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| Breastfeeding a preemie is a whole different animal! At first it is all you can do to keep your little darling awake, always mindful of the time limit allowed to be 'successful', or else the threat of a tube feeding looms. They always want to keep that tongue glued to the top of their mouth. And the size of your nipple compared to the size of their little mouths...well, let's just say it *can*be done! |
| Just after birth, I was pumping my heart out and getting *nothing* but a few drops of what certainly didn't look like milk! The lactation consultant assured me that if I kept pumping every 2 to 3 hours, I'd eventually get milk. And so I did, getting to know my breast pump on an intimate basis, all hours of the day and night. |
| I'd go into the nursery freezer with my pitiful teaspoon of "milk" and look with envy at the bins of other mothers' milk brimming with jars *full* of creamy milk! I just knew it was never going to happen for me. |
| Then one day the new attending doctor for the week let Sarah nurse, if only to nuzzle at the breast. I'll never forget, it was February 19, my oldest son's birthday. I was so excited when she latched on and started to nurse, I had to fight the urge to jump up and show everyone. Instead I just hollered out to the staff "she's doing it!" Not too excited, was I? Afterward, I used the NICU's breast pump as I often did after our 'kangaroo' snuggles and lo and behold! Let there be milk! |
| From then on, I had rare difficulty getting the milk to flow, except when I got upset. It really, really helped when others remarked on my 'abundant' milk supply. |
| Before I knew it, I had bins of milk brimming in the NICU freezer; milk in the Ronald McDonald House freezer, and sending milk home to my own freezer! Now I was the one others had milk envy for! |
| We didn't overcome the sleepiness really until Sarah was home from the hospital the first day. Now, I can't seem to put her down! She's an old pro at this nursing stuff! (Although, I'll admit, a bit attached to mom!) |
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