| I took mothering very seriously. It was my priority, which meant that everything else came afterward, including answering the phone or doing dishes. On weekends, we would all work together to get the house in order for the coming week. Friends were kind enough to bring some meals, but I managed to cook most dinners.
Because mothering was my priority, I spent most of the time in those early days curled up in the recliner with my newborn to nurse and nap. I did manage to get a bath everyday, because I included her. I would put her on my thighs and let the warm water lap at her. In order to get the rest I needed, I slept when she slept. We�d lie down in bed to nurse and drift off. When I had chores to do, I�d put her in a baby sling that held her close to my body so that she remained near me. When my post-partum bleeding had almost stopped I began to increase my activity level. Then I realized that I had begun to bleed more heavily again and was advised by my midwife to take it easy for another week or two. It is amazing how our bodies are designed to tell us exactly what we need to be doing or not doing. At night I�d nurse her to sleep, then lay her in her bassinette, but she rarely remained asleep. After a few weeks of waking up frequently during the night to nurse and settle her to sleep in her bassinette, I was very tired and frustrated. One night I was so tired that I just nursed her and fell asleep with her next to me in bed. When we awoke the next morning, my husband declared that I must have had a rough night because he had heard the baby nurse about five or six times! But much to our surprise I was totally rested. Because I hadn�t had to get up, get her, nurse her and then try to put her back down again, I had not really awakened at all! This worked so well, we decided just to let her sleep with us. We put a little car seat headrest in between our pillows so that she would have a safe, cozy nest. Neither of us ever rolled over onto her and we swaddled her to keep her from getting too wiggly or waking herself during the night. It is one of several baby-soothing/comforting techniques that we found very effective. BREASTFEEDING THROUGH COLIC & FOOD ALLERGIES When she was about three months old, she suddenly became very colicky. She would wake herself screaming, arching her back and wailing. She wouldn�t be soothed and didn�t nurse well as she kept refusing the breast. I knew something was wrong. My doctors told me it was just colic (the five-letter-word for �I don�t know what�s wrong with your baby�), but my wise friend Stephanie asked if I was anemic. I told her I was and that the physician had just prescribed iron supplements. She told me that maternal iron supplements often produce those symptoms in breastfed babies. She advised me to stop using them and try a few natural remedies she suggested. I also consulted my midwife who suggested additional remedies to try instead of or in conjunction with the others. Immediately, Murren was back to her sweet, happy self. A few weeks later, however, the symptoms returned. This time I knew it wasn�t the iron and immediately thought of food offenders. I knew that several people in my family were allergic to gluten (a component in wheat and some other grains), so I cut that out of my diet first. Again, she responded by improving immediately. So we continued on a gluten-free diet for over a year. BREASTFEEDING ON ANTIBIOTICS & IN THE HOSPITAL Murren was growing well and developing rapidly. I knew better than to measure her against meaningless standards and so we were very happy watching her progress, steadily and at her own pace. A month had passed since my anemia was diagnosed when I required oral antibiotics to treat a sinus infection. The CF team advised me to wean to protect Murren from the effects of the medication, but I wasn�t comfortable making such a big change in our lives so abruptly. So I called Stephanie, who got on the phone to find out if the medications prescribed were safe for nursing. She learned that one was, but the other (Cipro) wasn�t, so I called the doctor and requested an alternative, which he provided. As a result, we were able to continue nursing through the oral antibiotics. I added lots of acidophilus to my diet to help counter the side-effects of antibiotics, which was successful. The oral antibiotics were ineffective in clearing up the infection so I was admitted to the hospital. Again, Stephanie called the experts connected with La Leche League to determine the safety of continuing to nurse. We were given the OK, so we packed up and went to the hospital. Murren continued to breastfeed exclusively, so she just went into the hospital with me. I found that this was safer for her than the alternative of taking a bottle at night and visiting me during the day to nurse. Her immature immune system was still quite dependant upon my breastmilk to help her fight off any offenses. By continuing to nurse, she would be fully protected from any germs we might come in contact with. When it was time to sleep, I simply pulled up the rails of the hospital bed and we snuggled up, just like at home. John�s mother came