The Weekend I Almost Threw in the Towel

We've had a rough 4 or 5 days here nursing Little Man.  I swear he was up every hour.  One night in an hour and a half he woke me up to nurse 3 times.  By Saturday afternoon I was ready to go buy formula.  Glad to say I didn't.  I pushed through it and last night was back to normal, 3 wakings.  I'm fine with 3 wakings.  Anything more and there isn't enough coffee in the world!  It was really frustrating and there were times I just wanted to cry.  Times I wanted to give it all up.  I'm so pleasantly surprised that we made it this far before hitting a speed bump.  Almost 6 months of nursing!  For me that's a huge accomplishment.  I really want to make it to 11 months.  That's when I go back to work and I plan on only nursing at bedtime and maybe in the morning.  I really don't want to ever have to give him formula.  When I'm frustrated and tired though I set a smaller goal.  Let's get to exactly 6 months which is on the 27th.  Then, I'll say, let's get Christmas.  And so on.  I know giving him formula may be instant gratification but I know I will feel guilty about it long term. 

I just wanted to share that.  I can't wait until my next La Leche meeting so I can discuss this with some other moms!  I need a pep talk right now.

Blog Hop - Big Difference

This Week’s Topic: What I Would Have Done Differently

Whether you’ve been breastfeeding for a week or a year or more, I think we all have some things we wish we would have done differently. Share your stories here.

I am so so lucky that Little Man is just a born nurser.  He loves it, I love it.  We have our moments when I want to tell him to get to sleep and stop sucking my boob but in general it's pretty easy.  My only regret with him is that I supplemented a couple of times.  The second night home he was up fussing all night.  I thought he was hungry, hadn't yet learned about the night of transition.  So, I gave him a bottle and then a couple of more nights after that.  Each night he got really bad gas.  Then one night when he was a week old he spit up in his sleep and choked and woke up screaming.  I've lost a child and all I could think of was, he'll choke and die in his sleep.  I threw the rest of the formula in the garbage.  Do I want a baby with painful gas?  One that could choke in his sleep?  Heck no!  He has never had gas like that since and has never spit up since.  Occasionally if he gobbles his milk down to fast he'll spit up a little but not like the exorcism spit ups he got with formula.  It's just not right.  It was clear to me that it was not made for his tummy.  If I could go back in time I would have thrown that "gift" from the formula company out as soon as it arrived at my door.  

This is part of the Weekly Blog Hop hosted by Life with Levi...

Making the Commitment

I love Thursdays and teaming up for the Blog Hop with Life With Levi...

This Week’s Topic: Breastfeeding #2 (or 3 or 4…)

Share your stories and tips for women trying to breastfeed with an older child (or children) at home. How do you juggle schedules, keep the kids occupied/involved, and make it all work?

I've never been a fan of scheduling kids or setting strict routines.  I know families that can't be home 15 minutes late or the kid has a meltdown.  For us, that wouldn't do.  While I always try to put my kids first, I recognize that they need well rounded, rested, happy parents.  Meaning, hubby and I need to do what we need to do without worrying about being home at 7pm sharp.  Usually this works great for us.  Little Man wakes me up at 7am for a feeding.  Then we get out of bed, we all get ready and take Sissy to school.  Now, while I have not tried to schedule him at all Little Man has put himself on a schedule.  I like this because it gives me some idea of how our day will go but he's not so tied to it that if he misses it he'll freak out.  And it offers me flexibility on weekends when I may want to do something with Sissy and he obviously has to come along since I'm his food source. 
It was much harder at first when I wasn't getting much sleep.  I went from doing everything with my daughter to not having as much time with her.  I think I felt the change more than she did though.  I am lucky that I have a year off work for mat leave so I was able to keep her home with me and spend the summer with her.  That extra time together helped ease the transition. 
Sadly, I think the only one really suffering right now is hubby.  I know he missed having just the two of us in bed.  And we still go out for dinner alone but not for as long and not as often.  But he is a very understanding man and knows that for now this is our life.  Breastfeeding isn't just a committment that the mom has to make, it's one the whole family makes.  I can't just take my daughter out for a whole day alone.  Hubby and I can't go to a hotel for the weekend.  For at least a year Little Man comes everywhere.

We CAN Survive

This is a funny and sarcastic article written on Squitmom.com about research that was performed to prove that babies could survive on the 1st 6 months of exclusive breastfeeding.

My favorite part:
"If MOST women weren’t capable of supporting infants with breast milk, humans as a species wouldn’t have thrived. But we did. And substitute or supplement infant food is very, very new in the grand scheme of human evolution."

