Today when I called, Darbi's nurse Heather said that there was an order to begin breastfeeding! We decided 5:00 would be a good time and I was actually really nervous. They told me to not come with any expectations. So when I got there, Heather had me pump for about 5 minutes (to take the edge off of my eye piercing steady stream) :) and then I had to put a shield on to make it easier for Darbi to latch on.. She has a small mouth you know..
I had her in the football hold and she actually latched on very quickly! I was super excited because she seems to catch on very quickly with everything and I didn't want this to be a bad experience. Before I forget, before we tried the whole breastfeeding thing, we weighed her to compare in case she got some. She weighed 2236 grams (including the blanket she was wrapped in, her outfit, and her diaper). So anyway, she latches on and for about 25 minutes, she stays latched on and sucked for about 50-75% of the time! I was on top of the world! Of course Darbi can do anything! About 25 minutes into this, she falls asleep. We didn't want to overdo it with her so we stopped and got ready to weigh her. 2236 grams again. :( She didn't get ANYTHING. I think the shield is to blame. I won't go into details about it but it didn't really work. I was pretty disappointed but no biggie, right? It's the first time and we've got time.
So we made plans to come back later tonight at 11:00 and try again. Once again, I came in, pumped for about 5 minutes, and starting on the opposite side, tried again. Within 5 minutes, she desated about 4 times and had 3 brady spells.. in 5 minutes. Not good. I was kinda stressing. I really really want her to get this. So Jodi (her nurse) came to check on us as there were many high pitched beeping sounds going off (the bad ones) and we decided to put her back in her isolette for the night.
I know that this will take time and lots of patience from me but it's hard. I want to automatically be good at this right away. So the plan is to try again tomorrow morning at 11:00 but I think we should just take a break from this all and wait until Monday when I can work with Lactation and they can tell me what I'm really doing wrong. But, in my defense, there were a lot of changes made to Darbi's care today. The liters on her Oxygen were moved from 1.5 liters to 1 liter and her feedings were condensed from 36cc's over 2 hours to 36cc's over 1.5 hours. They are also weening the angle of her bed from being so vertical. She needs to be able to lay completely flat before they will move her to a real crib (for her reflux).
I was able to get a lot done at home this weekend though! My brother brought up my bookshelves from home and now I've got the itch to organize! I LOVE to organize when I'm in the right mood! Maybe this is me "nesting". I'm liking it! My house is getting cleaner! Bookshelves make a house seem more home-y!
Breastfeeding Day 1
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Posted by Audrey at 1:39 AM
Labels: Time in the NICU
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4 Wisecracks:
Sorry your first nursing experience was difficult and stressful. I would wait until the lactation nurse comes, they have ways to hold the baby that helps them breath better. I can't remember all the details but turning the head the correct way makes it easier to breath and eat. Also most babies need more oxygen when they nurse. When I nursed Joshua we would turn it up from 25% oxygen to 60% minimun and sometimes just crank it up to 100% if I didn't want to stress about it. The shield really does help when they are that little, but I would ditch it as soon as she gets big enough to latch on well without it. I found Joshua nursed tons better without it, once he could latch without it. This is getting really long so I will stop, but hang in there, nursing is frustrating for about everyone in the NICU. Good luck with it all.
At least she sucked and that's important. I think with the shield, they have to suck a little bit harder... but at least she latched right on. That is HUGE. Bfing can be hard no matter what stage of the game. We can talk about our bfing woes and triumphs since I'll be having my baby tomorrow and I'll start up with it too. The first week for me is always a killer! ;) Good luck though, with your determination, it will be great in no time!
Oh, I hope this next week goes better. I would try it without the shield. Crew was 2.5 or 3 pounds when we started BF and never used a shield. I'm surprised they foisted it on you without even trying it without. And before you ask, my nipples are on the, ahem, very very gigantic side, and it still worked with his teeeeeeeeny mouth. They squash up pretty good. But with reflux and desats, who knows. You know I am the BF EXPERT, right? So you can dismiss whatever I say :) But a theory I am thinking right now is that she may not be sucking the right way because it feels too much like her binky? Maybe she's binky sucking? Did she get a taste of the milk? They had me swipe his face and squeeze drops of milk into his mouth and still squeeze a little when it was latching. All those big changes could really be doing a number. And it could really be increasing her reflux. Not much you can do about it because you want to condense those feeds, except to be aware. Again, I am the BF EXPERT, eyes rolling. Mayb you be 1000% more successful than I have ever been. And may your milk stay plentiful until long after Darbi comes home :)
That stinks she didnt get anything the first time around! But at least she got the practice. They do have to suck harder when your using a shield. She just might be getting confused a little bit, because the shield is the same texture as the binkie. She is so quick when it comes to learning things Im sure she will get it. Even most full term babies have a really hard time figuring out the whole nursing thing. It takes them about two weeks to really get the whole latching on and staying on and sucking all right. I think your doing great!! I cant stand the pumping!! She is so pretty! And as bald as can be!!?! I love bald little babies! Best of luck!!
Shari
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