Since our oldest son is known to have cow's milk allergy, this was the first thing that immediately went through our minds.
Every other week we ask a Real Mom if they would like the NurtureGoods experience. These moms use a breast pump from NurtureGoods in order to describe and share their experiences. In this way, we hope to raise awareness of the NurtureGoods experience and help you make a choice. This week it's mom Priscilla's turn. Will you read along?
Priscilla's NurtureGoods experience (Instagram @x_priscillavdm)
Breastfeeding, Uncertainty and Victories: My adventure with Ruben and the NurtureGoods Breast Pump
Brief introduction
I am Priscilla 30 years old, Mom of Milan (2) and Ruben (0). Last April I gave birth to our son Ruben. During my pregnancy I was asked the question several times by family, friends, midwife and maternity help, among others. Do you want to breastfeed? I have always been very clear about this from the beginning of my pregnancy, ''Yes, I definitely want to try''. But I have always said that this should not become a battle. Of course, I also know that it won't always be easy and it will be painful and frustrating at times and most of all it requires a lot of practice. The reason I chose to breastfeed is because it seemed good for the bond with our son. Unfortunately, this opportunity was taken away from me with our son Milan due to cow's milk allergy. Because of this I stopped breastfeeding at 3.5 weeks. This because I did not want to change my diet.
The first day
At the end of the morning at 11:53 a.m. on April 12, our son Ruben was born. Immediately after delivery he was placed on my breast. 2 Hours after delivery I started latching him on to my breast to get the production going. He latched on well right away, which then also appeared to go well throughout the day. The first day they still have enough nutrients from the umbilical cord, but after that it is important that they get enough breast milk in order to lose as little weight as possible.
My milk production came on with difficulty for the first few days, and my son did have trouble latching on once he got home. He appeared to have too little strength due to fatigue to bite and suck properly. Ruben clearly showed that he was not satisfied, so we decided to start supplementing with formula. Once we started the artificial feeding, he appeared to be very nauseated. Possibly he swallowed too much amniotic fluid due to the fast delivery.
Everything that went in, he also spit out within 10 minutes. Because our oldest son is known to have cow's milk allergy, this was the first thing that immediately went through our heads. All this together made me very insecure. Despite it being our second child.
After a phone call with the midwife, we were reassured again. She clearly indicated that children cannot build up an allergy in the first 2 weeks and therefore cow's milk allergy could definitely not be the cause of the spitting up.
The following days
The first few days feeding was very painful, causing me to cramp continuously while feeding. i was reluctant to feed because i knew i would experience the same pain again. Fortunately, this diminished over the weeks and I now feed painlessly. I often worried a lot about whether he would drink enough? Was he gaining enough weight? Which made me think more and more about stopping breastfeeding. Even though this was not what I wanted. In the end I decided to continue. By day 7, Ruben was almost back to his birth weight.
The morning after delivery he was still having trouble latching on, how glad I was when the maternity nurse walked in and came to support me with feeding. The little one was still exhausted and therefore did not have the strength to get nutrition out of the breast, so I decided to start pumping. To avoid overproduction, I decided to start with 3 times a day, to start up my production this way.
I got to test the Breast Pump from NurtureGoods (Dual Efficient smart 3.0). This breast pump allows you to pump 2 breasts at the same time, saving you time! The flask features a touch screen control panel and has a built-in battery. This allows you to pump wherever and whenever you want. After charging it with the USB cable, you can perform at least 6 to 10 pumping sessions before it needs to be recharged. There is a pressure pulse massage technique incorporated in the pump, which increases your milk production by 20%. You can use the memory function, so you don't have to constantly reset everything. I really like this! The pump can be set to 9 different suction levels. Also features a nipple retractor (helps you to correct the inverted or flat nipple for even easier pumping). 100% BPA free material + CE certified. I would personally recommend this pump because it saves a lot of time by allowing you to pump 2 breasts at the same time. Also, it is nice that you can easily take it with you without having to hook it up to the power somewhere. The battery also lasts a long time!
After 3 weeks
Finally he latched on well and breastfeeding went off without a hitch. But unfortunately Ruben turned out to develop cow's milk allergy. He developed swollen eyes, continuous overstretching/cramping, flushed hands, spitting up, restless skin, wheezing, restless drinking and lots of crying. Because of this I considered stopping my breastfeeding adventure, but little man thought otherwise and started refusing the bottle more and more often with the special feeding. While before he easily drank from the bottle. This made me decide to continue anyway and consume as little to no milk products as possible. However, I continue to offer the bottles with the special food (nutramigen), to get him used to drinking from the bottle and the taste of the food. We are not there yet, but after a week he already seems a lot more relaxed and cries a lot less during the day.
Much love, Priscilla
Would you like to know more about Priscilla? Then follow her on Instagram @x_priscillavdm