down and stayed at the hospital to help. Whenever I was tired, but Murren was not, she took her for a ride in the stroller. Nurses also were great about my having the baby with me. They offered to hold her when I went to the cafeteria to get my meal tray or anytime they had a free moment. We continued to take lots of acidophilus throughout the duration of the antibiotics. I had no trouble with nursing and having my port accessed. After getting established in mothering and nursing and getting my health stabilized after the pregnancy, life progressed pretty uneventfully into the spring of 2003. When Murren was 9 months old, some of the members of my CF team began to pressure me more strongly to begin supplementing with formula. Fortunately, I knew that breastmilk is a living food that adjusts to your child�s needs as she ages. I did not ever deny Murren if she was interested in food, but she rarely wanted to do more than just to gum it momentarily. It was about this time that I began to attend La Leche League Meetings. These experienced mothers became a life-line for me in demonstrating life choices that I believed in. BREASTFEEDING THROUGH SURGERY In March of 2003, when Murren was nearly a year old, it was determined that I had nasal polyps that should be surgically removed under general anesthesia. After talking with my indispensable Stephanie, I determined that this posed no threat to breastfeeding Murren, even though some members of my CF team thought that this would be a good opportunity to wean. Again, God gave me peace of mind and strength of heart to stick with nursing. So, just as we had previously, we proceeded with the hospitalization. When I was taken to pre-op, Murren and John went with me. We cuddled and I nursed her just before going into surgery. John and his mom played with and cared for her for the couple hours I was in surgery, but as soon as I was recovered enough to go back to my room, she was in my lap to nurse. I credit the Reliv dietary supplement I was taking, with my unusually speedy recovery from the anesthesia, which prevented potential breastfeeding problems and any need for supplementation (see For Life and Health for more). The day before Murren�s 1st birthday, my menstrual cycle returned uneventfully. I was rather excited actually because I so loved being pregnant with, and giving birth to, Murren that I relished the idea of becoming pregnant again. Then the next month I had my annual check-up, which was much better than my CF team had anticipated. All my blood levels were well within normal ranges (even some that had never been normal before). My entire CF team came in to see me all at once (a first) and pressured me to wean Murren. She was just beginning to take some solid foods (out of her own interest). When I questioned their reasoning, I discovered it was more out of their personal discomfort with natural parenting in general, rather than out of some sort of legitimate health concern for either of us, especially since all of my tests were normal. They were also concerned that since my cycles had returned I might become pregnant. But, I wouldn�t have been the first woman to have nursed a child while pregnant (even if I was the first one with CF). I told them that if I became pregnant while Murren was still nursing, we�d cross that bridge when we came to it. I did also finally, with God�s graciousness and restraint, tell them that I did not expect them to endorse or even approve of my parenting choices. I respected their responsibility to care for me and I needed them to respect my responsibility to care for my daughter, even if they didn�t understand or like my decisions. Murren continued to grow and gain weight and was beginning to babble more and more and even say a few words. She began walking in June (at 14 months). She was right on track and I was healthy too! |
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| GETTING STARTED
I had always planned to breastfeed my daughter, but was surprised at the resistance I encountered from people on my CF team � even those who had breastfed their own children. I had wonderful support from some experienced breastfeeding friends. Stephanie, who attended Murren�s birth, is a La Leche League (LLL) leader and was vital in my ability to make good decisions based on facts and current information. I was also fortunate to have baby who latched on and nursed well from the beginning. She was an easy, laid-back, happy infant. But, it wasn't all bliss. I had sore nipples (to the point of crying every time she latched on) for six weeks. Each day I thought to myself that surely I�d have to give up and switch to bottles, but God gave me the strength and perseverance to see it through, one day, one feeding, at a time. Then at six weeks, I just woke up one day and it just didn�t hurt anymore. I don�t know if I had been positioning her poorly or if it was just my body getting used to this new sensation or function or another factor, but I was relieved to be rid of the pain. |
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| But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children. 1 Thessalonians 2:7 |