Update with the LC

Well today was my date with the lactation consultant. I actually called last week to set this up, and prior to her latching on. But I decided we should go anyway, because I figured there is room for improvement and I did have a few questions.

She was very nice and easy to talk to. And as odd as I thought it might be to breastfeed in front of a stranger, she made it comfortable. She was quite surprised to see how well Ava was doing and in her words, didn't have any suggestions. She did give me some resources for getting some nursing wear, as I can't find anything in my size at a reasonable price. So looking forward to see what it yields.

At any rate, Ava is improving with her latch day by day and I think she enjoys nursing. I'm beginning to be able to relax once she is latched on, which is making it more enjoyable for me as well. So thanks for the prayers as we continue on our journey!

A New Journey

Now that we're home, we have so many firsts ahead of us. I feel like we have many new journeys to embark on, but there's one in particular I'm going to write about today.

Many of you don't know this, but since we received our referral, I have been preparing to breastfeed Ava. I know that this might seem crazy or even impossible to some. However, it is becoming more and more common. I will say, that usually it is tried with babies adopted domestically at birth. It is, of course, a lot easier to teach a baby to breastfeed if they start right away. It is also possible to start breastfeeding later, best chances for success are if you start before 3 months old. Although, not impossible later on, just harder.

You probably are wondering how you can produce milk if you've never been pregnant. It is possible with a lot of work to induce lactation, which I have been working on. I may never produce enough milk to completely supply Ava's needs, but any is benefical. To supplement what I don't make we use a supplemental nursing system called the Lactaid. It is a bag filled with formula or breast milk that has a small feeding tube that comes out by the nipple of the breast. When she latches on to the breast and sucks, formula comes out the tube. This keeps her breastfeeding, even if I never produce a drop of milk. It's not all about the milk though, it's about bonding. There is a tremendous benefit for the emotional bonding that takes place through breastfeeding, both for mom and baby. Because I may never have a biological child, this may be my only opportunity to breastfeed, but more importantly, I want that chance to bond with Ava. So we have been working on it.

The past 3 days, we have been successfully breastfeeding. Quite to my surprise, after only trying 2-3 times, she latched on and took an entire feeding! This is a huge success for us!!! It usually takes weeks if not months to accomplish this feat. So I'm super excited! So we breastfeed now unless we are in public. Then I use a special bottle called the Breastflow by First Years. This bottle actually helped me teach Ava to latch on. It is the only bottle that requires her to latch on just like the breast and suck just like at the breast--using both compression AND suction.

All that to say, we are celebrating our new journey and success at breastfeeding this week!

Welcome Home Ava

"Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth! He subdued nations under us, peoples under our feet. He chose our inheritance for us, the pride of Jacob, whom he loved. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises." Psalm 47:1-4, 6

I found the above scripture interesting as it is Psalm 47, the Psalm that comes after 46. Psalm 46 is the psalm I read over and over during the loss of Lillian. It was so hard, my world did feel like it was falling apart, but Psalm 46 reminded me that the Lord IS in control--no matter what is going on in our lives. Psalm 47 is about rejoicing in the blessing the Lord has given. The Lord does bless! How fitting that after such a great storm comes such great joy! I will sing praises to the Lord for what He has done--richly blessed us!



Ava Mei is finally home! We are so thankful to the Lord that we have our daughter home and are starting to settle in. She is precious and an absolute joy!