A comfortable routine

Who's up for more breastfeeding talk? It's been consuming my life for the past 7+ months so I always am. Nothing delights me more than when a friend or relative has a baby and asks me breastfeeding questions... nothing! Not that I'm an expert (not even close), but this is how women used to learn about breastfeeding before books and the internet existed. Through sharing experiences. We should do it more often.


Flynn and I have finally settled into a comfortable nursing routine. On the days that I work (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri) I nurse him as soon as he wakes up. Then, he gets around 10 oz. of breast milk at his Nana's house plus 5 oz. of formula. I pick him up after work and nurse him as soon as we get home. That is usually followed by 4 oz. of formula since I always seem to be "running low" at that time of the day. He kindly lets me know there's nothing in there by whining, "Eeeeehhhhhhhhh!" and squirming around on my lap. Point taken, Flynn.


I nurse him once more before he goes to bed, and then sometime in the middle of night he wakes up for a quick nursing sesh and goes right back to sleep. We are seriously blessed with a very easy going baby.

Source

There was a short period of time when I was nursing him to sleep, but now I put him down drowsy but awake and he falls asleep within a few minutes. So to all the "experts" who say you should never nurse a baby to sleep because he'll never learn how to fall asleep on his own... suck it. I also comfort nurse him if he's cranky or bumps his head. The horrors!


While I'm at work, I pump 3 times which usually yields between 10-12 ounces. I'm sure my boss/co-workers can't believe I'm still pumping at work, but it's not affecting my productivity and honestly, the little breaks each day are quite nice. My old pal the federal government says I can take pumping breaks for a year, and I'll be taking full advantage of that. Since Flynn started solids, my supply has not dropped (due to the pumping, I'm sure) so why not just keep it going so he has the liquid gold for as long as possible? Anything to delay the inevitable first ear infection... and the inevitable return of my period. Haven't had it for 16 months and can't say I miss it!


Nursing covers are pointless at this age because Flynn enjoys flailing his arms and legs during booby time, so I either find a private area or pack a bottle JUST in case he refuses to nurse, which has happened a few times. 7 month olds are very easily distracted and my son hates nursing when  it's hot outside. Give him a cold bottle from the fridge and watch his eyes light up! Just like his Daddy.

Source

I'm finally at the point where I truly enjoy nursing. Sometimes if I just need to sit down for a few minutes, I'll grab the little guy and say "Let's nurse!" He's always game and I get some time to relax on the couch. Win-win. 


But of course, as soon as I reach the point where nursing is comfortable and easy for both of us, people will start asking, "When are you going to wean?" Ugh, really? But we're finally good at it! It doesn't hurt anymore! He has the perfect latch and he's so efficient! 


When Flynn doesn't want to nurse anymore, that's when we'll stop. It could be a month from now, it could be a year from now. I'm not trying to be Mom Enough or asked to pose for the cover of Time. It's just going really well and it would be such a shame to give that up, ya know?  


Plus, I'm reaaaaaally not looking forward to ditching my awesome nude-colored nursing bra yet. J/K! That thing is hideous and I'll probably burn it when Flynn's "all done" (*waves hands*). 

Awkward & Awesome Thursday: Pumping Edition

Today I'm going to enthrall you with all of the awesomes & awkwards of pumping breast milk at work. Let's see if I can organize my thoughts, because there are so many things I want to mention. I've been pumping at work (and at home) for over a month now and I'm finally into a routine. I think. Usually when I say I've got a routine down, something goes horribly wrong. So I probably just jinxed myself.

Random cute baby pic!

Awkward


Trying to discreetly store breast milk in the break room fridge. My pump came with this neat little cooler, but everyone knows what's really in there. (It's not toxic waste people. It's probably more sanitary than what you put on your cereal this morning.)


Toting my pump bag from the 3rd floor down to the 1st floor twice a day. Someone always says, "Have a good night!" because they think I'm leaving. Then they see me later... So now when someone acts as if I'm leaving, I say, "Oh, no, I'm going to pump breast milk." This guarantees that they will never question my comings and goings again. Plus, it educates people who think you can't work and continue to breastfeed. I'm doin' it!


Rinsing out bottles & pump parts in the women's bathroom. It was so awkward the first few times I did it, that I just gave up and started washing everything at home after work.


Being in a long drawn-out conversation with a co-worker, feeling my milk come in, and trying to abruptly end the conversation so I can go pump. It's technically called "let down" but I refer to it as "the booby tingles." 


The sound the pump makes. The walls at my office are thin, and I know people can hear the pump when they walk by my little pumping office. REH reh REH reh REH reh REH reh. (Sometimes, the pump talks to me. The suction noises sound like words. Yes, I've lost my mind.)


Practically undressing at work. Unless you're a total whore, it just feels wrong.


Awesome


The fact that I don't have leakage problems. One less awkward thing to worry about.


Knowing that I'm connected to my baby even when I'm not with him. Makes me feel less guilty about working when I know I can still provide him with the best form of nutrition.


Getting a little break twice a day a/k/a People magazine time! Brangelina. Are they ever going to get married? WHO KNOWS.


Proudly toting home 4+ ounces of milk. 5 oz. is my all time high. One day I only got 2 oz. and I cried. (That was when I had mastitis and took antibiotics. HUGE mistake.) Flynn drinks 2 4oz. bottles in the afternoons when I'm working, so I still have to pump another 4 oz. before I leave for work the next day. Low milk supply is the devil!


