#8 Meet Mandy
Like all expectant mothers out there, Mandy armed herself with every bit of knowledge out there to make sure she knew everything to know when it came to taking care of her son.Little did she know that she was about to learn the lesson of a lifetime.
Mandy shared her experience on a site called 'Fed is Best' in hopes of reaching out to mothers going through the same hardship.
#7 Troubles
Mandy gave birth to her son in the summer of 2016. The baby was at the time of birth, weighing 6lbs 5oz. Mandy says in her post that she had problems getting her son to latch on to her breasts for feeding because of her flat nipples. To help with which, she was given a shield.
Mandy says that even after her son finished feeding there would be a large amount of milk left in the shield. And no matter how long the baby was fed, he would always be unsettled during and after feeding.
#6 Normal?
The other mothers in Mandy's mommy group told her that this behavior was completely normal and he was cluster feeding.
By the first week, Mandy's son was nowhere near his birth weight. The doctor advised not to worry too much about it since the baby was still having wet and dirty diapers.
But things escalated quickly after that....
#5 Help
At his 1 month appointment, Mandy's son had gained only half of an ounce and weighed only 6 pounds 5.5 ounces. It was then, the doctor suggested Mandy see a lactation consultant.
#4 Hungry? No. Starving? Yes!
The lactation consultant weighed the baby before and after feeding. The end result revealed that Mandy's son had eaten only 20 ml in the 20-hour long feeding.
#3 The Fight Within Herself
This message above is what she wants every expectant mother out there to know. She wants them to know it's okay not to breastfeed your baby when it's for the best of the baby.
Mandy says that what lead her to this internal struggle was whenever she tried to breastfeed her son, he would be full of "restlessness which turned into full on screaming".
Look at how Mandy's son looks like now!
#2 Results
"By his two-month appointment, he had more than doubled his weight and at 6 months he is back to being a happy, observant, content baby and so far meeting his milestones right on schedule." - Mandy
#1 Fed is Best
The Fed Is Best Foundation is committed to helping mothers make the safest feeding choice for their babies.
They want to "prevent complications to babies that have become too common in today's 'Breast is Best' world. Our motto above all else is Fed is Best."
Help share the message to help another mommy who might be going through the same thing!
