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The Nursing Baby - Your Breastfeeding Stories

I brestfed my first baby successfully for 6 months until I returned to work full time. I tried to express milk while at work but long hours and a cranky baby made it very stressful and soon my milk supply had all but turned to water, so I felt I had to stop.

2 years later with my second baby I was a little more experienced, a little more relaxed and a lot more determined to make it work. I successfully breastfed her for 12 months nursing her myself at home and expressing milk for bottles while at work. She self weaned at 12 months and I felt so proud of myself having succeeded at not ever giving her formula.

Number three was a very different story. I accidently fell pregnant 6 years after number 2 I was in shock and had difficulty accepting that I was to have another baby after thinking for 6 years that my family was complete. The biggest shock was to be told that my baby had Down Syndrome and probably wont be able to breast feed. I couldnt understand why, when it is so natural and surely must be easier for a weak baby to suckle on a soft warm breast rather than a cold hard rubber teat !

Then we found out that the baby also had an intestinal malformation that would require surgery as soon as he was born. This made me more determined than ever to make sure he got what he deserved, and that was my breastmilk. He was born 4 weeks early and again I was told that he would be even weaker now and had a long road to recovery. After his surgery it would be several weeks before I could attempt to breast feed. He had his surgery and pulled through a lot better and stronger than the doctors thought he would.

I started expressing milk every 4 hours to establish and maintain a supply. One week after his surgery they started giving him 2mls of breastmilk via nasogastric tube. Gradually the feeds increased over the next two weeks, until he was having 40mls every 2 hours. I was still very worried that he may not be able to feed properly, with all his known problems on top of the fact that he had not been allowed to suckle EVER !! I started to ask the Doctors if he could suckle his feeds, to which they said no, because of his gut problem they had to regulate the feeds a bit longer so that they know it has healed properly.

At this time He started to get sick. He was showing all the signs of a severe infection, but all his blood cultures came back clear. He was subjected to Bone Marrow biopsy and a host of other tests to see what was causing his symptoms, but everything came back ok ?? Doctors were puzzled? I stepped in and said I thought that all he needed was to be breastfed. I almost demanded that they take off the Drips and the IV nutrient etc and let me feed him myself. Out of a team of 5 Doctors only 1 agreed with me. But the next day we decided to try it and see. My boy who had never been near a breast in his 3 weeks of life Immediately turned in and latched on as if he had been doing it forever. He had the most satisfied look on his face and I felt soooooo wonderful. He then slept for 4 hours before waking and demanding another feed !! This baby was born to breastfeed, even though the "professionals" all said he couldnt. The next day his fever had gone and all signs of infection had gone, Now how good is mothers milk? Natures own cure all.

3 days later we were able to take him home !! 4 weeks earlier than all the doctors said he would need to recover from his surgery !! I think my story just goes to show how much better for your baby breastmilk is, and just how strong the healing powers of breastfeeding and love are. My boy is now 9 months and still feeding well with no trouble at all. He is nothing like the poor weak delayed "typical" baby with Down Syndrome we were told to expect. He is Strong, bright, happy, loving and just as "normal" as my other babies !!