Family Photographer Seattle | Meet Leigh
Breast Feeding Awareness Month | Leigh’s Journey
[clear-line]
“Our breastfeeding journey began on shaky ground after a necessary c-section and a NICU stay. I had no idea the uphill battle it would be due to complicating factors of the c-section. My son had a very severe tongue tie which we discovered at our one week postpartum check where we discovered he was losing weight, despite his constant nursing. He wasn’t getting enough food. I remember being exhausted and feeling helpless to provide for my baby. Our midwife was also a new mother and happened to have expressed milk with her. We started supplemental feeds that day and worked around the clock to increase my supply and teach my son to nurse effectively from the breast. For the next 4+ months I would need to get nearly 3/4 of his milk from donors. I felt overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers and supported by a community of women I never knew existed before.
My son never once gave up trying to nurse like so many babies switched to bottles this young, so I made a promise to him that I wouldn’t quit either. We had his tongue tie corrected, I started domperidone and with the assistance of a nipple shield we were able to nurse without bottles by the time he was 4 months old. One week before he turned 6 months he removed the nipple shield himself and started nursing! He never looked back. My supply filled in quickly after that and I was able to go off the medication. My journey was a slow and arduous one, but I wouldn’t change a thing. My son and I have such a strong bond and I credit that to those early days when I promised him to not give up. He’s now almost 19 months and we are still going strong.”