Article - Shocking New Research Shows Women Can Breastfeed Successfully!!

Where I'm At

It's Thursday!  Linking up with Life With Levi for the B/F Blog Hop...

This Week’s Topic: Check Ins

 Where are you at in your breastfeeding journey? Just started, celebrating a milestone, or already weaned?  

We will be at 5 months next week and loving it!  I love nursing.  I am so sad that I didn't get this oppurtunity with my daughter.  I wish I knew then what I knew know and had the support then that I have now.  I never want to wean.  I want to be one of those mama's who have a 7 yr old on their boob.  I want to freeze my little man in time so he'll always want to be as close to me as he does now. 

Is it all peachy?  No not all of it.  Nights are sometimes rough.  Sometimes he's up 4 or 5 times.  I don't mind him waking up for a nurse, just not that often.  We cosleep anyway so it doesn't require much work on my end.  My husband has even caught me sleeping while little man sucks away.  And the other night I woke up to him sucking my boob (not the nipple just the flesh), pecking like a pigeon trying to find nip!  It was so cute.  I love snuggling with him at night and watching him fall asleep.  He tickles and massages me and gives me big smiles and sometimes tries to coo and chat with food in his mouth, he has bad table manners! 

Breastfeeding Experience

While I was pregnant with my daughter I was so excited and looking forward to the day when I would be a nursing mom. I thought it was going to be all lollipops and roses. Boy was I wrong. Breastfeeding is hard. Lets just admit it. The first couple of weeks can be painful and tiresome. I remember being in the hospital and so excited for that first time - and then by the time I was leaving I was wincing in pain with each latch as I blistered and bled. The lactation consultant that met with me while I was in the recovery room was so helpful. She helped with a proper latch and hold and gave me the best advice ever. The phrase I say to myself to this day from her is, "You're her whole world".

When I got home I still hurt and it was not getting any better. I kept telling myself if I could just get past the first two weeks then it would be fine. I would wince with each latch and tug thinking very threatening thoughts in my mind. I knew that I could give up, but I knew that as a mother I needed to do the very best I could do for my child. I would sing the ABCs to myself or count to 10 as my daughter latched on my poor tired self.

The two weeks passed and it was better. I actually really and truly began to enjoy nursing. My child and I got into our routine and she would lay so content in my arms with a full belly and that's when I would just sit and stare at this little wonder of life.

I think we have all experienced "pregnancy brain" and it never seems to go away. Even 16 months later (and nursing strong) I still am so forgetful. One great thing about breastfeeding is you never have to remember a bottle/cup, formula, measuring cups, clean water - nothing. All you need is right there with you! The less I needed to remember to bring the better.

If you are thinking about breastfeeding, or just starting out, just know that it can be hard at first. But, you are doing great! If you need help or encouragement seek out a friend or family member that you know has breastfeeding experience. Contact your local hospital or Le Leche League. There are tons of chat rooms where nursing moms are up at wee hours of the night. I know that a few of my friends and I would chat on facebook. So give it a try - you might just like it :)

Breastfeeding Promotion

Being a working mom alone is hard. You miss your child and you want nothing more than to be with them, rather than with your fellow co-workers. At least that has been my experience. Add trying to be a breastfeeding mom to the mix and you have double the issues. Not only are you working, but you are having to find the time to pump - maybe even a place that is not a public restroom. Lucky for me I work for family and found a little break room area that I could pump freely in. There were a few close calls where the male employees forgot I was back there, but they grew accustomed to hearing the noise of the pump and knew I was back there doing my business. We even had a code - "going to the dairy farm" when I was busy. Maybe a little tactless, but it was funny and it worked.

Most women do not have a place to pump when they return to work and therefore they quit. Before you quit check out the laws or ask your employers for other options.

Check out this link as well - Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2011

Health benefits of breastfeeding

I have learned over the years, through experience and reading; that breastfeeding keeps children healthier than their non-breastfed counterparts. If they do get sick, it tends not to last as long. Breastmilk can be used to cure eye infections, clear up congested noses, and help speed the healing of superficial wounds (in babies and adults too!) Breastmilk contains anti-infective and anti-bacterial properties and breastmilk that is pumped and left out on a counter for 6-8 hours, actually contains LESS bacteria than it did when it was first expressed!! It is so amazing and scientists have discovered some of the wonderful things in breast milk but not all, and formula companies are unable to reproduce exactly what is in breastmillk. This is why I was not surprised to read the following article (which made me feel sad all over again for the children who are not breastfed and for parents who do not know all of the benefits of mothering their children at the breast and the small percentage of breastfed infants in the US (and other parts of the world).


http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/04/05/health/main6364292.shtml