What a rollercoaster our breastfeeding journey has been. Whew! I was so ready to give up, but our appointment with the LC today went wonderfully. She is FANTASTIC and helped so much. Ian is a show-off because he latched on right away with no assistance before the LC could even get situated. He wasn't very efficient at getting milk, so we used a nipple shield to mimic a bottle and he did fantastic. He got just shy of an ounce from each breast, and nursed contentedly for about 40 minutes. It will be a long and arduous process to get our routine established - I'll have to ply him with a little bit of formula or pumped milk in a bottle to calm him and let him know it's eating time, then nurse with a nipple shield for as long as he'll eat. After each feeding, he'll still need to be supplemented with about an ounce of formula or pumped milk in a bottle to get what he needs (he's been taking 2.5-3 ounces 7 times a day and is gaining weight right on track, so I don't want to decrease that) and I will still need to pump after each feeding to completely drain the breast and encourage the milk supply. I also talked to my OB about going back on Metformin to regulate my hormones and boost milk production at the recommendation of the LC and she agreed it's worth a try. I even learned how to position the boppy to make sure Ian is right where he needs to be for a good latch. I feel so encouraged, and best yet, the LC's office has free drop-in clinics every week to check progress and answer any questions, so I'm excited to finally feel like I have the right support system to get through this.

The icing on the cake is that Ian and I went to the appointment all by ourselves today, and it made me feel so confident that I can handle things on my own. It wasn't without challenges - I had to figure out how to re-attach the car seat base and snap the seat in without Joe's help, and on the way home I spilled Starbucks all over my shirt and white pants - but it felt so good to know that I can leave the house with Ian without it turning into a catastrophe.

Maybe I will be good at this Mom thing after all.