Moms Stories

Leigh 

I have enjoyed your website so much! I too, have a story to share about how you rescued my daughter and me from the perils of formula. 

My baby was born on Nov. 2, 1993- right on time, thanks to my pregnancy-induced hypertension. My doctor induced my labor and after 10 hours, decided to do a c-section. I had already determined early on in my pregnancy that I was going to nurse my baby- end of story. It's a good thing I was determined, because it was quite an experience.

In the hospital, I had so much trouble getting her to latch on. She was very sleepy, I assume from the anesthesia, and just wouldn't cooperate. They brought in a lactation consultant, who didn't quite catch the fact that my nipples were flat. As pancakes...nothing, not even in the frozen foods section of the grocery store. But I persevered. My poor baby decided at 3am on Saturday night that she was STARVING!! And this time, she meant it. Only, I had all this milk, and no way to get it in her. The dears that threw my baby shower were aware of my desire to nurse, no one apparently assumed I'd need bottles. So, there we were crying until 6 that morning, with her sucking sugar water off my finger.

So, at 6am I called the only mother I knew that had nursed. My grandmother had, but it had been 50 years ago, and didn't seem fresh in her memory. Mom hadn't, and she just said, Honey, give her a bottle, she's hungry. No! I said, She's mine and I'm not putting that junk into her. So, I called my dear friend, that I had babysat for and she rushed over Sunday morning. She pronounced my nipples flat, said I needed breast shells. So, my darling mother goes to every drug store in town. Some precious, unnamed pharmacist gave her your name. Only she didn't have breast shells. Mom found the shells, and I had found HELP! I called you that Monday, and of course, you said, come right over. Mom drove me. And you praised my determination, told me I had a good grasp of the latching on technique and that my baby was beautiful. And, you gave me a pump, and told me that I COULD do this.

And I never thanked you for that. But I am now. I read the article in the paper and I found your website. And, though my daughter is 7 years old now, I am amazed at how frequently I still say "Oh, yes, I nursed my baby!" And, my daughter has had ONE ear infection in 7 years. She has been to the doctor for sick visits maybe 5 or6 times, and now that she's in school she's an accelerated reader. She is my only daughter. But I have been fortunate enough to be a resource for my sister, and many friends that chose to nurse, albeit with a great deal of persuasion from me to just "try it" for a few weeks. They were all hooked.

I had every possible complication to deal with. As I said, I had a section, so I had a baby with thrush, and I had yeast. I had flat nipples, I had a sleepy baby. I even nursed after going back to work. That was quite a challenge, but as you said, so worth it. I treasure every moment I nursed my daughter. Especially those night-time feedings. I remember those wonderful nights when she would wake up...every night at 2...she slept with us, and I would watch "Real Stories of the Highway Patrol" and nurse my baby. I don't remember being sleepy, but I remember putting her on my breast, watching her nurse, and both of us falling asleep together. She's still comforted by that now. When she's sick or hurt she wants to lay her head on my breast. I guess it's an everlasting bond we created....just me and my little girl.... Thank you, Thank you, Thank you. For the encouragement, the education, and the opportunity that I may have missed if it weren't for you!

Much love and many thanks!
Leigh 

Elke's Story

As a perinatal nurse and mother of three breastfed children, I know firsthand the difference a successful breastfeeding relationship makes in the health of mothers and babies. I have often witnessed the profound contribution informative, empathetic health professionals can make. No one among my colleagues is more committed to distributing accurate information and helping moms succeed than Anne. I would refer women in any situation to her for lactation help and be confident that she will handle their problem with the most exhaustive research and most even temperament possible. 

Mardee's Story

Breastfeeding is definitely the hardest and most rewarding accomplishment I have ever achieved. Anne Smith has been through the experience with me since January 1996. For over four years she has been with me as lactation consultant, primary support system, cheerleader, confident and friend.  Her depth of experience, over 20 years and as a mother of six, helped my husband and get through some difficult times with our two children. We know, however, that the effort is worth it as our children now seem to bear the benefits that research has indicated: they sleep and eat well, rarely went to the doctor as infants, are very happy and seem to be focused and learn easily. 

