Breastfeeding: When Your Best Intentions Fail

Becoming a mom for the third time I was determined to breastfeed my newest little girl. I was mentally prepared for a rough go, but I researched, prepared, and waited for her to arrive. Little did I know, our journey would be nothing like I imagined. 

When Doubt Creeps In 

When Sutton was born, she went right to nursing like it was her job. Her love of food was evident in her first couple minutes on earth. That first night in the hospital was extremely exhausting – she wanted to use me to nurse all night long. Eventually I gave her a pacifier and in our experience, it did not confuse her at all. She still continued to nurse like a champ.

As time went on, I began to wonder the typical things every breastfeeding mom wonders – “Is she getting enough?” …  “Is she hungry?” … etc. Everyone was quick to reassure me that she was fine. I continued to stick with it even though every time I wondered if she was getting enough. She would only nurse about 5-7 minutes and then be done. I always heard that they should nurse much longer than that so I was concerned. I mentioned it to the pediatrician, and she agreed that she was fine. She was having wet diapers, seemed to be full, and gaining weight.

Trouble begins 

About two weeks in, her weight slowed down. I reached out to the Lactation consultant at West Jeff, and she assured me that it was all normal and as long as she was gaining, she would be okay for now. I was still just having this mom gut feeling that something wasn’t right. About that time, Sutton started being inconsolable and screaming a lot (err, constantly). She was also spitting up a lot. We were referred to the GI and that’s when things started making sense.

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Sutton was an extra special case because of her dwarfism. Her mouth is smaller so it was hard for her. She also didn’t need as much as an average height child which explained why she would only nurse 5-7 minutes. And the golden ticket – she has a presumed milk protein allergy! Who knew?

The GI immediately wanted to put Sutton on Elecare. I struggled big time with this decision because I just wanted to do the absolute best thing I could for her, and I wasn’t sure what that was. I hesitantly agreed to do it. When I tell you immediately it was a night and day difference, I’m not kidding. Within 2-3 days, she was a completely different baby. She was happy, she slept more, her bowels were more consistent, and she started gaining weight!

Sometimes I get sad because I really wanted to successfully nurse this time. And the part that sucks the most is that we were successful – we just had to stop because of the suspected allergy. At the end of the day, she is happy, healthy, and growing and that is all that matters!

Did your child have any allergies that made breastfeeding difficult or not an option?

SaveSave

Danielle
Danielle is married to Ryan and together they have four beautiful babies. They're raising Lexi, Abram, Sutton and Beckham on the bayou in Crown Point. She is a self-proclaimed hot mess, Jesus-loving, homeschooling, Netflix binging, crafting and party planning stay at home mom. Sutton was born with achondroplasia dwarfism so advocating and raising awareness is important to her. Most nights once the kids are asleep you will find her staying up way too late to enjoy the quiet that happens after four kids.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here