The Medela Pump In Style. Truth be told, I haven't tried another pump to compare it to, but this one is working great so far. They sell tons of accessories for it, too. Amazon has the best prices. Just throwing that out there. As if Amazon doesn't already have high enough self esteem.

Nom nom nom

To all you other pumping mamas. I salute you.

2.5 months & still going strong

When you're nursing a baby, you feel like your entire life revolves around two things: your boobs. My boobs hurt. My boobs feel full. Are my boobs making enough milk? Can anyone see my boobs when I nurse like this? Are those stretch marks on my boobs?! Why is my right boob bigger than my left? Why does more milk come out of my left boob than my right? Will there ever be a day when I DON'T think about my boobs? Did you know that boob spelled backwards is boob? 

And this is if everything is going normally. Add pumping breast milk, going back to work, clogged milk ducts, breast infections & other people's opinions ABOUT breastfeeding into the mix... and it's enough to consume your every thought.

But no matter how awkward/time consuming/challenging breastfeeding is, I've come to love it and look forward to it every day. It's natural and a wonderful bonding time with my little guy. When he was a newborn, he would just focus on the job at hand. Now, he'll take a break, look up at me & smile and it is the most heart warming thing I've ever experienced. He'll never have that kind of a connection with anyone else, and it makes me feel needed. 

Flynn, 2 months old

For the first 7 weeks of Flynn's life, I nursed him on demand. I never set a rigid feeding schedule. I planned my life around him. Before we went anywhere, I'd have to plan everything out ahead of time so that he would be full & happy during the outing and we'd be back before he was hungry again. When I'm not working, I still nurse on demand. I don't believe there is such a thing as spoiling a baby by letting him choose when he wants to nurse. (Did I mention we co-sleep and it makes nursing SO much easier? That's a whole other topic!)


The first 2 weeks were rough. I couldn't get him latched on correctly and I was very sore. Nursing was borderline torture at times and I would dread feeding him again. I got some pointers from the nurse/lactation consultant from The Birth Center who came to our house for Flynn's home visit and they made a big difference. It hurt less and less every time I nursed and after a few days the pain went away altogether.

I've reached a level of comfort where I can now nurse Flynn while doing other things, whether it be surfing the net on my laptop, eating a bowl of cereal, pumping on the other side... hell, I've even sat at the dinner table and nursed him while I was eating! (Anything for a peaceful meal.) I've nursed him in my car in the Longwood Gardens parking lot, in the waiting room of my doctor's office and in front of family & friends. It's convenient and the health benefits for Flynn and myself can't be topped. Oh, and it's FREE! Except for buying a few bottles and a breast pump (which isn't absolutely required), it's much less expensive than formula, which I've heard costs $1 per ounce. (Ex. Flynn has 8 oz. while I'm at work. That's about $200/month that we're saving.)

Medela Pump in Style Advanced

Working outside of the home while breastfeeding brought a whole new set of challenges. I knew when I was pregnant that I'd be going back to work and I negotiated part-time hours with my employer. I also told them very directly that I planned on breastfeeding for as long as I could and would need them to accommodate me pumping at work, which they are required to do by federal law. I'm glad I was up front about it, because I now have my own private office with a locking door, comfortable chair, desk and get two paid 20 min. pumping breaks per day. I tote my breast pump around the office with pride! Not that it looks like a breast pump... it's concealed in a black shoulder bag. (BTW, I have the Medela Pump In Style Advanced and I love it!)

Did I mention THIS gentleman is also in my pumping room at work?

My midwife warned me that going back to work would put me at risk for a few problems, like clogged milk ducts and mastitis (a nasty breast infection). And of course, she was right. My body was used to feeding Flynn on demand, and suddenly, I was only pumping for 2 short periods of time in a span of 6 hours. I started getting clogged ducts and most of them went away, but sure enough, one morning I woke up feeling like I had the flu and my right breast felt like it was on FIRE. Awful. I stayed home from work and started antibiotics. 


Big mistake. I rushed into taking drugs because I wanted to feel better, but little did I know what they would do to my precious milk supply! It dwindled. Flynn was fussy during feedings because he wasn't getting his usual amount of milk and I was struggling to pump what he needed for his bottles during the afternoons while I'm away. I was stressed out, which only made things worse. So I stopped taking the antibiotics immediately (which I know you're not supposed to do) and started taking herbal supplements to increase my supply (fenugreek, blessed thistle, mothers milk tea). I also drank a TON of water and made sure I was eating healthy foods and enough calories.

I pumped around the clock, since your body works in a supply & demand fashion (the more baby takes out, the more your body makes), and after a few days, I was back to normal. I'm still doing a lot of extra pumping after work and even in the middle of the night, but it's working! Oddly enough, I get the most milk when I pump between the hours of 1am & 4am. It has something to do with prolactin levels... ehh, I'm no doctor. 


I am more than willing to sacrifice sleep & free time to make sure Flynn always has plenty of Mommy Milk. He hasn't had one drop of formula and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible. My goal is to nurse him for 12 months or longer and not start solids until around 6 months. 


Flynn's pediatrician already had the nerve to tell me, "Well, maybe you're not making enough milk." This was at his 2 month appointment, because he's a little on the small side (but not unhealthy). And I've had co-workers who know I'm pumping at work say, "Good luck, I only did it for a month before I gave up!" So encouraging...


Basically, I'm treating breastfeeding like I did natural birth. I'm determined to do it, and the more people tell me it's not going to work out, the more I want to prove them wrong. 


Why am I like this? I have no idea.