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Breastfeeding stuff
I don't have much to add (since I never pumped), except to echo what others have already said about breastfeeding being difficult for almost everyone, and doable for almost everyone (I did have one friend with "insufficient glandular tissue" who found out her baby was crying all the time because he was hungry).
With Magnus (and I've probably posted about this before here), he acted like I was trying to kill him and refused to latch on for his first week. I had to pump and feed him with a syringe. He finally did latch on, but for another few weeks only forcibly (I had to use the football hold with my hand on the back of his head to keep him on). Breastfeeding was only easy after about three months, but then we kept it up until 16 months (gradually eliminating feedings starting at a year--I would plan on not going cold turkey if I were you).
With Thor, it's been much much easier from the get-go. His latch isn't perfect (I have a really fast flow on one side, so he tries to pull back so it comes out slower), and now he's getting to that distractable age that results in my nipples being stretched in uncomfortable ways as he tries to look around while still attached, but overall it's been much easier (except for yeast and reflux issues, but those are whole other stories).
Part of the reason I think it's been so different is because of very different birth experiences, which I've also posted about here. For us, shorter labor + really short pushing stage + no epidural = happy baby who nurses and sleeps well.
As for the pushy nurses, I may be experiencing a geographic difference, because I never had them ask to give either of my kids anything. But then the babies basically never left my room (they're both uncirc'ed), and there weren't any complications that required separation. Do you have a birth plan? That might help.
Feel free to PM me with any other questions.
tm
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