Help :'( - BFing with implants - discouraged

[@llli*manitobamommy]

By the way, if it does end up that you have one side that's really underproducing, that shouldn't make it impossible for you to breastfeed your baby. THe other breast, should be able to pick up the slack. In fact, moms can even nurse a baby exclusively on one breast (there's a mom currently on the forums that's doing it - hopefully she'll pipe up).

[@llli*lllmeg]

I'll try to set up time with another LC. I will admit, I felt very criticized by the first. She seemed skeptical about my pain level and what my early latches were like. I just felt like I was getting stock answers from her, you know?

I am sorry you had this experience. There is nothing worse than feeling not listened to or your concerns diminished when you are having difficulties like this. Sometimes hospital based LC's get too busy to work with moms well with latch issues, which can take time to solve. And sometimes a particular LC is just not the right fit for you.

I always suggest that moms who are having issues that they cannot solve on their own to get as many names of local IBCLC's as they can, at least 2 or 3 if possible, and to call the LC and talk to her a bit on the phone. It is SO important to feel comfortable with and confident in your IBCLC or really, with anyone who is helping you with health issues!

If you have a local LLL Group near you, you can also try contacting them for support and info if you like.

FYI Whether a mother leaks or not during pregnancy, or leaks at all, means nothing as far as milk production goes. I personally had the experience with my last baby, my third, of leaking on one side and not the other. The non-leaking side was also much, much harder to hand express from or pump anything from, which I had to try to do because, early on, latch hurt so much on that side. See, even experience moms can have latch issues! But I was definitely producing plenty of milk on both sides.

[@llli*shawna.bray]

FWIW, I just double-checked with my hospital's website, and their lactation consultants are definitely certified, but it looks like there's been a lot of controversy about replacing them with nurses who have "lactation consultant" training, so maybe that's why I feel I didn't really get the support I needed: understaffed and overworked!

At any rate, I think things are going better. I can hear her swallowing, so she's definitely getting something, and a formula bottle from dad took the pressure off both my nipples and my emotional state. We're going to the pedi in a few hours but in the meantime I am really glad I came here. I just needed to hear that we could do it and all hope was not lost. She still hasn't dirtied a diaper, but I guess that isn't so uncommon in the first day or two home.

[@llli*djs.mom]

Shawna, please be very very careful with formula at this point if can REALLY SERIOUSLY affect supply. If your milk isn't in yet your baby doesn't need it yet and using it will always affect supply at least two fold. Because you miss the initial que to feed and then you miss the next one because formula is harder on their system and takes longer to digest. Also this early in you really really want your baby to do the work at the breast to feed. Since the bottle constantly drips into their mouth they have to do way less work. And once they get a sense that their is an easier way to eat, they can reject the breast entirely. So be very very careful with supplementation. It's a slippery slippery slope. And please you must at least pump every time you use formula to that beat back some of the que damage.

[@llli*lllkaren]

How are things going, shawna.bray? Have you started seeing some poopy diapers?