......AND IT CAN BE DONE!
The odds were stacked against me, but I was determined to make it happen. When I was 18 weeks pregnant, I received the news that my baby was going to be born with Down Syndrome. Like any other parent, I wanted to give him the best chance at life! My daughter was a formula baby and she did great. But, for some reason I found myself entertaining the idea of trying to breastfeed Colin. So I attended one of Lavawn's breastfeeding classes - probably one of the best decisions I had EVER made. When I left that evening, I felt like it was something I could tackle. I knew that it would be a challenge (babies with DS often have "feeding" issues and BFing "issues."). I also was concerned about my own health. Having Rheumatoid Arthritis, I was warned by my doctors that after birth I could easily slip into a nasty flare that would cause me to need to go back onto my medications.
But knowledge is power! And Lavawn provided me with enough knowledge that I knew I had the power to attempt this.
Colin was born on 9-21-10 and immediately latched on like a CHAMP! The nurses in the hospital were great helping us, as were the LC's in the hopsital. Colin and I made our first trip into Lavawn when he was a day shy of 1 week old. She helped us work through a few issues and we seemed to be heading in a good direction. The next few weeks were rough. Colin wasn't gaining weight. He would gain an ounce, then lose and ounce. The pediatrician wasn't as supportive as I wanted her to be with my desire to BF Colin. I felt like she wanted me to throw in the towel and formula feed, but I wasn't going to go there quite yet. I would leave the ped's office feeling low and discouraged (and often in tears!), and Lavawn was always able to provide the perfect words and encouragement to make me feel like I could hang in there and keep it going. I had read that many babies don't quite "get" how to breastfeed until they around 6 weeks old. So, I told myself that I needed to hang in until he was AT LEAST 6 weeks old.
Around 1.5 weeks, we had to introduce formula to supplement him. I would breastfeed Colin, then using a foley cup give him another 1 oz of pumped breastmilk and formula. The whole process took an hour and by the time I had pumped, I felt like it was time to start the whole process over again! When he was 2.5 weeks old we finally introduced Colin to a bottle. I remember sitting with Lavawn, feeding him that first bottle, and just crying. I felt like such a failure! I quickly realized I wasn't a failure - it was a matter of providing my baby with what he needed. We introduced Colin to the nipple shield hoping that would help him transfer more milk. Without the shield, he would lose too much of that precious milk that he needed! The shield seemed to do the trick. We got in a good pattern of breastfeeding with the shield, then taking a bottle of another 2-3 ounces after each feeding. Finally, around 7 weeks old Colin FINALLY hit birthweight! Eventually, the bi-weekly weight checks with Lavawn or the pediatrician slowly turned into every 2 weeks.
So, Colin and I settled into our good pattern..... Then the infection set in. Mid-December I had a bacterial infection start that didn't want to clear up. It took 3 rounds of 3 different antibiodics to FINALLY be gone by Mid-February. I had a cracked nipple that wouldn't heal and led to bloody breastmilk. I was put on a "pumping vacation" for 48 hours. Everytime Colin would latch on the left side it was toe-curling pain. But, again, we made it through (with Lavawn's support of course!!!).
I finally got to the point where I realized that Colin did better with bottles and I was able to monitor how much milk he was taking. So the pump became my best friend.... But I was ok with that.
So where are we at today???? My 5 month old is still breastfeeding, and getting pumped breastmilk in a bottle. I am back at work, so now he definately gets more bottles! I aim to breastfeed him once a day, but that doesn't always happen. I take advantage of the weekends to put him to breast more. And I'm so proud of what he and I have both been through and where we're at today! Babies with Down Syndrome CAN breastfeed and it's so beneficial for them!! Colin is doing amazing, and I'm convinced that a large part of that is because he is breastfed. Throughout this whole process, I would never allow myself to quit on a bad day. I set little goals. Once I hit 6 weeks, I knew we could keep going! My new goal was 2 months. Right now, my goal is to continue until he is 6 months old, then re-evaluate. But I know we will continue past that point. I *hope* we continue past that point. My long-term range is to continue pumping until he is 1 and continue breastfeed him as often as I can. Stupid job, it gets in the way.
If Colin and I can make it work, anyone can make it work!! And of course, none of this could have happened without Lavawn's love, support & help. She's an amazing woman. I tell her all the time that she's MY hero. Colin and I wouldn't be where we are without her.
~Kelly
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