When Sam got to be a month old he got colicky. Soon after, we got thrush, and I went to several doctors, and was given yellow liquid for his mouth and cream for my nipples. The liquid never did work.

I went to a specialist in Saskatoon who explained Sam wasn�t taking enough of my areola into his mouth (he only seemed to want the top of my nipple). So my nipple was rubbing against the roof of his mouth near the front, and it was scraping the skin and allowing the thrush in his mouth an easy way into my breast. Even if the thrush were cured,

my nipples would still be rubbed raw.

For the next five months, I fought with Sammy at my breast, and he continued to want to nurse the old way.

I got a prescription for Nizoral cream but every time I stopped, the thrush came back. By the time the cream ran out, I still had thrush. I personally suspected the infection was hiding in a lump in my right nipple, where he had caused permanent damage earlier.

I started unilateral nursing, using only my left breast, which Sam always preferred anyway. Periodically I tried the right one, but it always seemed to start another bout of thrush or clogged ducts or mastitis. Now he only nurses on the left, which works quite well for us. The thrush infection has been gone for a while and we both continue to enjoy our breastfeeding relationship.

I fell like nursing is as intimate and physically close as sex. I found nursing went best when we were both naked or as close to it as possible, with him snuggled right into me, usually lying down with me focusing just on him, or reading about breastfeeding.

My husband brought me home Breastfeeding Anyway when Zachary was a couple of weeks old. I was having a terrible time with thrush and mastitis, but I never stopped nursing. There is nothing I wanted more to do, to give the baby we waited over three years for.

But Zachary was also not gaining weight in those first three weeks. The doctor was worried enough to even stop by our house one Sunday afternoon to check on him.

I read each story over and over as the tears streamed down my face. I went to see a breastfeeding consultant and with her help and the stories of others who had gone through similar experiences, Zachary and I continued. At four weeks it got a little better. At six weeks I knew we were going to be okay.

Last week he turned seven weeks old and gained a pound in seven days. The doc says he is no longer worried about him and I am more confident about the whole thing now! I want to thank you for writing your stories or others, which were a great solace for me.

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