Why I called a lactation consultant

I started out my breastfeeding journey with determination, however I quickly realised that it was going to take more than determination when breastfeeding got progressively more and more painful, quickly become excruciating. My nipples were breaking down, and although I watched instructional videos online and had some friends give their input, I couldn’t figure out what I was doing was wrong. I wasn’t coping well, and I felt like a failure. That’s when I reached out to Mimi.

What I got from my visit with LEIF Therapies 

Mimi came to our home (as a mama of a newborn, it was amazing to not have to leave the house!!), and spent a good part of the morning with us. She started out by examining Addie – she was very soothing as she checked in her mouth, and was very thorough. She explained what she was doing and what her findings were. It turned out that Addie had a severe tongue tie. Mimi helped me with several nursing positions, and with her help with positioning I was able to have my first pain free feed!! She weighed Addie before and after her feed so that I was able to know how much milk she had taken in. She took the time to make sure that I was comfortable with the different positions, and gave me opportunity to practice. I learned how to make a “breast sandwich”, which really helped to get a deeper latch. Because of the severity of the tongue tie, Mimi recommended we get it clipped, and recommended a doctor who was an expert in the area.  I felt really supported during her visit, not just physically but emotionally too. I hadn’t realised quite how much of a toll the first week of breastfeeding had taken on me emotionally, and found myself crying as she comforted me and said just the right things to help me in that moment. It truly was a huge blessing to have her there.  She called me several times afterwards to check in and make sure that we were ok and to see how things were progressing. After the tongue tie was clipped, things improved but then plateaued, and then slowly started worsening again. I had Mimi come for a follow up visit to check and see what was going on, and I am so glad I did. It turns out that Addie’s tongue tie had grown back – a pretty rare occurrence. We went back again to get it clipped once more, and after that things progressively improved – I healed a little more each day. I was so glad that she was available for a follow up visit – I found struggling with breastfeeding to be a really lonely and isolating experience, and it was nice to know that I wasn’t alone and there was someone there who was able to help me. 

Where my breastfeeding journey led us

My breastfeeding journey was not an easy one but it was definitely worth it. My little Addie girl is now three months old! I am so glad that I got the help that I needed so that we could continue our breastfeeding relationship. It is going wonderfully now, and I am so glad that I reached out so that we could get to this point. We are exclusively breastfeeding, and it is no longer painful. It definitely took some time to get here, but the deep bonding experience that I get every day with Addie is worth every bit of the journey. I just love the time we get together – it is nice to be able to sit down and relax and just enjoy time with my daughter as I’m feeding her.