Trusting My Instincts
Ana M. Hotaling
Ann Arbor MI USA
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 21 No. 4, July-August 2004, p. 132
I'd always envisioned my
first Mother's Day to be a joyous celebration of motherhood with my
baby and my mother, who'd be enjoying her first Mother's Day as a grandmother.
We did spend that special day together, but it was anything but joyous.
Delirious with fever, I was rushed to the local hospital, where the
attending physician promptly diagnosed me with acute mastitis. Once
my fever was down and I was somewhat lucid, the doctor explained that
breastfeeding my eight-week-old son had caused this condition, that
my milk ducts had become plugged and infected, and that I had to immediately
stop nursing. Exhausted and in pain, I never thought to obtain a second
opinion. I took his word and immediately weaned my baby, Michael. He
didn't take readily to formula. He suffered hives and various allergic
reactions before we finally found a formula that he could tolerate.
I was grateful when he switched to sippy cups, as I truly abhorred cleaning
the bottles, nipples, and rings.
When I learned that I was
pregnant again, I was thrilled and also apprehensive. The last thing
I wanted was to experience the hot, sore redness and worse, the fever
that I'd gone through before. I'd attended a breastfeeding class. I'd
read books. I'd seen other mothers nursing. Why couldn't I?
One of the nurse-midwives
at my obstetrician's office suggested that I contact the local La Leche
League for assistance. I was a bit unsure about it at first. The instructor
at my breastfeeding class had taught us how to breastfeed by demonstrating
with her three-year-old daughter, and I wasn't sure if a whole room
of nursing mothers was going to teach me any better. However, I decided
I didn't have anything to lose and went to my first La Leche League
meeting when I was six months pregnant.
It was one of the best decisions
I've ever made. All of the Leaders were warm, friendly, and compassionate,
especially Mary Kay. Mary Kay first explained that with mastitis, one
of the worst things to do is stop nursing. Continued breastfeeding helps
prevent further clogging of the milk ducts. She explained about how
hot and cold compresses can help relieve the pain, and she introduced
me to the concept of using cabbage leaves to help relieve engorgement,
something I never knew. With the use of a doll, she demonstrated different
nursing positions and then had me try them out. Mary Kay also encouraged
me to talk to the other mothers at the LLL meeting and ask about any
tricks and tips they had to share. Most importantly, though, Mary Kay
discovered that both of my nipples were inverted. She explained how
Michael may not have always latched on correctly, a factor which may
have significantly contributed to that memorable Mother's Day several
years earlier. Mary Kay obtained a pair of breast shells for me and
instructed me on how to wear them inside my bra during my last two months
of pregnancy to draw out the nipples in preparation for nursing.
I continued attending the
LLL meetings as my pregnancy advanced, and there was never a meeting
at which I didn't learn something new. I discovered, for instance, that
the underwire maternity and nursing bras I'd worn the first time around
might have also contributed to the plugged ducts by exerting pressure
on my lower breasts, and that front soft carriers, such as Snuglis,
might have also put undue pressure on my breasts. I learned, to my horror,
that my search for the best bottle nipple and pacifier may have led
to nipple confusion for Michael, yet another possible factor in my mastitis.
When it was finally time
to give birth. I felt I could handle anything. That feeling lasted all
of three days, until my milk came in and my breasts were bowling ball
hard. Mary Kay came running over, cabbage leaves in hand, and watched
to make sure I was expressing the milk correctly, that baby Nicholas
was latching on properly, and that I was getting the rest I needed.
As Nicholas grew from red, wrinkly newborn to chubby baby to sturdy
toddler, Mary Kay and the other La Leche League Leaders were there with
encouragement and support. I soon learned that mothers-to-be and mothers
newer than me were turning to me, of all people, for advice on nursing.
It was as if I'd come full circle.
Nicholas, a happy, eager
nurser, weaned himself when he was two-and-a-half years old, and I sadly
missed our close nursing relationship. As both of my boys grew, I couldn't
help but notice that Nicholas, who was breastfed, never had an ear infection
while poor Michael, weaned so abruptly at such a young age, had so many
that by age 10 months, he needed surgery to have drainage tubes placed
in both ears.
I am now nursing 10-month-old
Jaeson, another eager boy who prefers nursing to solids and who seems
to be following in his older brother's extended nursing footsteps. I
don't know how long Jaeson will nurse. I do know, however, that if it
weren't for Mary Kay, Pam, and La Leche League, the beautiful experience
of nursing would never have been mine. For this I'm forever grateful.
Last updated Tuesday, October 24, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:29:37 UTC 2007.
