Breastfeeding is something I always knew I wanted to do for my baby. No one in my family breastfed, and I wanted to break that cycle. But that also posed an interesting challenge from the start because I had no family to turn to for guidance and support during the tough times.
From the beginning, our breastfeeding journey was a struggle. By day 2, my nipples were cracked and bleeding. After doing some research on my own, I decided to start using a nipple shield to help let my nipples heal. I intermittently tried to nurse without the nipple shield, and the same thing happened every time. My baby girl was also clicking when she nursed, leaked milk all over, and was extremely fussy from not being able to get her gas out.
After more research on my own, I discovered her symptoms aligned exactly with having a lip/tongue tongue tie, and I made an appointment with a preferred provider to have her evaluated. As it turned out, she had both. We went ahead and got her ties released, but I knew that with her revisions, I would need extra help and guidance teaching her how to use her new lip and tongue. This is where Suzanne Juel came into our lives.
Without the support, patience, and knowledge of Suzanne, our breastfeeding journey would have been over. Her expertise and education of ties is beyond the normal IBCLC. Our post-revision struggles were more than I would have imagined, and she was there for us every step of the way to encourage and educate me on what was happening and how to work through it.
I am one week away from making it 1 year nursing my baby girl, and I owe the majority of the credit to Suzanne. I couldn’t be more thankful for the support I received from her during the hardest times of my postpartum journey, and the support I continue to receive from her, even after the visits stopped. Thank you, Bayou City Breastfeeding, for allowing me to continue building the exceptional bond I have with my baby girl now, thanks to nursing.
