top of page

My Story

Marble Surface
Like every mother I wanted to breastfeed my firstborn and figured it would come naturally.  Unfortunately that was not the case for us.  My nipples began to crack and bleed before we left the hospital.  Everyone kept telling me she had a good latch, so as a first time mother I just accepted the pain as normal.  I was given a nipple shield at the hospital and sent home.  As is commonly seen, I quickly became engorged when my milk came in.  I was not aware that pumping too early could lead you to overproduce as the overstimulation I was creating was causing my body to produce more than my baby was taking in.  This led to an overproduction in supply, which sounds like a blessing right?  However overproduction comes with its own set of issues, and unfortunately I got them all.  At the time my firstborn was very gassy, spit up a lot, and at times cried and cried for no reason in the middle of the night.  Again, as a first time mother I just assumed this was newborn life and accepted it, not knowing there was an underlying issue to these symptoms.  It quickly went from bad to worse as I got multiple clogs and her latch felt like a thousand needles stabbing my nipple.  I unknowingly had thrush and my daughter had a bad latch.  I brought this up to my OB, her pediatrician, and the hospital LC, but they all assured me her latch was strong and it would be something that would go away after a while.  That time didn't come for me that year, in fact it continued to get worse.  I quickly got mastitis and was put on antibiotics.
 
One of my clogs then turned into an abscess.  The lump was so tender to the touch I could barely wear a loose t-shirt without cringing.  The coloring was bruise like and it bulged out in a peak on the left side of my breast.  The pain was constant and the pressure from it was unbearable.  I sought medical attention from my OB, pediatrician, and lactation consultant but they were all at a loss.  I was referred to a breast surgeon and after one look at me she insisted I needed a procedure done immediately.  She gave me a local anesthetic which unfortunately didn't work and was extremely painful to receive because of the sensitivity of the area.  She aspirated the area multiple times with a syringe and sent me home stating I should start feeling better soon.  The area was even more sensitive then when I went arrived.  I remember crying the entire way home as every little bump in the road made me gasp in pain.  That night the pain was so unbearable I woke my husband up in panic.  The needle punctures all over the area were white, indicating the milk was trying to rupture through.  We called the Dr.'s emergency line and were instructed to come back in the morning for a second procedure.  This time she wanted to go in with a scalpel and perform a cut and drain procedure.  I was given another local anesthetic which again did not take.  As she began digging into the abscess with the scalpel and applying pressure I could feel every bit of it!  It was by far the worst and most intense pain I'd ever felt up until then.  However after draining the abscess I instantly felt relief as the pressure was relieved.  Even the car ride home was pleasant.

Things seemed to be going well for a couple of months until the abscess returned.  I felt so defeated and angry!  It came back with such fury just overnight that I had to have it cut and drained for a second time immediately.  My husband was tired of seeing me in pain and begged to stop breastfeeding if it happened a third time.  I agreed, however deep down I knew I wouldn’t stop.  I wanted so badly to give my baby the best nutrition, even if that meant I had to suffer for it.  I continued to have clogs, another round of mastitis, milk blisters and thrush without end for months.  I cried so many nights in frustration and pain not understanding why it was all happening or what I could do to make it better.
 
We were relocated to Temecula, CA for my husband’s work when my daughter was 11 months old.  I continued to have pain when nursing along with all of my other issues.  I had yet to be able to work out or even carry my baby on my left side for too long because of the pain.  If I put too much pressure on the left side or bent over to bathe her I would end up in agony after only a minute or so.  It was my normal, I didn’t know anything else.  Up until then I continued to search on the internet every single night while I breastfed for answers.  I joined message boards, posted questions on mommy groups, and googled endlessly.  Why was I having issues?  Why wasn’t there an answer?  Why was breastfeeding so difficult for me?!  I came across an article that mentioned a possibility of acupuncture helping.  Desperate and wanting to try anything and everything to find relief I went in for a session.  I explained the issues and experiences I had gone through and she said she would call her circle of medical friends and see if any of them had any advice.  At the end of our session she handed me a sticky note with a name and phone number of an IBCLC.  I was reluctant to call as I had seen two professionals back in Vegas and still didn't have answers.  After a couple of weeks I decided to give it her a call, and that call changed my entire breastfeeding relationship and future breastfeeding relationships to come.  She brought to light the lip tie my daughter had and that that was why she had never been able to get a deep enough latch.  Without that proper latch she was unable to drain the breast efficiently, therefore leading to clogs, blisters, abscesses, etc.  We got it revised a few weeks later and it was a total game changer. Her latch no longer pinched and hurt as she wasn't having to work as hard to achieve a good deep latch.  The clicking sounds she used to make stopped, the blisters and clogs slowly began to dissipate, the thrush was finally resolved and for the first time since beginning to nurse my daughter 13 months prior my breast drained.  I had never been happier to watch my breasts deflate into flapjacks!
 
My initial goal was to breastfeed for 6 months, but after that time came and went it was clear that I didn’t want to stop despite the pain and agony I was in, so my new goal became 1 year.  After revising her tie and finally breastfeeding pain free for the first time ever, I was inspired to go for 2 years!  I had fought so hard to keep going, against everyone’s opinions and suggestions to quit and give formula that I felt I owed it to myself and my baby to continue on and FINALLY enjoy our breastfeeding journey.

I soon became pregnant with my second daughter.  This time around I had a plan in place on how to avoid the issues I had with my firstborn.  Ties are usually hereditary, so I was prepared to take her in as soon as I was able to to have any ties revised ASAP.  My second daughter was revised on day three of life and that breastfeeding journey was like night and day compared to my first!  This time around I had a calm, quite, happy all the time baby with no gas issues or spit up volcanes shooting at me.  It was never painful, I never got mastitis, and only had a milk blister here and there.  I was shocked at what a difference early revision made!  (Please visit the tongue and lip tie section for more information on symptoms to look out for for both mom and baby). 

My journey encouraged me to seek out further education and earn my certification to help other mothers succeed at breastfeeding.  I've become quite passionate as well about spreading tongue and lip tie knowledge.  Breastfeeding gets a bad wrap sometimes because there aren't enough resources for help or mothers receive inaccurate information.  I'm hoping this website sheds light on some of that misinformation and helps anyone needing a little encouragement, support, or help.  Please feel free to email me with any questions!
bottom of page