Yeah for breastfeeding

Yeah! Jac and I went to another lactation appointment this morning and it went so well!

The consultant (the same one we had for our first appointment) helped us with a lot of things.

1. We went skin to skin - which I had not been doing at home
2. She had me hold him with the opposite hand from the breast that he was eating from
3. She had me hold me breast with a U-shaped hand which supported both the breast and his chin
4. She had me hold his head up more than I had been able to do in the cradle hold I am been doing previously

And he went to town! He latched on the first time pretty easily after we jollied him awake and made him a naked baby and weighed him. Then he took a little break and was able to latch on again. That went on for about 20 minutes. And he drank! We tried for a third latch but he wasn't quite organized enough to do that. Yeah!

We then weighed him and he consultant didn't believe the scale - if it was right he had 75 ml! Which is a little hard to believe. She said her estimate based on watching him was that he had taken 30 ml or so! I could feel that he had emptied my breast a little! - just a little - but that is something!

This is really giving me hope that we can do this - he seemed to have an Aha! moment when he realized that he could really get milk! The whole time I was talking to him and explaining that now he is eating from the source!

He was so cute after his first latch and drink. When he came off my breast he had a milk beard! Yeah!

The consultant said a lot of babies turn the corner on breastfeeding between 6 and 6.5 pounds - usually closer to 6.5 pounds. We are getting there! Perhaps in 3 weeks he will be 6.5 pounds if he keeps going like he is!