Breastfeeding is Beautiful, Bottles are Heaven
Feeding Jax has been an adventure. A few months before he was born I started to read a couple books about breastfeeding. I had heard so many stories from friends about how painful and difficult it was to breastfeed and I started to feel a little insecure and anxious.Although the books helped me a lot, when Jax was born I found out that nothing was happening like I imagined. Jax quickly began to try to latch, but the second day in the hospital I discovered that we were doing something wrong because he had already hurt me, like a lot.A lactation consultant helped me see the mistakes and gave me some tips and tricks. Talking to her made me feel calm and hopeful again but that didn’t last long.When we got home, chaos ensued. I was feeling exhausted and sore and Jax was really hungry and restless. Breastfeeding those first few days was really painful, but I was feeling determined and I did not want to stop trying.Jax’s pediatrician saw us a few days later and told me I had to force myself to sleep more. She recommended buying an electric pump and take out as much milk as possible so Jordan, my husband, could feed the baby while I took a nap.Within the chaos and stress of those days, we could not find a bottle that made us feel confident, so we decided to feed Jax using a spoon, I know, that sounds insane.For the first couple of weeks thats what we did. I pumped and Jordan fed him while I slept a few extra minutes. The spoon worked for a couple of days, back then Jax was eating only 0.5 ounces.As the wounds healed, and my shattered morale, I went exclusively to breastfeed.Just after Jax turned one and a half months old, we finally started to feel more calm. My milk supply had grown, Jax was eating enough and the three of us were finally starting to sleep better.I started to dream about the idea of going out for dinner with my friends or take an afternoon to go get a haircut. Of course, to make those dreams happen we needed to find the best way for Jordan to fed Jax.
We tried several bottles for a few weeks, but we didn’t like many, they all had to much flow, or Jax didn’t like the nipple, we now have a huge assortment of different types of bottles. Finally we stumbled upon the Munchkin LATCH bottle, it was great, it had just a enough flow, and Jax could really latch on, it was just more like he was actually at the breast.We started to set up a routine at night, and Jax did really well with it. We started giving him his bath at night because he actually sleeps better after he’s all clean. We turn on the lullabyes pandora station and Jordan feeds him with the bottle.
Watching Jordan feeding Jax the first time was the sweetest thing I have ever seen. We never thought about that before, but I saw that special moment and I discovered how important for both, Jax and Jordan, it was to connect in that way.I was exhausted, mentally and physically, thinking that I needed to be 100% in charge of all the feedings.
Jax started to get used to his routine pretty fast, so I started to pump more during the mornings to have those ounces of liquid gold ready for the night. We have been doing this for a few weeks and Jax seems to understand the transition from breast to bottle and back, which is pretty awesome.One of my favorite things about the Munchkin LATCH bottle is that it was specifically designed to help me reach my breastfeeding goals which to be honest, I’m really passionate about. Jordan’s favorite part is how easy it is to move and manipulate and the way it folds, which makes him feel like it actually helps Jax latch easily and correctly. It looks like the bottle actually reaches all the way back to the palate like if Jax was feeding directly from the breast.Another thing we like, is that the LATCH bottles are designed to reduce colic. Jax has never seemed to have a lot of colic, but we feel more calm knowing that it’s one less thing to worry about. The bottle has an anti-colic valve located at the bottom of the bottle which allows for breast milk to flow while ensuring air bubbles don’t travel through, reducing gas and fussiness.We are starting to take Jax to public places more often, now that he’s had his first vaccines and we are starting to take a bottle with us in case mommy needs to do other things. We also discovered that he is starting to suck his hands a lot, so we decided to introduce him to a LATCH pacifier and we are taking it with us when we leave the house. I was a little nervous about using a pacifier at first, but honestly sometimes when you just can't pick up your baby, like the checkout line at the grocery store, anything that will calm our little guy down for just a few minutes is incredible. I've also read about how thumb sucking can be a difficult habit to break, I'd rather get him used to a pacifier that I can take away than have to deal with an ongoing thumb sucking habit, and cutting off his thumb just doesn't seem like a good option.The first time we tried was last week, when I had a doctor’s appointment. I was so relieved leaving Jordan with Jax because I knew that at least Jax wouldn't feel hungry while I was busy. I went back to a happy husband and a happy baby. It was a happy moment, I finally felt like maybe I will get to do things on my own from time to time. I love my baby, but a little me time just helps me love him even more.I’m pumping more and more this week since I plan to make an appointment for a hair makeover. I’m looking forward for that me time and I’m calmer because I know that baby and daddy will be fine, they seem to love those special moments together, and I love watching them connect in a whole new way.How was breastfeeding for you? How did you make your baby transition from breast to bottle and vice versa without getting him confused?Any tips about breastfeeding for new mommies?
While LATCH is available at Target and Babies’R’Us, you can pick and choose your bottle size and nipple stage to perfectly suit your baby’s feeding needs exclusively on Munchkin.com. Plus, enjoy a great discount when you buy more bottles on Munchkin.com — save up to 15% off your LATCH bottle purchase!
This post is brought to you by Munchkin LATCH as part of the #LoveLatch campaign.
