Re: breastfeeding survey

Cendra Lynn (cendra@falcon.ic.net)
Tue, 26 Mar 1996 12:26:02 -0500 (EST)


Joyce, you are not alone.

It wasn't the worst experience of my life, but it was an experience that 
I would describe with words I usually don't send over the Internet.

One problem I had was that the lactation consultant I had contacted never 
showed up at my house the day Elizabeth came home, and after that I never 
had the mental wherewithal to phone her back.  My life was chaos for a 
year, which only people on this list can really understand.  

I finally gave it up four months after she'd arrived, and it turned out 
that the immunity I was giving her was having an effect, because she got 
more illnesses after that.  So if I had it to do over, I'd definitely 
keep struggling.  But I would also know about electric breast pumps, 
which were not widely known about here back then.  That would have helped 
get my supply up.

What DID work was dry nursing which she began spontaneously at age 2.5  
She was having a hard time with daycare, due I found out later to a 
caregiver who was having personal problems.  She began sleeping on the 
floor and only would go back to her bed if I were in it.  And then she 
began dry nursing.  I did not let her bring in my milk because I was 
taking a drug that I didn't want her to get any of, but she continued 
nursing nightly for months and months.  After that she con tinued comfort 
nursing, i.e. nursing whenever she felt bad, including in public!  
Fortunately we live in liberal Ann Arbor so that wasn't a problem.  She 
continued THAT until second grade, off and on, so she did get one of the 
major benefits of nursing.  And even today she will unconsciously fondle 
my breasts when she's talking to me about something that touches her 
deeply.

Best of luck.  Write any time for more tips and support.

Cendra
Cendra [ken'dra] Lynn
cendra@ic.net

On Mon, 25 Mar 1996, *Joyce Worsley TRS 396-5440 wrote:

> Hey, who did a breastfeeding survey? Must have been before I signed on.
> Please clue me in as that was one of the most wretched experiences of my 
> life and I'd sure like to know that I was not alone!!
> Peace,
>       Joyce- Mama to 25 weekers Justice and Destiny
>