Got Milk?

The last 15 weeks of enjoying my daughter have been wonderful. Not easy at all, but who says it's suppose to be? I just have to share this because it really makes me smile now to think about it all. Just like any new mother, I was so excited at the possibility of nursing my baby girl. I thought this would be the experience that topped them all, to not only give life to a child... but sustain it. If I only knew how true this would be (the topping them all) part of that sentence...lol

From the minute after she was born I began to nurse Chloe. Maybe this is why she just prefers mommy now, but that's an entirely new blog. So, back to my story. It was an adjustment to having this new creation feeding (every 2 hours) day and night. Then I began to feel these stabbing pains every time she latched made me want to put a piece of leather in my mouth! Trush. Yea, such a little word does quite a lot of destruction. That is to the whole peaceful nursing experience... So, next came the gentian violet. It's a good thing that I like purple, because this natural remedy ended up staining Chloe's tongue, myself, our clothes, and just about anything else that we touched!

My little girl finally got over this, and we realized that she had bad reflux and would cry for sometimes hours at a time. Again, so hard for a new mommy :) Many doctors just told us that it was normal for a baby to cry, but thankfully mothers have intuition. I pushed and pushed, and finally got her doctor to treat Chloe. Whala! The problem seemed fixed. Back to enjoying the nursing experience. Then, the reflux got worse and she started to posture. It looked like she was having seizures, but it was really her responding to the pain of the reflux. My poor angel. After a trip to the Children's Hospital, we found out that she is perfectly well, but has a rare side effect of reflux.

Things are great, we are back to a great nursing experience... then came the ducts. Who knew we even had such a thing? Not the little yellow squeak toy that floats in Chloe's bathtub, but those that are ahem... well you already know where they are. So, Those can actually get clogged. Mine did. Not just once, but twice. After many manual treatments (I will spare you of the details), they were back in business. At least long enough for a large mass to form on my right side. Mastitis. Yes, and not only does it sound painful, it is. Guess what the best treatment is to help it decrease... nurse, nurse, nurse! Leather belt please :)

Okay, so at this point it was... thrush- check, reflux- check, colic for 3 months- check, clogged ducts- check, and mastitis- check. Calling my La Leche local leader so many times, so knows me by name- check. I always worried that because of these things that I would no longer be able to nurse Chloe. As it is, my supply never decreased.

That brings us current. Now we smooth sailing, but Chloe is so eager to do other things, that she nurses in a hurry and is ready to start playing. She just looks at me with those eyes and makes a little hungry grunting noise that can be translated to

Got Milk?