At LittleOak, we celebrate each and every feeding journey and are delighted to be sharing a personal story from our friend, Jayden Heiser. Read on to learn about her little one, PJ, and how she became part of the LittleOak family.
By Jayden Heiser
I was so excited to meet my little man. I stored breast milk in the freezer and handed it to a midwife at the hospital, using it until my milk came in on day four. I remember asking a midwife how I’d know when my milk came in, and she replied, "trust me, you will know." Indeed, I did.
I was so excited to start my breastfeeding journey with my darling boy (although it was definitely more painful than I anticipated). I was so happy to be able to nourish my baby and connect with him on a whole new level - I couldn't quite believe my body was doing what it was, and I just felt so content and happy. It was pure magic.
Fast forward a few weeks, my little man and I found our groove and I was feeding him without pain. I felt accomplished and amazed at the incredible capabilities of the female body.
All that said, PJ has always been quite a vomiter. We actually called him ‘the happy chucker’ because every time he would vomit, he was always happy and entirely unfazed! At our six-week checkup, I triple-checked with our doctor and she assured me that some babies are just more sensitive than others and that there was no need to worry.
A few more weeks passed and our calm, happy bub became quite the opposite. At about 7.5 to 8 weeks, he became hard to settle between feeds and was becoming more restless in his sleep. I kept persisting, but each feed became increasingly stressful and difficult for us both. I remember crying to my partner feeling helpless and like I was doing something wrong...
I started to believe he was allergic to my milk. At the time, I didn't quite realise the toll that it would take on my mind. I felt a constant battle between wanting to try formula but trying to stick it out because "breast is best." I found myself feeling so overwhelmed....there was just so much stress around breastfeeding. So, I decided to try formula.
The first time we tried it, he slept like an angel. I persisted with formula for the next few days, and quickly saw a massive change in his temperature and mood. While he was still spitting up after feeds, he was no longer in pain and was far more settled. It really was a full circle moment and a much calmer household all around. We decided to go with a company called LittleOak after a recommendation by another Mama.
It's taken a long time to get to this point - I certainly still have my moments when I feel sad about not breastfeeding anymore. That said, our happy little Parker is back and that's what really matters.