 When Baily (1-30-1996) dropped  from his birth weight of  7 pounds to  5 pounds at 2 weeks, and after making a desperate phone call and driving over to Anne’s house at 10.20 p.m., my husband was able to pick up a breast pump and tons of encouragement. This was not the first time that Anne would be there when we needed her. As it turns out, I greatly over-produced milk and while Baily would benefit from this and soon grow to 12 pounds in the next four weeks, which I could confirm  with the scale that she lent me, the constant leaking caused several yeast infections. Then I had to wean Baily at 15 months in order to have our second child Taylor Jane, an emotional decision that was very hard at the time, and one that she did not judge me over. Her counseling and support was always there for me through all of these trials and tribulations. Taylor Jane’s nursing adventures have been challenging as well, but I have successfully nursed her for 23 months. Anne of course provided me with the latest toddler information.

 Our new routine became to get him to latch on and get whatever. Afterward, I would pump out more and my husband would syringe as much liquid gold as Baily could handle. Baily gained 7 pounds the next 4 weeks to become quite the whopper. Anne even let me borrow her scale so that I could see improvement after every feeding session. She was then available for consulting when I thought I could not make it through one more session.

 Anne marveled and laughed with me in the month to come on days I would go to work. My husband would give Baily a 4 ounce bottle and I would pump out 20/30 oz.  Sometimes I would just call and leave the grand total on her voice mail.

 Leaking and being damp all of the time lead to yet another problem that Anne counseled me through. We persevered through yeast infections after yeast infection.

 When I made the decision to wean Baily at 15 months so that I could become pregnant with Taylor Jane, Anne was there once more to listen to me talk about how hard it was but she did not stand in judgment of my decisions.

 Taylor Jane’s nursing adventures have been challenging as well and I have successfully nursed her for 23 months. Anne of course provided me with the latest toddler information.

 Breast-feeding for four years has been a struggle at times; there were times when I didn’t think that I could make it through one more feeding. It takes hard work and organization (as does formula but for more expense and while robbing your child of what you have to offer) but with Anne’s support I feel it has provided limitless value to my children that can never be recaptured.

Bev's Story on Nursing Twins 

I first met Anne Smith ten years ago with the birth of my first child. Right away, I was impressed with her warmth, her knowledge of nursing issues, and her compassion toward new mothers who are nursing.

The nursing experience with my first child was a breeze.  We had a wonderful nursing experience.

With my second child, about two years later, I had some minor challenges. Who did I want to call first? Anne.  I found her again to be warm, knowledgeable, and compassionate.

Nursing my third child was again delightful and uneventful!

Seven months into my fourth pregnancy, we found out we were having twins.  I had no other plan than to nurse them, for I had had wonderful nursing experiences thus far.  I did run into a number of challenges with these two, however, including problems with weight gain. 

Again I called Anne. This was eight year after my first encounter with her, and again, she was there, helping, evaluating, supporting, and encouraging me.

We used a number of tricks of the trade in this situation, and although it was very time consuming, I nursed Nicholas and Valerie for over a year, along with some supplementation.

Nursing for me was a wonderful, wonderful, experience. It was worth all the effort, all the phone calls, all the pumping, all the supplies – everything!  How very thankful I am that Anne was there for me during this special time of my childbearing years. 

Lydia's Story

Anne & others, I have one comment about the use of Medela's nipple shield. It gave us a gift we wouldn't have had otherwise. When Cullen was a month old, we were working with an LC to see if he'd ever be able to nurse (had a cleft palate). At the breast, he couldn't latch & was overwhelmed by my letdown & active flow. Once with the LC & a couple of other times at home - WITH the nipple shield - were the only times in Cullen's life that he nursed for a whole "session" (more than a minute or two). It was a little more like his haberman bottle nipple & easy for him to manage without a full suck. Now, we didn't/couldn't continue 'cause it only worked a couple of times & after 45 minutes, he was worn out & still hungry (he was very small). With his cleft palate, he just couldn't progress beyond that. BUT, for those 2 or 3 times, it was like wonderful magic. My baby was on my breast. If he hadn't had the cleft & just needed some help getting to the breast, we would've continued for only a couple of weeks & moved on to the breast - the LC's plan. As it was, his problems were greater. The shield was allowing him to get milk in a manageable way at the beginning of my letdown & flow - when it was strong enough to come to him without much work.

