My original goal with Dylan was to breastfeed him for 6 months and we made it. I must admit that although breastfeeding is a second job it almost seemed natural after the first couple of months. Since we made it to the 6 month mark I am going to try and continue as long as I can without it havin it be my second job.
I am very thankful that Dylan and I haven't had any problems along the way. There were a few days that I stressed out because I didn't think I was producing enough but then my body caught back up to what Dylan was drinking. Having a freezer stash really makes it less stressful. My freezer stash is not big but I probably have 10-15 bottles of milk frozen.
After our 4 month appointment I was more stressed because our doctor told us to feed Dylan more then 4 ounces at a time. I didn't know how I would do this because I had just gotten into a good rhythm of him drinking 3 4 ounce bottles a day and then nursing the rest of the day. But I went into some of my stash and made some 6 ounce bottles for Dylan to try. For the most part Dylan will only drink 5ounces at a time. There are those rare times that he can drink 7 ounces but that is rare. Although you would think he would want more to drink at one time Dylan tells us when he is full and I'm not going to force him to eat more. He is gaining weight just fine.
We feed him bottles and I nurse him. I try to keep it consistent and always offer a bottle at his first real feeding in the morning but for the remainder of the day it really is mixed up if he is nursed or bottle fed-- depends if I'm working or if we have company or if we are running errands, etc. I also always nurse in the middle of the night-- yes the MIDDLE of the night. We had two blissful days where Dylan slept through the night but since those two nights he has been waking 1-2 times a night. I don't know if he is really hungry or if he is comfort nursing in the middle of the night. One day I will get a full night of sleep. :)
I really love breast feeding. I knew that I always wanted to breast feed because it is better for the baby but I didn't realize how much I love it. I love the bonding time with Dylan but I also love how easy it is. If he is hungry I don't have to stop what I'm doing and I can just nurse him. If we are out of the house and I forget to bring a bottle I can nurse him. And even better-- when I am tired I can side-nurse him and he usually falls asleep into a nap; plus I get to rest my eyes for a few minutes. I used to side-nurse more then I should in the early morning hours but now Dylan is in his crib until it is time to wake up for the day. (Sidenote-- when Dylan is time to wake up for the day he now lays in his crib and talks to himself. Its so sweet to wake up to him talking in the monitor vs. his cries in the middle of the night.)
A sure way to get Dylan to nap is to side-nurse him to sleep. This is a catch 22 because it works almost every time but the problem is he has learned to roll over and we can't leave him in our bed unattended anymore since this is where he falls asleep. Naptime is something that we need to work on because its not consistent. Another plus to breastfeeding is that if you have a fussy child usually a sure way for them to stop fussing is to nurse.
Dylan really loves to nurse- but he always loves his bottle. I think it is sweet (although frustrating) when he will refuse a bottle because he wants to nurse. However- he also has refused the boob before and just wanted a bottle--- and then it breaks my heart a little.
Those are my thoughts on breastfeeding. I really do love breast feeding. Every mother will have their own experiences with breast feeding and these are mine. I don't judge any mother who doesn't breatfeed because so many women suffer from low production, flat nipples, tongue-tie in baby, pain, etc.. I will admit the first two weeks (maybe less) it hurt-- but just for a second at the beginning of each feed. And then once that passed it was my second job since you have to nurse every 3 hours around the clock. And then the job increases because you have to introduce the pump to make bottles and start a stash, etc. But I was on maternity leave so I didn't have to worry about going to work. Now as I type this and look back at my nursing experience I can't believe how much easier it has gotten.
I did have one hiccup along the way. The first breast-pump we bought was Dr. Browns and I was not producing enough with this pump at all. During one of my late night feedings I read on a blog about a manual pump that one mom used-- it was only $30 so I bought it and fell in love with it because I was producing. But after using it for a couple weeks my wrist hurt so much from pumping I knew I needed to do something... so during another middle of the night nursing session I purchased my medela pump and I love it. It takes 10-12 minutes (and really sometimes only 5-7) and I have enough for a bottle. I wish I had this pump from the beginning. It also comes with a car adapter so I can pump in the car which makes it so conveintant for road trips and for when I'm working since I drive all the time for court. With all this being said- my breastfeeding relationship is so positive because I also have a great pump that I rely on.
WOW-- that's a lot of writing. Its alright if you didn't read it all... it is more for me to look at years from now or for other new mom's wondering if they should breast feed or now. I highly recommend it. I hope I can make it to a year... day by day; month by month-- we will see how this goes!
