As a pregnant woman, you will most likely be asked by at least one person are you going to breast feed? Of course, if you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Breast is best! We all know this, right? What I didn't know was that the answer didn't need to be breast-milk or formula. I do not recall reading anywhere that you could successfully have a combination of the two while maintaining your sanity and budget.
Here is the back story on my situation. My son was born in April of 2012 at a very healthy 9 lbs 11 oz. I had read all the books and blogs about nursing and had some advice from my sister about bringing a pump to the hospital just in case. I knew I wanted to get started on the right foot. He ate very often and for very long periods of time. It was as frustrating as I'm sure it is for all new moms, but we were trying our best.
By the time we went to his pediatrician visit a couple days after leaving the hospital, he was down to 8 lbs 6 oz. The pediatrician immediately set us up an appointment to see a lactation consultant as she was concerned with the drop because it was more than the 10% weight loss that was considered normal for that time period. Seeing the lactation consultant was the best thing we ever did for our nursing relationship, and my newborn son was quickly back on track with weight gain. We did use a little formula to supplement early on. I was charting our nursing sessions religiously and he continued to grow. After a few weeks, I even had enough supply to pump extra milk and save it in the freezer for outings and emergencies. At the time, I was still very set on making his entire diet breast milk until 6 months old.
Here is the back story on my situation. My son was born in April of 2012 at a very healthy 9 lbs 11 oz. I had read all the books and blogs about nursing and had some advice from my sister about bringing a pump to the hospital just in case. I knew I wanted to get started on the right foot. He ate very often and for very long periods of time. It was as frustrating as I'm sure it is for all new moms, but we were trying our best.
By the time we went to his pediatrician visit a couple days after leaving the hospital, he was down to 8 lbs 6 oz. The pediatrician immediately set us up an appointment to see a lactation consultant as she was concerned with the drop because it was more than the 10% weight loss that was considered normal for that time period. Seeing the lactation consultant was the best thing we ever did for our nursing relationship, and my newborn son was quickly back on track with weight gain. We did use a little formula to supplement early on. I was charting our nursing sessions religiously and he continued to grow. After a few weeks, I even had enough supply to pump extra milk and save it in the freezer for outings and emergencies. At the time, I was still very set on making his entire diet breast milk until 6 months old.
"I'm so glad that I finally stopped stressing myself out... and let myself do the best I could for my baby while maintaining my sanity!"
By the time he was 12 weeks old, it was time for me to return to work and for my son to start daycare. He had already been drinking breastmilk from the bottle and I knew I had nothing to worry about with that transition. I had even saved up 40 additional ounces of breastmilk in the freezer to be used for daycare as he always seemed hungry!
When the first week of daycare was over, the 40 extra ounces of milk was gone and I knew that we were going to have to come up with another solution. I was pumping a good amount of milk, probably enough for a 50th percentile baby, but that is not what I had. I had the chubby little boy that couldn't get enough milk and couldn't get it fast enough! Once he had been in daycare about a month, he began refusing the breast. He had realized that the milk comes out of the bottle faster and I was left to rethink our situation yet again.
I was pumping 3x/day for 20 minutes at work and an extra 2 or 3 times a day at home. It wasn't easy, but I knew that the nutrients that come from breast-milk were important, so I stuck with it. I realize that pumping does not work out this well for all women as their bodies don't necessarily respond well to the devices. I was lucky that the pump worked for me and that I could get as much milk for my son as I did. When he was 4 months old, I could pump 30 ounces per day between work and home and then feed my son one extra bottle of formula. As he grew, it was great to know that I had the flexibility to just add one extra bottle to our routine without all the added crankiness of a hungry baby waiting for Mommy's body to adjust and make more milk. I did start taking fenugreek and eating other natural lactation improving foods. Some days my supply was enough to keep him happy and full, but most days he just needed one more bottle to be happy and full.
The emotions I had once I stopped pumping were mixed. I had made it to a year, which was my original goal. I was proud of myself for making it that far, but I was also relieved to experience the freedom from the pump and return to a "normal" life. Of course, then there was also the guilt of should I go for longer?How about two years? The answer for my family's sanity was no. One year was long enough.
In the end, I'm so glad that I finally stopped stressing myself out about EBF (exclusively breastfeeding) and let myself do the best I could for my baby while maintaining my sanity. Not every woman has the option to stay home with their child, but every woman has the option to get crafty and change the rules a little bit! So when someone asks you if you will breastfeed your new baby just tell them, "I will do what I can to keep my baby happy, healthy and his/her mommy sane!... Oh, and stop asking nosy questions!"
I was pumping 3x/day for 20 minutes at work and an extra 2 or 3 times a day at home. It wasn't easy, but I knew that the nutrients that come from breast-milk were important, so I stuck with it. I realize that pumping does not work out this well for all women as their bodies don't necessarily respond well to the devices. I was lucky that the pump worked for me and that I could get as much milk for my son as I did. When he was 4 months old, I could pump 30 ounces per day between work and home and then feed my son one extra bottle of formula. As he grew, it was great to know that I had the flexibility to just add one extra bottle to our routine without all the added crankiness of a hungry baby waiting for Mommy's body to adjust and make more milk. I did start taking fenugreek and eating other natural lactation improving foods. Some days my supply was enough to keep him happy and full, but most days he just needed one more bottle to be happy and full.
The emotions I had once I stopped pumping were mixed. I had made it to a year, which was my original goal. I was proud of myself for making it that far, but I was also relieved to experience the freedom from the pump and return to a "normal" life. Of course, then there was also the guilt of should I go for longer?How about two years? The answer for my family's sanity was no. One year was long enough.
In the end, I'm so glad that I finally stopped stressing myself out about EBF (exclusively breastfeeding) and let myself do the best I could for my baby while maintaining my sanity. Not every woman has the option to stay home with their child, but every woman has the option to get crafty and change the rules a little bit! So when someone asks you if you will breastfeed your new baby just tell them, "I will do what I can to keep my baby happy, healthy and his/her mommy sane!... Oh, and stop asking nosy questions!"