 So, I can't say anything bad about the nipple shield. If it is effective for the transition, then yeah!

Angie's Story

Where do I start? I found Anne when I had an over supply problem after the birth of my first daughter, Emily. When Emily tried to nurse, she would gag and cough, and milk would squirt halfway across the room! I had Anne's number from a breastfeeding lecture I attended, and called to find out what to do. I was scared and worried, and thought I was going to drown my baby. Anne was quick to reassure me that this was common, and that there was a simple solution to my problem. I rented a pump, and just pumped off some of the milk at the beginning of each feeding, until the let-down calmed itself a little. In no time, Emily and I were settled and became a wonderful, compatible breastfeeding team.

I was going back to work part-time, and I was worried about having to pump in a 15 minute break in a public bathroom, but really wanted to continue nursing exclusively. I found out very quickly that my supervisor was not going to be supportive. There were many derogatory comments and remarks, and it was made clear that our views on raising children, and especially on nursing were completely opposite. She strongly believed that breastfeeding was "nasty", and disgusting, and that women should find a bathroom if their babies were hungry in public. Or better yet, wait until they could get home and do that sort of thing in private. I was quick to ask her when the last time was that she ate HER lunch in a bathroom, and let her know that if adults weren't expected to eat in such an unsanitary environment, babies shouldn't either! Just try to explain to an infant that he/she needs to wait 15-30 minutes until you can find a "suitable" place to feed them! I don't think so!! During the year that I was dealing with this sort of opposition, it was so great to just be able to pick up the phone and call Anne to vent, and get the support that I so desperately needed to deal with this situation on a daily basis. Anne was always so encouraging and understanding, and reassured me that I was doing the best thing for myself and my child, and that the results would be worth it. I'm sure that it would have been much more stressful and difficult to continue without her sympathetic shoulder to lean on. 

In the middle of that situation, (as if that wasn't enough already!), when Emily was 6 or 7 months old I developed a yeast infection on my breasts. When she nursed, it started as a burning feeling on my nipples, and before long, felt like she had hot, sharp, bits of glass in her mouth. OUCH!! Of course, I thought I must be doing something wrong, so I called Anne to find out what her opinion was. Once again, she was very reassuring, and told me that it was a common, and fixable, situation. She talked to me almost every other day for 4 months, sent me all sorts of literature, and told me about all of the things I could do, such as rinsing my nipples with a vinegar/water solution, air-drying them after nursing, and using an over the counter anti-fungal cream in between feedings. I called my pediatrician's office and explained what was going on, and convinced them to prescribe something for Emily's mouth also. The symptoms would get better, but as soon as I thought we had it licked, it would rear it's ugly, painful head again, and we'd start all over. After about 3-4 months of frustration, when I was nearly ready to give up, (and believe me, I thought about giving up just about each feeding!), Anne was able to refer me to a doctor who finally prescribed some stronger medication and we finally WON!! I wanted to shout from the rooftops that we had beaten the "yeastie monster"!! 

That same year, just before Thanksgiving, I had another scare. Emily seemed to be weaning herself, but she was only 9 months old, and I was terrified! I was nowhere close to being ready to stop nursing, but she was refusing the breast during the day, preferring to eat at the table during meals. But she started waking up at all hours of the night wanting to nurse, and I was frantic! So, as usual, I called Anne again to fix it! This time, it was a question of whether she was really ready to wean, or if there was something else going on. We were going out of town, and she was very honest with me about the possibilities. She advised me to try to relax over the holiday, and find lots of quiet time to try nursing her during the day, away from the activity and excitement going on. Either she would regain her interest, or she wouldn't, but we were hoping for the best. I called her several times during those few days for encouragement, and a day or so after we got back home things were back to normal again. I was so thankful and relieved, but I also knew that if the outcome had been different Anne would be there to help me through the emotions that I would face. Not many people would take time out of their own holiday plans and family time to just listen and offer support to a "customer", but Anne was so much more than just a pump rental source. She has been a sympathetic listener, a cheerleader, and most of all, a friend. Even after I returned my equipment and we no longer had a business relationship, she has always been there. For breastfeeding questions, for advice on the everyday concerns of raising children, or just to talk. 

