Nursing Challenges

This was my third week back to work and so far things have been going great. I have a decent routine down for pumping at work. I’m starting to get my 12 ounces consistently. And Maya seemed to have adjusted very well, until this week. On Wednesday, things went as usual. She had her three bottles at the sitters and came home where I nursed her. On Thursday however, she did not want to nurse. She wasn’t latching on even though she was hungry and I was ready to feed her. I noticed that she was trying to suck as if I were the bottle and she wasn’t getting any milk that way, which led to screaming baby! After struggling with her for an hour, I got her to finally fall asleep in the swing with her paci. At her next feeding, she was fine. I was so happy. I am not ready for her to stop nursing. I love this time together.

On Friday, I ran into the same challenge. Except this time, she wouldn’t nurse. I refused to give in. We struggled together for 6 feedings and finally on Saturday at noon, she nursed without fighting me on it. I am really panicking now. I am home with her for four days. Will I be going through this each week? Is she going to hold out longer and longer each time? There has to be a way to nurse and bottle-feed. Don’t people do it all the time? I want her to learn that when she feeds with her sitter or with daddy, she takes the bottle and when she is with me, she will feed from the breast. Is that even possible?