Ahh, the age old question. One I was just thinking about today. My baby is almost nine months old, and I breastfed. Past tense. But now- I exclusively pump. You may be thinking, "What the heck is that?" and most people do... it is actually a very new thing to do as a mother.
There are a lot of babies that, for some reason or another, can't or won't breastfeed. Tongue ties, can't latch for who knows what reason, or they just won't breastfeed.
I breastfed my little guy for the first three months of his life and it was HARD. There is no beating around the bush on this blog, so I am going to be completely honest- when I was in the hospital, holding my little boy for the first couple of days and trying to breastfeed and trying to get him to sleep, I seriously didn't think I could manage being a mom. I remember thinking, "How am I going to be able to do this? I can't do this- this is so much work!" I was bogged down by all the crying and the feeding, and couldn't enjoy the first few weeks of his life like I should have because I was so worried I was doing it all wrong!!!
Sidenote: Please, don't make that mistake- of course you will make mistakes during motherhood, but you won't be doing it wrong if you love your child and are trying! So stop worrying, if you are, and start gazing upon that miracle of a child you have!!!
Complications were all over the place in our breastfeeding relationship. My labor wasn't easy, and I wasn't able to breastfeed my son until hours after I had him. We also found out that I had inverted nipples (how was I supposed to know... they always looked normal to me, but it's not like I look at other women's nipples either!) and that meant that I needed to use a breast shield to breastfeed. Now, let me tell you- breastfeeding with a breast shield is double, no, triple, the amount of work that just breastfeeding is! You have to situate that shield just right, make sure it is suctioned correctly on your breast, then, bring the baby with one hand holding the shield and one hand holding the baby, and somehow also manage to get the baby to keep sucking. Well in my case, my little guy was so tired, I had to stimulate him while feeding him, and since I didn't have an extra hand handy (ha!), I relied on my wonderful husband to do anything to wake up our little sleeping beauty. Rub the head, tickle the toes, rub the back or stimulate the cheek. Wasn't easy, but we did an ok job of waking him up most of the time.
He still didn't gain enough weight, so the doctor told me to pump in between feedings, doing at least three pumps a day and also to take a supplement called "more milk plus". Imagine my dismay at this- I am feeding every two hours or more, and at each feeding, my child eats for a minimum of 45 minutes, and a maximum of 1 1/4 hours. And then I need to be feeding him again in 45 min-1 hour. So basically, right after I am done feeding him for that hour and some, then finish pumping, I have about half an hour to eat, shower, whatever I decide to do with that time...
Yeah. Not fun. At all. But did I do it? You betcha. Why? Frankly, because I was too sleep deprived to think of any other way to do it! Finally, after lots of supplements and lots of pumping and feeding, my baby was back to a good weight and gaining well. Whew! And then at 6 weeks, I got another break- little guy latched like a pro without using the shield! I was amazed, so excited, and of course, like any smart woman, held onto that shield (just in case!) for a few more weeks. But he was doing amazingly without the shield, and the best part was that instead of feeding for an hour or so, we were down to 15-20 minutes tops! Exciting stuff!
Sadly, my maternity leave ended two weeks later. And surprise, surprise, after my little boy figured out how to use the bottle, he didn't really like using anything OTHER than the bottle. So at three months, I tried to breastfeed him, and he pushed away. For weeks after, each time he was hungry, I would try to breastfeed him, but he would turn away, and I would cry, because like any sleep-deprived mother, I took it personally! Each time he would eat from the bottle, I would pump, because I figured it was the best way to keep my milk supply up. And I guess I did ok, because I am writing this blog today and am still able to pump enough milk for him daily!
Now, does that mean that you should try as hard as I did? No way, girl! Are you kidding? I'm a crazy lady, and the only reason I lasted that long was because A) I didn't really think it all through and B) I didn't have enough money for formula and can't get WIC.
Please, if you have the means to get formula, go ahead! Do it! I am a believer in whatever works. Also, I do not believe that breastmilk is ANY better for your little one- my boy has had almost every sickness under the sun and he hasn't had an ounce of formula! So, if you are worried about sickness, I would say you are better off being a stay at home mom and formula feeding than being a working mom and breastfeeding.
Anyway, the reason I decided this should be my first post is because I just went through my supply of frozen milk, and figured out that I have AT LEAST 900 ounces, which should supply my little guy with 3 months of breastmilk! What does that mean? Well, that means that when he hits 9 months, I am finally able to stop pumping! This girl can finally "hang the horns" so to speak, and get on with her life! YAHOO!!!!
But I just want to say- exclusively pumping has its ups and downs, and that will come in another blog... but I want you to know that as long as you are feeding your baby, I think its great. Pump, breastfeed, formula feed- they are all great ways to give your baby the nutrients he/she needs. Just remember that at the end of the day, what matters is your love.
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