I have felt SO much better these past couple of days. The nausea still hits in the evenings, like I mentioned, but that's been about the worst of it. I'm so glad! I have missed hanging out outside with everyone.
So I think that is awesome how many of you have been able to breastfeed your kids. I think that even breastfeeding for 2 weeks is SOO beneficial. With Cameron, I was completely caught off guard by how difficult nursing was. It was the biggest stress of having a newborn for me, and I almost quit about a million times. I kept telling myself to just keep going for one more week, and once I got there, I'd keep going. One week at a time. I knew it was SO good for him (and for me), and I probably felt somewhat pressured because I worked in pediatrics and just knew how healthy it was for Cameron. Luckily things clicked when Cam was about 5 months old, and nursing him was a breeze until he was a year old. I was tired of nursing him by then, so I tried to wean him at a year. He wanted nothing of that, so it seriously took about 4 months to completely wean him. I had to heat up his whole milk in the microwave for several months after that as well! I was always amazed at how much milk I always had (is that too much info?). I'm rather small-chested, and I swear I could have nursed triplets and still had some left over! Goes to show that size does not matter....haha!!!
I worry about this next baby. I don't know that I will have the patience or time to devote to successfully nursing if it doesn't come easier than it did with Cam. I think that this time, I will get some help too. I really should have meet with a lactation consultant or something with Cam. We are on WIC now, so I will have access to some help if I need it.
I am 100% for breastfeeding. I think that mothers should be able to nurse their babies anytime, anywhere. I never mastered the art of using a blanket with Cam (he always pulled it off), so I usually tried to avoid nursing him in open public, but when I do see a mother nursing her baby in a mall or at an airport or wherever, I am proud of her, and I commend all mothers who nurse. I understand how difficult it can be......latching problems, engorgement, leaking/spraying milk (ooh I hated that!), keeping track of which side to start on, how long you nursed on each side, lopsided boobs (hated that too), buying boxes and boxes of nursing pads, etc etc etc! AND to top that all off, I got a nasty mastitis infection when Cam was 14 months old!!! Wow, I didn't know you could get that so late into nursing! Usually that hits right towards the beginning, doesn't it? It was awful. Overall, breastfeeding is definitely NOT as easy as it looks, atleast not for me!! On the flip side, because I know how hard it is, I NEVER look down on women who are unable to breastfeed. It is a personal decision. I'm trying not to dread it with this baby....I just really REALLY hope that it goes smoother this next time around!
I worked 2 days a week for the first year of Cam's life. I HATED pumping, but looking back, I'm glad I did it. Like I said, I worked in pediatrics, so obviously the office 100% supported my pumping breaks throughout the day, but it was still a huge pain! I shouldn't have to pump like that with this baby, but I did tell Nate that I am going to pump bottles so he can help me out during the night. I made him promise to take ONE night a week to be his night with the baby (we'll see if this actually happens.....a mom can dream......)!! I will discuss sleepless nights in a later post.
I'd love to hear all of your experiences with breastfeeding, if you'd like to share..... I actually think it's important for women to talk about this subject. We can offer SOOOO much support to each other. I remember talking to my sister-in-law, Andrea, was SUCH a big help for me. So please, if any of you (now or in the future) need someone to vent and cry to about this subject, PLEASE call me because trust me, I sooo understand what you're going through!!!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
Yummy Mummy
Posted by Becca Jane at 7:32 AM
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14 comments:
It took me a few minutes to get your title. You make me laugh. I was lucky with nursing, Collin had no problem latching on and he weined himself at 8 months. Ryan was great too... but he didn't want to stop I nursed him for almost 2 years. It comes natural for some babies so hopefully your next baby will be be a natural. Best of luck.
Did I ever really tell you what happened with Gwen? I don't regret for a second my decision to stop nursing her after 5 weeks of PURE HELL!!!
Gavin was difficult but I forced it to work and quit after 9 months. The biting became too much of an issue. Parker was a breeze but weaned himself at 11 months. Your friend is right, every baby is different. Good luck from me too.
Do you get Parenting Magazine? There were a couple of interesting articles in their July 2008 issue. It was so refreshing to read about difficult topics without the sacharrine fluff. It was obvious the authors really experienced what they were writing about. The article on colic was the most realistic thing I have read on colic.
Ooh the biting...I had totally forgotten about that! It wasn't a huge issue with Cam, but man that's some serious PAIN!!
Tristan, I don't think you've told me about your experience with Gwen. Is your number still the same? We need to chat on the phone, it's been toooo long!
I do get Parenting magazine. I love BabyTalk, do you get that one? I get American Baby too (well, I steal that one from my dad's office, cuz he gets literally about 100 issues a month of all sorts of magazines for free). Babytalk is free...ya'll should sign up for it if you don't get it, just go to babytalk.com. It's a good one!
Nursing gets so much easier with each baby. I quit nursing #1 after 6 weeks of pure hell. With #4 it was a breeze and I used all of 4 nursing pads. I barely even get engorged when my milk comes in now. It's like my body just started remembering what to do. Like "the girls" were saying "oh yeah, we've done this before, piece of cake." Hopefully it will be like that for you too.
