Well, it seemed that shortly after my milk supply balanced out to meet Aya's needs, we had another obstacle. This time thankfully, it wasn't quite as large of a hurdle. However, it was still discouraging. I had grown accustomed to my happy little girl after she finished nursing as a welcome change to the screaming we encountered during the first few weeks of Aya's life. But, around 3 months, Aya started to show a lot of discomfort during and after feeding again. I worried it was my milk supply again, but since her stools remained a healthy yellow and hadn't turned green again (an indicator of oversupply), I was relatively confident this wasn't the issue. Her first feeding of the day, when she would have consumed a larger quantity of milk, was also her most content. Again, another reason to doubt her discomfort had anything to do with supply.
What I started to notice was that after Aya burped and spit up a bit, she seemed very relieved and then calm again. My lactation consultant recommended burping Aya between sides or anytime Aya unlatched (which was very frequently). Mary Kay wondered whether Aya bobbed on and off of the breast because she needed to burp during the feeding, not just after.
After listening to Mary Kay's suggestion, I did try to burp Aya more frequently during her feeding; sometimes it worked and we avoided a painful meltdown, and sometimes it didn't. Sometimes, stopping to burp Aya mid-feed actually seemed to make her more upset. My pediatrician suggested she had a little acid reflux which often starts around 3 months. She said if Aya's discomfort continued to be minimal and short lived we would avoid medicine because it often causes constipation. After a little more experimentation, I discovered that if I gave Aya a pacifier after she finished eating she was able to burp sooner. Almost instantaneously, little bean would be at ease again as if she had never been crying. It also made me feel better sooner.
The reflux like symptoms seemed to disappear as quickly as they came. You can be sure though, that I am still a very happy mama when my little girl finishes nursing and has a bright smile. I haven't started taking this bliss for granted after so many difficult nursing sessions, and I hope I never do. I do believe that gazing down at a completely peaceful, content child after they have finished nursing is one of life's greatest gifts. Everyday I look at my Aya and know she has grown because of
my milk. Amazing, simply amazing.
As I sat in public places trying to nurse little bean I dreaded the outcome of each feeding. Would she cry out? Would she be content? Would she be more unhappy than she was before I fed her? I had an image of breastfeeding in my mind that didn't match my reality. The image was of a perfectly calm, content, peaceful mother who held her equally calm, content and peaceful baby. But there was a problem. My Aya squirmed and fidgeted her way through feedings. She sometimes even stopped and let out a cry. She certainly didn't fall asleep at the end. My face wasn't peaceful either. I was tense and anxious. I wish I had pictures of the early days I fed Aya. Maybe moms would be encouraged to see that not all breastfeeding relationships start out looking like the peaceful images we see on the front of breastfeeding books or pamphlets.
