Updates

Thank you to all who posted replies or sent emails.  The encouragement and sympathy were just what I needed!  I am still pumping 3-5 times a day and feeling mostly better about it.  Z continues to nurse occasionally.  When he does, he's doing a great job getting milk.  But he's still very inconsistent.  We'll have one or two good sessions, then he'll scream bloody murder the next time I try. 

I talked to a lactation specialist a couple of days ago.  This was our fifth consult (after three in the hospital and one after we came home).  She basically said that since his problem isn't really technical (he latches just fine when he wants to) but simply being breast-averse, there's not much she can do.  Her advice was just to keep trying without pressure.  If he fights, stop and give a bottle and try again later. 

So that's where we are ... no magic answer for us.  It's possible if I had spent a week earlier one just lying around doing kangaroo care, he would have figured it out.  But I'm not that patient!  So we'll keep doing what we're doing.  I'm definitely not ready to stop pumping.  My next re-evaluation point is at 12 weeks; though my pattern seems to be that I'm totally ready to give up, but commit to give it a couple of weeks and when the re-evaluation point arrives, I'm fine to keep going. 

He is just a joy ... smiling and playing like crazy, turning in to a real little person right in front of us!