The Pearsalls

August 10 and 11 - Lactation Consultant and 2 week appointment

On Wednesday, I finally went to see a Lactation Consultant at Norton Suburban about my sore nipples. After speaking on the phone with someone at HMH on Monday, I tried to remedy the "nipple sucking" (meaning the babies only get the nipple in their mouth and not enough of the surrounding breast tissue) myself to no avail, so I made an appointment in hopes that we could get this figured out.

Unfortunately, when we arrived and evaluated, I was told there is basically nothing I can do about the "nipple sucking" except wait it out because their mouths are just so small right now. We did uncover a larger issue, though. The babies aren't gaining weight the way they should be. They had both basically maintained their weight from a week ago and hadn't gained back to their birth weights, which they should have by now. The lactation consultant said that because the babies are premature, they just don't have the strength or energy to successfully nurse exclusively. We should have been supplementing, but no one ever told us. Frustration about that fact aside, we were told by the lactation consultant to nurse, then pump and feed the babies the additional milk so they would both stimulate the breast and get enough to eat. After just one night of this ridiculous routine, which took at least an hour and then started all over again in another hour, I knew my sanity couldn't take it. We had to figure out an alternative solution.

I was incredibly discouraged because I really want breastfeeding to work, but with two preemies, I just wasn't sure I could do it any more. This brings us to the appointment on Thursday. The nurse practitioner and I discussed several possibilities and agreed that giving them breastmilk is best if possible. So, after weighing my options, I've decided to try pumping for most feedings until they are big enough to properly latch, but still nursing a couple of times a day to keep them familiar with the breast. This way, we know how much milk they are getting, and my nipples aren't so sore (although pumping doesn't help the soreness very much). Depending on my pain level and sanity, we'll try this method for awhile.