- Body-to-Body contact - this meant letting her access her food any time she wanted. The best way to do this was to wear a low-cut tank top or carry her around underneath a baggy t-shirt.
- Take a bath with baby - this was to allow Irelynn full access and encourage exploration. She suggested playing peek-a-boo with my boobs. I guess I wasn't so far off when I thought their ideas were a little out there!
- Take baby to bed and sleep naked so that she could nurse for comfort if needed.
I was informed that most nursing strikes last at most for 9 days. I was 6 days in... could I last 3 more days?
During our conversation, Juliet told me two stories:
- For the first 9 months of her daughter's life (who is now 25), she would scream when she would take a bath. It literally took both parents to bathe this child. One day after a bath, Juliet carried her daughter into her bedroom and began nursing her (the only thing that would calm her after a bath). The following words came out of her mouth: It's just like before you were born. Her daughter stopped nursing and looked up at her. The next time she gave her a bath, there was no screaming. Inspiring.
- Another leader friend of hers had adopted a daughter from another country. She had heard of mothers nursing their adopted children, but didn't think that either of them would be interested in that because her daughter was a bit older. She took that little girl to all of her monthly meetings at La Leche League. After a few months of meetings, the little girl lifted up her mommy's shirt and started nursing. They nursed together for about a month and mutually decided to stop. There is hope.
I woke up this morning hopeful and inspired! Irelynn had a bottle for her first feeding. Now that she is sleeping through the night, she wakes up famished! I was unable to pry the bottle away until she finished the whole 6 ounces. Two minutes later, I was covered with projectile vomit - I wasn't surprised. I stripped our clothing off and took Irelynn into the shower with me. She loves the shower and played with the water while I washed up. I realized that I was inadvertently trying a couple of options that Juliet suggested. I held Irelynn close and thought that I could let her explore if she wanted to. She was more interested in the water!! Throughout the morning I kept telling her how much I missed nursing her and that it made me pretty sad! At her next feeding, I decided to fill a bottle with water instead of formula, thinking that I would give her a choice: either a bottle of water or mommy's milk. She was MAD! So, I warmed up her bottle and told her that she needed to calm down. I told her that if she wanted a bottle she was going to have to be patient while I warmed it up. She could have mommy's milk right away. She hushed a bit and we went back to the chair. She took the bottle and drank about an ounce before making eye contact with me.
As we locked eyes, I asked, "Would you like to try mommy's milk again?"
Much to my surprise, she spit the bottle out of her mouth and latched on. She nursed until she fell asleep!
I am so glad for my persistence and communication with her, as silly as I thought it was at the time. Who would think that this little 16-week old girl could actually understand what I was saying to her - she truly is amazing!
Even if this was a one-time-only occurrence, I will rest easy knowing that we tried our best!
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