Ok, I promise I'm almost done talking about nursing. This is in case you find it as helpful as I did to hear other people's experiences. I especially liked to hear about what happened with other people in the first few days with their babies because it made me feel like I could have at least some idea of what to expect in the hospital (which felt like a complete unknown).
So here you have it -- the story of the first few days of nursing. If this is TMI, just skip it...
I first tried nursing Jack about an hour after he was born (or it might have been a bit sooner or a bit later -- the time line is a blur). It was definitely a strange feeling, but all the nurses told me he clearly knew what he was doing. I was relieved.
That would have been about 2 am. Around six or seven, once we had moved to our new room, a nurse came to get Jack to do some regular blood work. When she brought him back, she told me his blood sugar was low (probably from his traumatic birth) and that he needed to eat. She had a bottle of formula already in the bassinet with him. Even though I was exhausted (and so was he!), I pleaded with her to let me try nursing him instead. I think she was a bit frustrated -- it would have been faster and easier to just give him the bottle -- but I'm glad I stuck to my guns. He managed to nurse a little, which was enough for then. I was definitely disappointed that the nurse didn't seem to be very supportive, but luckily I didn't see her again. Another nurse came in a bit later and helped me pump a bit of colostrum and gave it to Jack with a syringe (so he wouldn't have to work hard, but would still get milk).
A day or so later (when we were still in the hospital), Jack had an evening where he was very fussy and wouldn't latch on well when I tried nursing (he'd latched pretty well until then). Jahn found me a sweet older nurse to see if she could help. She told me one of the reasons he was fussing was probably that he was mad he couldn't get milk faster. She explained that colostrum, the first, very rich milk you produce, is also very thick. She compared it to drinking a Peters milkshake out of a thin straw. That helped me understand a bit better what was going on. I was also concerned that his stomach hurt - he seemed to be curling up his legs and wailing in pain. She told me that my body heat was the best thing for him -- putting his little tummy on mine and letting him feel my warmth was the best way to help him. I liked that idea. And, wouldn't you know it, once I felt better and calmer, he did too. Amazing.
Jack was a pretty good at figuring out nursing from the start. I won't lie -- it still hurt in the beginning, but it got better once I found the position that worked for us. And when I left the hospital, I was confident we would be able to figure this out.
And clearly we did, since Jack is still going strong (with no signs of weaning...) fifteen months later.
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