Most of you are familiar with my BFing struggles, so I will not go into much detail in this post. The short story is: low supply, bad latch, tongue & lip tie, and subsequent nursing strike. When I was able to get him to nurse he had difficulties transferring.

LO is 7 weeks old.

I had pretty much given up on BFing and assumed I would continue pumping and supplementing. Every once in a while I have tried to offer the breast (with shield) and it has ended with both of us being upset.

This morning, I fed B a bottle of pumped milk (3 oz). I think he is going through a growth spurt because he has been eating more often and wanting more to eat after each bottle. He has been gaining weight at twice the recommended amount though so I have been worried that I have been feeding him too much. For that reason, I try to hold off on giving him more until his tummy has had a chance to realize it is full. (I am not sure if that is the right thing to do or not--I'm just concerned that I am overfeeding him).

It had been a little over 4 hours since my last pump, so I sat B in his boppy next to me so that I could get a session in. As soon as I pulled my boobs out, he went from grumpy/hungry baby to grinning and smacking his lips while staring at my boobs. I didn't even know a 7-week-old could make that kind of association yet?!

So, I decided I would give BFing a shot. I assumed it wouldn't work and didn't want to track down the shield, so I offered up the breast without the shield and he took it! We spent the first 10 mins or so with him fussing because he wasn't latching properly and my technique needs to be worked on.

However, once I got him to latch properly, it was beautiful! He didn't fuss at all. He laid there and ate. No fuss. No pulling away. Pure contentment. After only about 5-10 minutes he fell asleep and was smiling in his sleep.

I ran and woke up my husband (I was excited!) and asked him to hold him while I pumped. We have a baby scale, but I didn't think to weigh him before the session. Usually, first thing in the morning I pump about 1.5-2oz out of that breast. This morning, I only pumped about 1/2 oz.

Does that mean he transferred?! I know pumping isn't a great way to tell, but that has to be a good sign, right?!

I want so desperately for BFing to work. I am scared that I am grasping at straws and trying to force something that just isn't going to happen. Am I being delusional or could this really be happening?