Now, Emily is a smart, healthy 3 year old, and has a 19 month old sister, Laura. I have loved every minute I have spent nursing my babies, and encourage all of my friends to experience this life-changing choice for themselves. 

Harrie's Story

When I had my first child, Bridgette, I was 20 years old. When they handed her to me in the hospital, she was the first baby I'd ever held. Now that may not seem like a very auspicious beginning for breastfeeding, but somehow the animal instincts took over, and we started on what was to be a very satisfying nursing relationship. Not that there were never any problems, but we weathered them somehow; and they weren't just nursing problems. There was bad advice from an old country doctor, who thought my baby was allergic to my milk, various formula trials and finally re-lactation, done against my doctor's advice, and using just the instructions I found in the only book I could locate on breastfeeding. And let's see-it seems like there was something else-oh yeah! I divorced and had a premature baby, all within Bridgette's first 20 months. Not bad for a 20-year-old from the hills of North Alabama, huh?

I went on to nurse Bridgette until she was two. Looking back, I know I couldn't have done it without some help. In the one little paperback book I had, by Karen Pryor, I found a reference to La Leche League. It sounded like just what I needed, but I was so far away from any groups, there was no way I could avail myself of their services, so I went along doing the best I could. I knew though, that before the baby I was expecting came along, I really needed to find these La Leche League people. Somehow I knew that they were the ones who could tell me whether my instincts were right (and my friends were all wrong) about me continuing to nurse my little girl while I was pregnant with this new little one. It was at the grocery store where I found, seemingly by a miracle, an ad tacked up on the bulletin board. There was going to be a meeting, right there in my little town. 

I had to get my nerve up to call the contact person.. I was so afraid she was going to be judgmental and discouraging, when I knew that what I was desperate for was support. I was going to have to tell her that I was pregnant, nursing another baby, going through a divorce, and I felt like it was only fair to let her know that I believed in some really weird stuff like picking my baby up every time she cried, and sleeping with her in my bed. Besides that, I fully intended to bring my baby with me to the meeting, and I fervently hoped no one would mind. 

I'd practiced what I was going to say. I was prepared to tell her what was going on and what information I needed in as assertive, and business-like way as possible. I'd rehearsed in front of a mirror. I'd prepared my very best non-hillbilly accent, so as not to sound as illiterate as I felt, and probably changed out of my cutoffs and t-shirt before I even dialed the phone. I'd fed Bridgette so that she wouldn't interrupt while I was talking. 

Second miracle: the contact person was Anne. If you've never called and talked to Anne, you probably can't get the full impact of the irony of this situation. I've always thought of myself as being laid-back, down-to-earth, and as being able to accept just about whatever comes along. After I met Anne, however, she became my new role model for all those traits. Instead of being indignant about what I was telling her, she just thought everything was kind of interesting. She made me feel like everything I was doing was the right thing, that I was doing a great job of using my instincts. She said she couldn't wait to meet me

As it turned out, I'd already done a pretty good job of researching what I needed to know, but it wasn't until I met Anne that I had the assurance I needed to put everything into practice. She gave me more to read, answered about a thousand questions (and looking back, I know that my questions weren't all that unusual- it was the same things most nursing mothers wonder about). She admired my baby (can a new friend do anything more endearing?) and left me feeling like I was just the best mom around.

It wasn't long before my new baby boy, Robin, was born 6-weeks early, by c-section. Anne was never more than a phone-call away. I remember one call where I cried from exhaustion, and my colicky newborn cried in my arms. I can just see Anne, holding the phone on her shoulder, uttering those soothing words she knows so well how to say, while Josh and Matt played in the kitchen floor as she cooked dinner. Those times cemented our friendship. 

I went on to have two more little girls my third when I was 37, and 11 months later, my fourth. They were both repeat c-sections, and I did the tandem nursing thing yet again, this time with full confidence that I'd made the best choice for both my babies and myself.

It's been 21 years now since I met Anne. We've both moved out of Alabama, and don't get to see each other as often as we'd like, but we maintain our best-friend status over the phone. We leave the kids with the dads occasionally and take these wild Thelma and Louise trips, once spending a week in New Orleans, another time in Canada, and we plan to do this way into our old age. I can see flight attendants rolling two old ladies onto an airplane and having to stop for us to admire babies along the way. 

