Delivery
My daughter was born eight days early after a relatively straightforward labor and birth. So, I was shocked to find out that she had broken her collarbone since her birth had not been traumatic for either of us. As a new mom, I was terrified of hurting her when I found out. While at the hospital, we continued to try to latch, but I just couldn’t get her to latch effectively. When she did latch, it was incredibly shallow, painful, and she would unlatch within seconds and start screaming. She has been diagnosed with a lip tie during her initial look over, but we were told it shouldn’t interfere with breastfeeding. I knew I had colostrum, because I was able to hand express, and had been prior to delivery. The hospital lactation consultant gave us a breastfeeding pamphlet and “9/10 success rate for latching/nursing” along with a “practice makes perfect!”. Yet, 48 hours later my daughter was still passing meconium. We were reassured by the hospital staff that she had had a normal diaper during a physical exam, so we didn’t need to be concerned.
Discharge
We were discharged just in time to attend an appointment with the orthopedic doctor. Sitting in a waiting room in postpartum diapers, not even having the opportunity to go home first with our newborn, it hit me: this was our new real life and we were responsible for this precious baby girl. I followed the guidelines for feeding my daughter and set a timer to try to nurse her every two hours. I would hand express first so that she would be able to eat easier. Every time, it turned into a crying disaster–both for my daughter and me. With each attempt at feeding, it seemed like my daughter was getting less and less interested in eating, which was increasing my own postpartum worry and stress.
Appointment with SimpliFed
I texted SimpliFed and was able to get an appointment with Bri, a CLC through SimpliFed. We were able to meet and discuss hand expression. I was able to provide some of the stored colostrum from the prenatal colostrum harvesting I had done with the approval of my provider and what I was able to express. However, I was still worried about her diapers and lethargic personality. Through tears, I fixed my daughter a bottle of the trial formula the hospital had given us. This wasn’t part of my plan for my daughter and I felt like I was failing, especially with a formula shortage! My daughter only seemed mildly interested in the bottle, and still didn’t really latch on. Following my instinct, we called our weekend hotline for our pediatrician.
Readmission
We were asked to come in to confirm that she was not jaundiced or dehydrated. We continued to give bottle supplements, yet they were still challenging for her to feed from. I was relieved, but I felt like my feeding goals for my daughter were all failing. I felt overwhelmed. So, I texted SimpliFed. It was a weekend, but still, within minutes, I received a response! This was so comforting to me because at this point I didn’t know what to try next.
SimpliFed Support
The very next morning I was able to hop onto a telehealth appointment with Lauri Cox. She listened to everything that had happened and encouraged me that I had not failed. As a new mom, I think you really need to hear those words. She put me on a pumping schedule to help bring in my milk since my daughter was not able to latch, and also gave me recommendations for nursing positions to try with her broken collarbone. She encouraged me to press my pediatrician about whether my daughter’s lip tie really was not interfering with her ability to eat. She did not shame me at all for already giving my daughter a bottle and formula.
As a parent, you have to trust your gut and do whatever is best for your baby. At that time, a bottle and formula to supplement the little colostrum I had was the best thing for her. I’m thankful that the SimpliFed has been there to support me throughout my baby feeding journey, without judgment.
