[blparent] Update and Question-Breastfeeding Issue-Please don't read if you do not feel comfortable with the topic of breastfeeding

[RaLynn McGuire]

Hi all,
        First of all I wanted to take a moment to reintroduce myself.  My name is RaLynn (pronounced RayLynn) and I am visually impaired and my husband is totally blind.  I think the last time I posted to the list I was still pregnant.  I found it to be a great resource as we were planning for our little one.  On August 5th our daughter KaraLyn (KaLy for short-pronounced like Kayly) was born.  She weighed in at 8 lbs and was 21 and a half inches long.  Since then we've all learned a lot! Lol.  We were very lucky and we had no trouble with the breastfeeding process.  The only issue we had was people wondering if she was getting enough to eat because she would wake often and want to eat.  I kept reassuring everyone that she was eating like a little piglet but it still shook my confidence a little.  Luckily we stayed the course and at her 2 month check in she weighed in at nearly 13 and a half pounds and had grown to nearly 24 inches.  No one wonders if she's eating enough now!  It's been "fun" trying to decipher if what people are telling you is good advice or just personal opinion.  I guess what I mean is I've learned that when everyone said "Don't stock up on newborn clothes since they won't stay in them very long" they were absolutely right in our case!  I just packed up a box of clothes that KaLy never even wore because she was already 8 pounds when she was born!  But I've also come to realize how many people really do not understand or support breastfeeding at all!  This seems so strange to me as mothers have been doing this for ages and yet there is still so much misinformation out there about it.  While our experience in the hospital was mostly great we even encountered a nurse who, after our repeated statements that we were breastfeeding kept offering or nearly insisting she take the baby to the nursery and give her a bottle so we could get some sleep.  We just stuck to our guns and kept politely declining.  We were lucky to be able to have KaLy in our room the entire time and go home after only one night so we didn't have to put up with that for long but it really shocked us!  We didn't expect to encounter anything like this while we were there.  Oh well, we got through it.  Many of the women in my family didn't breastfeed because either they weren't able to or they simply chose not to so I didn't really have much family support.  In fact my own mom kept pushing the benefits of using formula during the first few weeks because she just felt it would be "easier" for me.  I have to say, I do not judge those who choose not to breastfeed.  It's hard work!  We were lucky to have good local resources such as breastfeeding classes and lactation specialists but even all of the information in the world doesn't prepare you to wake up every two hours, spend half an hour feeding the baby, spend fifteen minutes to half an hour to get them to go to sleep, dragging yourself back to bed, and then having to start the whole process over again after about half an hour of sleep! Lol.  Things are much easier now that we're beyond those first few weeks and I know I've learned to function on a lot less sleep!  I'm back at work for now and really struggling with having to be away from the baby during the day.  We are still successfully breastfeeding which has been wonderful.  I was worried that the baby might prefer eating from a bottle and wean herself after I went back to work.  Luckily this hasn't been the case at all.  Anyway, I don't mean to ramble on and on.  I was just curious if any of you had a similar experience with lack of family support if you chose to breastfeed?  When did it seem to subside?  Did you do anything or just let your chunky satisfied baby speak for him/herself.  I feel like now that KaLy is so obviously eating well that the concerns have pretty much gone away but now of course I'm getting the "Oh well you should start putting rice cereal in her milk now" and so on.  Which, I think at this point is pretty ridiculous!  She's only 2 and a half months old, sleeping very well at night, and is growing like a weed.  I know it's all just part of the process of learning what "advice" to listen to and what to ignore but it just seems like a bit of an uphill battle when it comes to feeding!  And in this case it's not with my baby but others who think they know better.  Our pediatrician is wonderful and very supportive thank goodness because I don't know what I'd do otherwise.  I'm a little worried as I read the posts lately that feeding will continue to be an issue in one form or another! Lol.  Thanks in advance for any input.

RaLynn McGuire
Disability Access Consultant/AT Professional
Arizona State University
Disability Resource Center
PO Box 873202
Tempe, AZ  85287-3202
Department: (480)965-1234
Direct:           (480)965-4732
Fax:               (480)965-0441
RaLynn.McGuire at asu.edu