A little while back I took my 5 and 4 year-old daughters and visited Anne in North Carolina for a week. We had 5 kids, two dogs, and two cats running around, her computer was crashed, we were talking to support techs all over the country, and in the midst of all this, Annie was taking calls from pregnant and nursing mothers. As I sat in her office attempting to decipher arcane computer manuals, I listened to her talk on the phone. I realized that after all these years she's really never changed very much. Her knowledge of lactation astounds me. She'll still tell you she doesn't know every thing - but she'll get on the phone and consult doctors, product manufacturers, other lactation consultants, and gather reams of technical information. Then she gets back to the frantic nursing mother and tells her, in simple, understandable language, what she needs to know to take good care of her baby, and herself. She still says all the right stuff, and she still knows what will make a mom feel like the very best mom in the world. 

Dang. All these years I was thinking my confidence in myself as a mother came naturally. But really it was Anne the whole time.

Julie’s Story: Listen to Your Heart

If you have a new baby for the first time you are probably hearing more advice about taking care of a child than you can process in your “new mom” state of mind.  Conflicting information can make you feel torn, confused and inadequate.  Yet I write this to offer you one more piece of advice: listen to your heart.  Do what you feel deep down inside of you is right and nine times out of ten, it will be the choice that you should make.

When I became a new mother, almost seven years ago, there was much that I didn’t know, but I did know one thing for sure - I was going to breastfeed my baby. Fortunately I had equipped myself with some pretty powerful background information before my son was born, so I already knew to ignore much of the mis-information that well-meaning friends and family offered me.  I was also lucky to find Anne Smith, an experienced mother of six and and an IBLC. Her technical knowledge combined with her nurturing approach to mothering turned out to be one of the ropes that held me when the going got tough and believe me, it did.

It’s harder to ignore confusing information when it comes from the baby’s doctor. Sometimes you have to listen to your heart in these situations. The pediatrician that I chose when I was pregnant was older and so I thought, wiser. Although he claimed to be supportive of breastfeeding, he really was not up-to-date on current information and even gave me feeding schedules the same as a formula fed baby, which I knew to ignore. Office visits brought questions about whether the baby was sleeping through the night at age 3 months. He advised me that if my baby was fed and dry, his needs were met and that I should let him cry in his bed until he went to sleep. In my mind this didn’t seem right because deep down, my heart told me that if my child was crying, he did have a need and this was his only way of communicating this to me. I took my baby into my own bed, nursed him through the night and days as he demanded.

My instinct was right. At age six months, Christopher was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect that had gone unnoticed before that time. His cardiologist told us that his little body was working harder that other babies to try and get his nourishment and it tired him out. She was not surprised that he wanted to nurse frequently. Also, some of that same nourishment was being directed to the wrong place because of way his blood was flowing through his heart. This explained his up and down weight gain from his early months. She commented on his good health and said we were lucky because a simple cold could have turned into pneumonia. I will always believe that keeping the baby close to me and breastfeeding on demand was the reason he was in the best possible health to face open-heart surgery. The night before surgery, when the anesthesiologist came in talk with us, he gave us the standard “no liquid after midnight” instruction that is common.  I spoke up and told him that we were breastfeeding and that the breastmilk would be digested quicker than formula. Fortunately, he was knowledgeable and pushed back my cut off time to 4:00 a.m.!  This was such a relief.  I was envisioning a long night without being able to nurse my baby . . . a baby who knew nothing about a pacifier. Within 48 hours after surgery, I nursed Christopher again. The ICU staff was insistent that he eat from a bottle to that they could monitor exactly how much went into his body.  I kept insisting that nursing would be better . . . he would eat more and find a familiar comfort in strange surroundings. Apparently Christopher agreed, because the second time the bottle came around, he refused it, and they had to let me begin nursing.  It was a sweet moment.

