him almost 2 weeks old and still not having had any milk straight from my breast. I've felt like a total failure and did a lot of crying the first week. Now, I am trying to relax, follow the schedule of the LC, and realized that I am doing everything I can and just pray that it all clicks together.

Other than that issue, things are going great and I love my little man. He makes the funniest faces. :)

[Heather]

:hugs: You're doing great Mama! Sometimes it just takes a bit for it all to click. So glad to hear from you. We need some pics!! :love:

[Jojo]

Oh Cathy! I totally understand where you are coming from! Twice for me so I can completely relate. PM me any time you want to vent and chat about it. :hug: You will get him on the breast so don't fret about that. It took me 3 months with Matt to get things situated and a good 3-4 weeks with James.

Glad everything else is going so smoothly for you guys!

[theWrap]

Cathy, I understand, too. With Sam, I gave up after 3 weeks and just pumped because it was all too much for me. I wish I had persisted, but I was glad that I could pump for so many months.

Keep at it, Mama, and know that MANY of us struggled. You're doing wonderful!

[Andrea]

You are doing great mama! I hope it all comes together soon!:support:

[AmsterDamsel]

Oh Cathy! I totally understand where you are coming from! Twice for me so I can completely relate. PM me any time you want to vent and chat about it. :hug: You will get him on the breast so don't fret about that. It took me 3 months with Matt to get things situated and a good 3-4 weeks with James.

Glad everything else is going so smoothly for you guys!

This was really great to read. It gave me hope that we can still do this!

[AmsterDamsel]

Cathy, I understand, too. With Sam, I gave up after 3 weeks and just pumped because it was all too much for me. I wish I had persisted, but I was glad that I could pump for so many months.

Keep at it, Mama, and know that MANY of us struggled. You're doing wonderful!

Thanks for the encouragement. Unfortunately, the most I get at a pumping is an ounce and that's only first thing in the morning. So most of his nutrients are coming from formula, but I still give him every drop that I pump!