Eighteen Weeks and Counting
Colleen P.
AZ USA
From NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 18 No. 2, March-April 2001, pp. 53-54
When my daughter, Maya,
was born, she had a lot of difficulty latchng-on and sucking. I was
unaware that I had flat nipples. Flat nipples remain flat, rather than
protruding, when pressure is applied to the areola. This condition compounded
Maya's own problems with breastfeeding and made latching on that much
more difficult for her. My assumption that I would breastfeed was threatened,
and I was completely unprepared. Despite these challenges and the flood
of good and bad information I received, my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter
is nursing today.
Although I initially worried
about and regretted using the nipple shield offered to me by the hospital
nurses, I now believe that the shield enabled my daughter to overcome
our difficulties in her own time. During our five-day hospital stay,
many nurses offered breastfeeding suggestions. Still, we had no success.
After Maya's first week, she would struggle to nurse from the shield
but could not latch on to my breast. Overwhelmed and concerned that
we might never nurse naturally, I contacted Deborah, a board-certified
lactation consultant for help. Deborah came to our home, weighed Maya
before and after nursing, observed our nursing efforts, and made suggestions
to help Maya latch on as well as to help me maintain my milk supply.
Deborah assured me that Maya had consumed a sufficient amount of milk
through the shield and that we should continue nursing in this manner
as we worked toward latching on naturally. So I began offering Maya
first my breast and then my breast with the nipple shield. I also pumped
after each feeding to help maintain my supply since breastfeeding with
the nipple shield on was not enough to maintain a good supply of milk.
As the weeks passed and Maya
showed no interest in nursing without the shield, I grew more depressed
and worried. I periodically called Deborah asking if we had passed the
point of no return. Each time I asked that question, Deborah told me
that she didn't know and that I should keep trying. Kim, my sister,
also provided me with near daily encouragement. She reminded me that
babies change every day.
When Maya was four weeks
old, I visited a coworker. As we talked about our breastfeeding experiences,
she told me that her daughter had also started on the nipple shield.
After five weeks, her daughter started to breastfeed without it. I took
comfort in knowing that another baby had made the successful transition
from shield to breast. The next week, Maya latched on for a few minutes.
I was elated and certain that our remaining days with the shield were
few. Unfortunately, her attempts were sporadic and had stopped altogether
at the end of her seventh week.
The stress and second-guessing
had taken their toll on me by the time Maya was eight weeks old. I was
depressed and unable to fully enjoy my beautiful child. I acknowledged
to myself that even though we might not get past our problems, Maya
and I were still developing the precious relationship between nursing
mother and baby. After I got my stress in check, I was fully able to
enjoy Maya. Despite the lack of interest from Maya, I continued to offer
her my breast without the shield and to pump after each feeding. I occasionally
called Deborah to ask again if we had passed the point of no return,
but Deborah never told me it was too late. She never told me that we
could not nurse naturally. She just provided me with much-needed support
and encouragement. Kim also continued to encourage me during the ensuing
weeks.
At 12 weeks, Maya latched
on for two feedings and my hope was rekindled. At 18 weeks, Maya began
to latch on regularly. By the end of that week, she no longer needed
the shield. Although the benefits of nipple shields are disputed, I
am certain that we would not have succeeded without one. The support
of my certified lactation specialist and my sister were equally important.
I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to both of them. If Deborah had
told me that Maya could not switch from nipple shield to breast at six,
eight, or ten weeks, I would have believed her. Instead, Deborah provided
me with the information and tools we needed to succeed. For Maya's first
18 weeks, I counted the weeks until we were off the shield. Now I joyfully
count the weeks, months, and years that we snuggle together and nurse.
Last updated November 13, 2006 by njb.
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:30:17 UTC 2007.
