Hi All,
Have thought of posting often in the past couple weeks but kept hoping I would have good news. My synopsis for newbies: I have been pumping for 10 months with dom and herbs. I previously nursed 4 bio and one adopted child. While pumping I produced 15-20 oz a day for months while awaiting a newborn placement that never happened-- am now down to 2 pumps per day and getting 10 oz a day.
I have been offering the breast to Emily since she was placed with us a month ago at age 20 months. She happily accepts my pumped milk in an Avent bottle. I have offered the breast both awake and asleep 2x a day since she arrived. She's latched on in her sleep two times in the past month. But lately I have been on the brink of quitting since it seemed that she was too sleepy to nurse while asleep and perpetually refused while awake (despite her interest in me pumping and her obvious understanding of where the milk comes from!)
Last evening I was squeezing out milk for her, which she would catch in her fingers and lick off her hand (silly child! She is quite a chowhound and I think did not want to see it wasted!) I coaxed her to open her mouth while I squeezed a bit directly in, and then she latched on for a couple sucks. This she repeated half a dozen time-- sucking maybe 3 or 4 times at most before letting go. I did some breast compression so she would be sure to get some milk with little effort, and she nursed while sitting up in front of me on the bed, not lying in my arms.
This morning I offered her the breast again and she immediately accepted-- 3 or 4 sucks, then popped off. Repeat. I was jubilant. After a few minutes she started getting more comfortable, sucking longer and longer before squirming off. And she would immediately come back for more-- she even fussed when I put my bra and shirt on!! She nursed sitting up some, then let me cradle her several other times. At various times during the day she has come up to my lifting my shirt and asking to nurse. All together today, she has latched on a couple dozen times, sucking as long as 2 minutes before coming off, and getting progressively more comfortable with nursing each time. It is just incredible!! She did NOT comfort-nurse to sleep at naptime-- sucked a few minutes, then detached and fell asleep in my arms as usual. But I am just so excited that she has latched on so many times and seems this interested!!!
I don't know for sure that she will continue to do this, but it seems like a good sign that she has been so interested today. She sucks with a nice open mouth and good, comfortable suction... tho she did fiddle around some and has bit me a couple times... but not unbearable. I am just so thrilled! (oops, think I said that already...but it has been a long road getting here. She is just so precious!!
