Here's what saved my breastfeeding journey...

Team, we have done it. We have conquered triple feeding and the nipple shield. My LO is 9.5 weeks old and three weeks ago we hit our turning point. It went from a daily debate of whether to give up on breastfeeding to realizing THIS IS WHAT BREASTFEEDING IS SUPPOSED TO FEEL LIKE?!

At the beginning my LO wouldn't latch on his own so started using a nipple shield in the hospital. He was also jaundiced and too sleepy to nurse which started us on the triple feeding inferno. Just wanted to share the things that improved my breastfeeding journey in the hopes that something helps someone else. I truly did not think I would get to this point so if that's you, you can do this!

So, here are the biggest things that saved us:

1. getting my LO's lip tie diagnosed and corrected. We finally got this checked when LO was 7 weeks and finding out made our problems make sense. As soon as we got this corrected, LO could finally latch without the nipple shield. It took a few days for him to adjust to the faster flow (he kept eating until he threw up and would sometimes painfully clamp down) but once he did, it has been pain free and it takes half the time to nurse him than it did with the nipple shield.

2. working with a lactation consultant outside of the hospital. The lactation specialists at the hospital gave me some misleading advice and information. Among other things, they told us it didn't look like LO had any ties and to just keep trying to latch. My LC was virtual but she was a voice of reason and encouragement. She advised us to actually get him checked for a tie and I'm so glad we did.

3. sticking it out for LO to get chubbier cheeks and better at sucking. Once my baby hit 8 lbs he started to actually suck more at the breast and the amount he drank during the bottle feedings started to decrease. If your baby arrived on the smaller side, they might just need to chunk up a bit to get better at sucking.

4. LO started rejecting bottles. Once he started rejecting bottles he nursed longer and we were finally done triple feeding around week 5.This is something that saved us that I can't give great advise on how to replicate. We are pretty positive that the reason he started rejecting the bottles is because I have high lipase and he was finally getting enough milk at the breast to develop a preference between the pumped and stored milk. Realizing my stored milk has a horrendous aftertaste that my baby will not drink was emotional but is what ended the triple feeding nightmare. I'm going to donate the stash of pumped milk my baby won't drink and have started scalding the milk for the new stash.

5. gradually decreasing pumping sessions to manage my oversupply. Triple feeding at the beginning meant that I had to be aggressive about pumping from the start. This protected my supply but once we dropped bottle feeding I still had to pump 6x/day to deal with the discomfort and engorgement. I dropped one pump session at a time every few days. I'm now only pumping once a day and using a hakaa once or twice throughout the day if things get too uncomfortable.

6. praying.

Things still aren't perfect but I'm so glad we stuck it out and are here now. Anyway... if you're still reading and you're going through anything similar, hang in there!!