Caden's Breastfeeding Page

Caden Dean

When Caden was born, I was determined to make breastfeeding work with no problems.  I wrote a birth plan for the hospitals to follow, requesting no bottles or pacifiers of any kind.  At this point, I became a “lactivist” and a breastfeeding peer counselor.  I found out everything I could about breastfeeding and began to help others.  I was sure I had it this time… After Caden was born, also via c-section, they put him in the NICU because he had fluid in his lungs.  This is common in c-section babies, so I was partly expecting this.  He was in for 24 hours, and during one of my visits to him, I noticed that he had some spit-up in his mouth.  I questioned the nurse about this, as I had not fed him at all yet, and she informed me that she had given him a bottle of formula.  I was devastated, but I knew there was nothing I could do about it now, so I tried to think positively.  I instructed her not to do that again, that I am breastfeeding, and to call me if he is hungry again.  By that time, he was safely out of the NICU, and I was able to begin nursing. He was hesitant at first, and did not take to the breast right away.  We struggled uncomfortably for a while, and finally he latched on.

Caden at 2

After about two days in the hospital, my nipples began to get sore.  I could not believe how painful it was.  We went home, and the pain just kept getting worse.  I struggled with the pain until he was 6 weeks old.  I finally realized that there had to be something wrong.  I took Caden to the Pediatrician, and realized he had thrush.  We learned how to treat him and myself, and finally the thrush went away.  He skipped baby food altogether, and went straight to table food.  He handled it very well, and had quite an appetite.  Caden turned 2 years old on October 5, 2003, and is still breastfeeding.  He is my longest breast feeder, and it does not seem like he is ready to stop, which makes me very happy.  When he is ready to give it up, he will let me know.  I am so happy that I finally got the wonderful breastfeeding experience that I always wanted.  Please click on the link to the right for one final note.  (It is the last page, I promise!)

LINKS:

A final note

back to our family page

Caden's personal page