Abbysue -- That is so freaking sweet.
Here's the update!
What I didn't post is that my daughter had a posterior tongue tie that she had snipped (on day 3 of life) and we had a lactation consultant from the beginning. We knew there would be issues (even after the snipping) because as someone else posted, her anatomy and mine did not mesh well together. We tried everything. We were really running the gamut of nursing techniques. I was at my wit's end.
And then my mother showed up.
At that point my routine was to bottle feed her (formula and breast milk) to satisfaction, use a nipple shield and feed her until she slept (LC said this would foster a boob=satisfaction sensation in the baby) and then once she was asleep, pump. This was exhausting and sometimes she would refuse my breast for a long time, go to sleep, I would pump and then she'd wake up hungry. Worst, when she saw the bottle, she'd perk up and go for it but totally ignore the breast. I tried not to take it personally but more than a few tears were shed.
My mother put a kibosh on all of this. She said simply, "You're working too hard."
We stopped formula; we stopped pumping. It helps that my mom's an RN and I trust her medical advice as well as mommy advice. We went strictly for nipple shield and boob. And it worked. Although I love my lactation consultant, I think she made me worry a little too much. Ellie is gaining weight, that's all that matters.
Now I'm breastfeeding all of her feedings. Her latch is still terrible which is why we're still using the nipple shield. It's funny -- I still have to remind myself that I'm breastfeeding because I think it's not "real" breastfeeding with the shield... so dumb!
We're revisiting the surgeon this month (her tie is reforming) and I hope after that I can move to no shield soon simply so I can feed in public. Feeding with the shield is so cumbersome.
I am very much enjoying my daughter now -- and have moved on to compulsively worrying about OTHER things.