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Tara Harper’s Story

So my experience with breastfeeding has spanned the course of four children.  My oldest is currently ten years old and I nursed her until she self-weaned at 13 months.  My oldest son is now eight, and he self weaned at 11 months.  My four year old son would still be on the boob if I hadn’t weaned him at 22 months. 🙂  And I am currently breastfeeding the sweetest little rolly-polly son, Solomon, who was born this April 3rd.

Janet Colson has been my go-to for all things nursing since my second was a newbie.  I’ve appreciated her professionalism as well as huge heart for babies and nursing Mommas.  She has educated, supported, and encouraged me (and my little ones).  I feel so fortunate to have had access to an individual with her level of expertise, IBCLC, as well as a woman with such a passion for her profession.  My two older boys were nursing pros, but it was still hugely encouraging to have her offer her tips and tricks for streamlining the nursing relationship. I’m also a working mom, so it was very beneficial to be able to have her hands on help fitting my pump so that I was able to keep up with the nutritional demands of my growing boys.

This last time around has been the experience that really stretched me as a nursing mother, and also my reliance on Janet to help me navigate a series of challenges I hadn’t encountered with my other babies.  Solomon and I had to be separated 12 hours after birth due to complications and because of the nature of the tests that were done, I was not advised to nurse until the medications were out of my system.  Janet was absolutely instrumental in navigating that very stressful and emotional time.  Solly got to have donor milk while I pumped and dumped, and after my wash-out period she helped us with the supplemental nursing system, which I had never used before.  She also provided the emotional support that we were going to be okay and that our nursing relationship, although different, was wonderful.

Thanks to the excellent care and support I received in the hospital we were able to get home and begin our nursing journey.  I had noticed that Sol had a very intense latch, but I just chalked it up to all babies being different.  He was gaining weight like a heavyweight champ and I was producing more than adequate quantities of milk.

At his two month check, his doctor diagnosed him with a tongue and lip tie which was confirmed by our dentist.  Our dentist recommended that we see a specialist in Wichita to get it corrected and set up an appointment. I felt incredibly overwhelmed.  Getting your babies face lasered sounds like a very dramatic moment from a Star Wars movie.  I took Solly to see Janet because I needed someone to help me make sense of all the options and consequences.

That visit was one of the most wonderful encounters I’ve ever had with a healthcare professional in that between her extensive knowledge on the topic, and her calming presence, she really gave me the support I needed to make the best possible decision for my little guy.  I walked out of her office with the tools I needed to figure out the best course of action.

We elected to correct Sol’s ties, and had a great experience, largely in part because we were really prepared in terms of what to expect.  Sol has recovered amazingly from the procedure and we can’t even count all the benefits.  We went from having a decent nursing relationship to having an incredible one, and developmentally he has jumped ahead.  After his correction, Janet came to our home to work with Solly and myself as he rediscovered his mouth. Her therapy was so natural and organic that both Sol and I were able to be totally ourselves so she could see and evaluate our strengths and needs.  Again, we were so blessed by her competence and knowledge.

The breastfeeding relationship is such an integral part of motherhood as I have known it, and Janet has been such a help and support along this journey.  As a Momma that has been there and done that, my best advice to new Mommies would be to make sure you have lactation support from that first moment of contact, through the milk coming in, and along the road as you encounter the inevitable bumps along the way.  The rewards for both you and your baby cannot even be quantified, but are bound up in love. “Momming” is hard, and oh my goodness, any help along the way to make it easier feels like the greatest gift.

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