Mama who is eternally grateful for milk sharing (IGT)
Mama who is eternally grateful for milk sharing (IGT)
Fast forward to this year: My son was born on Sept. 14th, 2010 at 7 lbs., 5 oz. For the first two days of his life he was content and sleepy, like any newborn. Around the 3rd day, I noticed that my milk was coming in, but the swallows from my little guy were far and few between. By the 3rd or 4th day, the inconsolable crying set in. Nothing I would do would make him content. He would suck on my breast 24 hours a day if I would have let him, and still cry and root for food.
I took him to the Dr. at 1 week old because I was worried that there was something wrong with him. I thought there was a chance that he wasn't getting enough food, but I stayed positive about my milk supply so I wasn't exactly worried. At 1 week old, he weighed 6 lbs. 5oz. and the Dr. was worried. He lost more than 10% of his body weight and hadn't gained even an ounce since birth. She informed me that it may be time to supplement and I refused- I was going to exclusively breastfeed! So I went home and tried EVERYTHING I could find. I scoured the internet for HOURS everyday, read books, talked in forums... no stone went unturned. For the whole next week, his inconsolable crying did not let up.
I took him back to the Dr. at 2 weeks and he had not gained an ounce. Now, I knew for sure that my supply just wasn't going to be enough. I brought a can of formula home from the Dr. and cried just thinking about opening it. When I actually did open it, I cried as well. I did a lot of crying over the next two weeks while supplementing with formula. But my baby was a COMPLETELY different baby. He was content. He hardly cried. He slept for more than 30 minutes at a time... he slept for a couple of hours at a time! It was unbelievable. I felt so bad for giving him formula, which I am personally opposed to unless completely necessary, yet it felt so good to see him happy. He gained 6 oz. in 3 days and kept gaining. After seeing the changes, I felt bad for not giving him a supplement sooner.
After 2 weeks of supplementing, I found Milkshare.com through my Doula. I was skeptical, wondering how many women who donate milk were actually close enough to us to connect with them... and wondering how I would feel about giving my son a stranger's milk. I soon found, however, that not only did I feel better giving him human milk, HE felt better taking human milk. His stools regulated, he stopped spitting up half of his supplements and I could tell that he felt better all-around.
I have since met with 4 women who have provided milk for my son. Some through MilkShare and some through Eats on Feets. I have seen 4 Lactation consultants, tried herbs, oatmeal, power pumping and more, finally being diagnosed with Insufficient Glandular Tissue- and now, it is time for me to come to terms with our reality. Our reality is still a close, beautiful breastfeeding relationship- with donor milk given through the SNS from wonderful women whom we will be eternally grateful to.
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