I tried nursing with almost all of mine, #1 I had to give up, I wasn't producing, came in when he was 2 1/2 weeks, but he was way to hungry, #2 didn't try to much other stuff going on. #3 Pumped for 4 months and then switched, #4 pumped until 6 months, and #5 nursed and pumped until 6/7 months. I could never get them to latch right, so I would pump, what a pain but well worth it.
I hope you feel better soon! I was excited to hear your news!
I tried nursing Riley but we just couldn't get the hang of it, and so I pumped for six weeks then stopped after that. I wish I could have nursed her, because I've had such a good experience nursing Ryan. It would have been nice to have that with Riley.
Ryan is now 16 months and I'm still nursing. I've loved nursing him, but I'm hoping to wean him soon. Good luck with your next little one! I'll bet it will be easier the second time around...it sure was for me!
Oh how I don't miss the days of nursing. I would do it over the bottle for health reason and money reasons. I was lucky and never had any big problem with the kiddies. G nursed for the shortest time as she thought I was a chew toy and S was the longest which was 9 months. For me I was happy about that. I was ready to be done. I don't know how you guys do it for as long as some of you do.......I'm enjoying Georgia taking care of the feeding herself and not having to be the lunch wagon.....I sure felt like it most days!!!! If you are able to do it I am totally for it, but sometimes people don't recognize it's not working for them and have to know that it's okay then to go to bottle. How tricky it can be sometimes!!!
My babies were all great nursers and weaned themselves at 10 or 11 months. Isaac is 10 1/2 months old now and still going strong. I'm hoping to be done after my trip to Utah (I want to be able to nurse him on the flight home) when he's a few weeks past his first birthday. I love nursing so I really hope it goes better for you this time.
i had a hard time at first with ethan but once i got used to it and mastered the blanket it was fine. BUT i was definately ready to be done at 8 months!! hopefully this time round is easier (for both of us!)my good friend heidi had wick and when i was in utah with her she'd always give me some of her formula. WISH we had something like that here, you're so lucky!
I only nursed Cameron for 7 weeks. 7 long weeks of MISERY I tell you!!! He would never latch on correctly, I remember I would cry right before and while I was TRYING to get him to latch on. I was cracked, raw, SO sore...that was an experience I do not ever want to repeat.
I nursed Carsen until 5 1/2 months. It was going pretty good, I could tell that I was started to not produce quite enough for the demand that he had. PLUS, with his severe allergy to milk ANYTHING - it made nursing REALLY hard (and scary!) If I, by mistake had anything with milk in it (yogurt, cheese, milk, ice cream) he would break out in hives and his whole body would swell up... too scary for me, so I weaned him.
Its pretty much all been said...I've nursed fairly successfully (with and without pain), and had my pediatrician advice me to stop (with R). Sometimes its just not the best thing. Good luck! I weaned Aaron at 8 months because he was ready, and the only regret I have is that I have to buy formula now! Hated, hated the pain, squirting milk, and I'm permanently lopsided now because I produced milk better on one side than the other (we're talking, like a cup size difference). Too much info?:)
Robyn, I hear ya with the lopsided-ness! It was a huge problem for me while I was nursing, but I shriveled up equally on both sides when I finally weaned him. Ugh, I'm glad I wrote about this NOW and not right before Baby comes....I'll just have to try and not think about nursing until I have to actually do it!
Well Becca, as probably the oldest mother commenting on the nursing, I had six to contend with and didn't nurse the 1st and the 6th. I tried to with the others and with the exception of my 4th child, I dried up. With Angus, I lasted 18 months. I too hated the cracked nipples, engorgement,leaking and lopsidedness. With my first, I had no one to tell me or show me what to do and with my last, I was too exhausted. I think every woman grapples with the question of whether she should or shouldn't, but that's a personal thing. I am always proud to see women breastfeeding but understand too if they choose not to. I think with the experience you have gained from nursing Cameron, it will help you more with your new baby.
I agree, nursing was really tough with the first. Even my mom, with her decades of experience with being a doula and breastfeeding 6 of her own kids, couldn't get Maddie to latch. Not being able to feed my child (I was pumping in the meantime), not getting any sleep, and being mere weeks away from graduating college turned me into a psychotic mess for those first few days. I did end up going to a lactation consultant, and she was my saving angel. She latched Madison immediately! And the hold she taught me (football hold) worked like a charm. I ended up LOVING nursing and did it for 18 months with Maddie and 2 years with Chloe. Maddie weaned herself, but Chloe was an addict and needed a serious 12 step program. I weened and potty trained her within a month of each other! Haha! I agree with you about women nursing in public. I always felt it was taboo for me to do, but I resented that. Why can't we feed our babies in public, as long as we're not flashing everyone? I actually blogged about that topic here: http://www.yourbabyyourway.com/component/option,com_myblog/blogger,nikkik/Itemid,26. So now, like you, I beam when I see mommies nursing their babies. So cute! I actually miss nursing and would really look forward to it if we ever have another baby.
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