I struggled at first with the breastfeeding. My milk finally came in and I was engorged. Liam just didn’t seem to be latching on correctly or he was just a little lazy to work at feeding. We counted the diapers to make sure that he was wetting enough of them for fear of dehydration. I corrected the latch all the time and pursed his lips out and just kept on breastfeeding and burping. I even got fever and lumps, but kept going. Susan Bennetti, my lactation consultant and Lamaze instructor, came to my home to see how I was doing with the breastfeeding. I applied so much of that Lansinoh (lanolin) balm that every time Liam was done breasfeeding, he looked like he had just eaten fried chicken! I placed him in every breastfeeding position there was to ensure that all the milk ducts were equally working. It was tough, but I kept at it. I even contacted the La Leche League International for a little guidance. Bill also helped me as much as he possibly could. Bless his heart, he came home with a couple of books: The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (okay) and Eat Well, Lose Weight While Breastfeeding (so-so). I mostly went by my own instinct and some really good advice by other breastfeeding mothers. I just really needed to stop with the worrying and just relax about it, eat healthy, rest as much as I could, and breastfeed every couple of hours or so. I would have a double dose of oatmeal in the morning (with diced apples mixed in), chicken soup with chayote squash (pictured below) and grilled cheese sandwich for lunch, and ideally a hearty beef stew or any big beefy dish for dinner. I would snack on whole grain breads, cheese, yogurt, fruits and nuts washed down with milk, Mother’s Milk Tea, and water. Before I knew it, he started gaining weight. Thanks heavens!!
My problem at present is trying to wean him now that he is all of twenty-one months old! He just loves it! I wonder if there is a no-cry method…
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