How Nikki Persevered and Overcame Obstacles
Our story this week comes from Nikki. She faced many obstacles on her breastfeeding journey, but she persevered to find the help she needed!
I was set on my daughter getting breastmilk; I was ready to commit to that journey in whatever way I had to even if it meant pumping exclusively...that's what I'd do.
When my daughter was born, we couldn't get her to latch. She lost a pound of her birth weight in her first few days of life. I even asked in the hospital if I should be supplementing with formula since she didn't seem to be getting anything to eat and they told me no. I deeply regret not listening to my gut and just giving her the formula because I felt like by listening to their guidance I was starving my baby. Ugh, right?
So I get home from my c-section, kiddo still isn't nursing, I finally start supplementing with formula...I start pumping furiously to try and get my milk to come in to get her fed the way I dreamed of feeding her even if it wasn't the way I imagined it to be at first. The formula upsets her tummy and I'm like oh heck no so in the end she got about 8-12 oz total of formula and I was pumping 8x/day around the clock to keep that precious nugget fed while trying and failing to nurse.
When my daughter was 3 months old I said I'm making one last ditch effort to get her to actually nurse...see if I can't get away from this dang pump...I'm going to get the best lactation consultant money can buy...we're going to see if there's anything we could be doing that we aren't and if in the end it's just not going to happen...that's ok.
The lactation consultant that is touted as the best in my city...RETIRED literally a month before I went looking...so I reached out to her and said “Hi, I know you retired...but is there someone you can recommend? I'm having such a hard time...I just need some kind of help.” She comes out of retirement to help me...I still can't believe she offered me such kindness because it was the catalyst to fixing my whole journey! In one virtual visit, she was able to assess my kiddo and send me to the best in the biz for a tongue-tie evaluation. I'd asked my pediatrician multiple times if that was what was preventing my daughter from latching and they told me no on all occasions. Turns out...that's exactly what our problem was.
So I got the best LC I could find...I got the best pediatric dentist I could find who specialized in tongue ties and treatment for my kiddo...we went through hours of appointments, feeding therapy, lactation support, and a tongue tie procedure. I had a plan - I had a goal - I had infinite stubbornness and determination to succeed. I was ready.
It took 6 weeks to get ready for the procedure, and a few weeks after to get the healing process accomplished... and it was a LONG road. I was in so much nipple pain...thinking maybe that was it, we'd fixed all the problems and it just wasn't in our cards.
I got my kiddo comfort nursing *mind blown* around 6 months old. She wasn't transferring enough milk to eliminate the bottles...but I finally knew what it felt like to have a baby fall asleep in my arms while nursing and there was just nothing like that moment where I felt like I'd done it. I'd done the thing...and if it never went past that one nursing session...I was happy. I was no longer angry that I'd been unsupported and struggled. I was ok.
But by 6.5 months...slowly the bottles were spreading out further and further apart...and we went from 8 bottles to 7 in a day....and then a few days later down to 6...and I said ok I think we're onto something! And we took a trip at 7 months out of state. I brought frozen milk, I brought my pump...but we never used it. I didn't need to. My kid was exclusively nursing and I couldn't believe my eyes.
I knew I always wanted to go to a year, and I'd been filling a freezer slowly so that I could stop pumping when I knew I had enough milk in the freezer to get her to that milestone because my heart just wasn't in it to keep pumping forever. Of course, that meant that when I finally got her nursing...I had over 1,200 ounces in my freezer. (Another story for another time...I almost lost that entire stash on NYE and I don't think my husband will ever forget the sound of my screams when I found a freezer with a door left open and the possibility of all of that milk lost...it wasn't in the end...thank goodness I am meticulous with my bricking/packaging!)
Now that my daughter is 13 months old...I'm surprised we're still nursing on demand...but I'd be lying if I said I was ready to stop at a year or even now. I know I won't go forever...but for now...I feel like I'm making up for that lost time.
When I found your company advertised on my Facebook page...I knew you were exactly the ones to make this physical piece for me to help memorialize this journey. You see when I was pregnant...when the pregnancy app said my little one was the size of a bee....we started calling her “The Bee” (a great way to keep from sharing her gender with folks before we were ready) and so to see a brand making honeycomb pieces and bee pieces? Hello...Kismit. We still call her Ainsley Bee...or Bee Bears...so many bee names. But...this is the perfect way to forever remember this journey...so thank you in advance for helping this mama remember her journey because it was a hard one and so special.