Christopher now is a thriving little boy. The surgery saved his life and changed mine.  Part of me will always revisit the fears and emotions of that time.  So much I learned and will never forget.I learned that knowledge is power.  I learned I must speak up for my child and take nothing for granted.  I learned about the caring and concern of professionals, family and friends.  I learned about living and loving.  I learned that at some point you just have to let go and have faith.  I will always be thankful that I had the steady, calm voice of Anne at the other end of the phone line during that time.  I will always be thankful to God for healing Christopher.

julie@kbrcomm.com

Robin's Story

Anne,
I've been reading you're wonderful information for a few days and I wanted to say thank you for creating this site. I'm new on the computer and I'm overwhelmed by all of the info you have for breastfeeding moms. I've been nursing my baby Alayna for 6 months and I haven't had anyone to really share with since my mother bottlefed her three girls. She encourages me and wishes her doctor would have encouraged her.

Although my husband loves that we've decided to nurse our baby girl, he is a man and he doesn't always understand though he tries. I had planned to only nurse for 6 months but after reading all you're findings and words of encouragement i've decided to continue. It has been a wonderful experience for me. Challenging in the beginning but sooo glad I stuck it out. My baby has been breastfed exclusively and has never had a bottle or passifier and 
I've been feeling guilty about considering weaning.

To make this long story short, I've realized there is nothing wrong in breastfeeding past 6 months and I am thrilled and I know Alayna is happy. Thanks again for you're words. 

If I could encourage just one mom half as much as you have encouraged me it would be my pleasure for you to use my words of thanks. I have also decided to join a support group for breastfeeding moms like myself who need an extra lift from time to time. I received my information today and I'm so excited to meet other mothers. I've already referred your site to others because I think it's wonderful. Again I can't express how important it is to be uplifted and you've done that for me. 
Thanks again
Robin 

Annemarie 

I want to heartily recommend Anne as a lactation consultant. Her experience, personality and availability sets her apart and has earned her #1 recommendations from OB staff, hospital instructors and countless new moms in the area. Her name kept popping up during my first pregnancy so I called to schedule a consultation and bra fitting just before my daughter was born. Our initial visit left both my husband and I enthusiastic and informed about breastfeeding. I knew I would feel comfortable calling Anne with any concerns and I did just that when I desperately needed help and reassurance when Jemma was 4 days old.

Anne promptly responded to all my calls and provided us with an in-home digital scale so we could track intake and weight gain and this really helped build my confidence and helped me to keep trying. By the end of the second week the feedings were going smoothly and I knew Jemma was happy! We continued for 13 wonderful months with pumping at work and lunch-time feedings with Anne's encouragement all the way. Her dedication and skill enabled her to listen through my "new mom's" tears and sleep-deprived frustration and her talent for what she does helped me keep trying in those crucial early days.

Anne offers invaluable, one-on-one encouragement, equipment and resources for all aspects of breastfeeding and I credit her in large part for my POSITIVE breastfeeding experiences with both my children.

Annemarie 

It's hard to believe that anyone can say nothing good comes out of procrastinating.  Tonight, once again as I come downstairs from breastfeeding my almost seven-month-old twins to begin working on the computer, I had a question about green tea and nursing...and I found your website. 
Before I finished reading the hodge-podge page I had already sent the link to my sister and sister-in-law who are both nursing their infants. What a wonderful website!!!  I don't know which page is more interesting or helpful, I am thoroughly enjoying all of it.
My lovely babes upstairs bring me an abundance of joy daily, and I have to agree with so many others, breastfeeding is the best thing besides having my  have ever done.  Thank-you for such a wonderful resource.  Now I must get back to work!!
Leslie Rotondo

Hi,
 
I'm just writing to say this is the best breastfeeding site I've ever come across.  I found your articles most helpful and very informative, and this is my third time around breastfeeding!  Thanks for being there for us breastfeeding moms!
 
Marisa

Anne,
I am a 43 year old NICU nurse who had my first baby at 33 weeks five months ago. I thought I knew alot about breastfeeding until I tried to do it myself. I am finally successfully breastfeeding my son after lots and lots of difficulties, from a premie who refused to nurse well, to extremely low milk supply, followed by very poor weight gain, ongoing plugged ducts and two episodes of mastitis. I have spent hours on the web reading and looking for advice. Your website is by far the best one
out there, I will recommend to other mothers. Your advice is great and down to earth. Just wanted to say Thanks!
Chris Wallin