I can remember being pregnant and taking the classes through Amma Maternity and thinking about how devastating it would be to be unable to breastfeed. I think being a mom in general is hard work so whether or not you chose to breastfeed is up to you. There are so many choices to make as a parent and I greatly respect each and every decision- this includes whether or not YOU decided to breastfeed. However, Luke and I have always been a little (what my mom likes to call) crunchy, but after taking the breastfeeding course, my need to breastfeed was confirmed. I think back to when we started the course; the instructor asked us why we all wanted to breastfeed. . . So the list began:
1. It saves money
2. Helps you lose weight
3. Is good for the baby
a. Boost immune system
b. Reduces risk of diseases and allergies
4. Helps you bond with the baby
That was the premise of the list we compiled, although our instructor gave us a list a mile long with all the benefits in detail which I wrote about in a previous post (HERE). So to us, the money savings has been completely evident. It helped that I was home for 2 ½ months, but as far as money spent, all we have spent is the money on breast milk storage bags, which has been about $30.00 total. Now that I’m pumping at work and storing more, we’re spending a bit more, maybe $10-$20/month, but that’s a HUGE savings in comparison to what we’d spend on formula. As far as weight loss goes, I have seen a HUGE change as well. When I was pregnant, I gained a total of about 17 lbs, so far I’m down 25 lbs- which makes me 8 lbs lighter than I was pre-pregnancy! Some of that may be due to the fact that I’m busy all the time and forget to eat. Being good for baby we haven’t really visibly seen, but she hasn’t been sick yet (knock on wood). Bonding- yes, yes YES! I don’t know if breastfeeding was the main contributor, but I feel like every time I’m feeding her, and being responsible for her growth and overall health, I am so connected to her and it’s the most amazing feeling in the world.
The beginning
I was lucky enough to be one of those people who had absolutely no problems. Baby latched on perfectly, my milk came in within a couple days, she gained weight, I never got any infections, so maybe I have a skewed perspective, but I am pretty sure it’s just because I’m lucky and has nothing to do with anything I DID. Besides the pain associated with the beginning stages of nursing, it was smooth sailing. Its funny though- because I was in pain the first couple weeks, I just let everything “air out” (as the nurses instructed) and I recall my mom asking, “So do you think you’ll ever wear a shirt again.” Hahaha, after childbirth, the little bit of modesty I once had, went down the drain. I think the downfall to breastfeeding in the beginning was that it felt like I was doing the majority of the work. Newborn babies simply eat and sleep, and the majority of the sleeping happened immediately following a feeding. Soo as if having a baby isn’t a big enough change to your life, my poor husband wasn’t getting much bonding time with her. That, of course, changed once she started to interact more and sleep less during the day. It was also hard to know if I was producing enough, finding ways to increase my supply so I could store more, and realizing that if I was going to solely breastfeed, that meant that middle of the night feedings were my responsibility. To me, now, those middle of the night feedings (yes, there’s an “s” on the end of that because my child is up 2-3 times a night still) are my quiet, alone time with her. It’s become special and something I treasure- although most mornings I have to peel myself out of bed.
Pumping
Here’s where the difficult part starts. . . Around 3 weeks post-partum, the nurses recommended that I start pumping after feedings in order to store enough milk to compensate for when I go back to work. After a lot of trial and error, I found that I could pump effectively 2 times a day, after the first mornings feeding, and after the last feeding of the night. Slowly but surely I started to accumulate a stock, and I was feeling like I was in a good routine. Well- of course, when you have a baby there’s no such thing as a solid routine, because once I went back to work, I had another bump in the scheduling road. Part of being able to successfully pump, is being relaxed. Now I don’t know about you, but there is nothing relaxing about being crammed into a little room with your shirt off and your coworkers just outside your room talking and KNOWING what you’re doing. I found that creating a pumping schedule helped to eliminate some of the awkward “Uhhhh- I’m going to go take a break” thing, and now I just get up and go. I made a handy red sign that I place on the door and move my chair in front of it, so even if someone mistakenly attempted to open the door, I’d be blocking it. I also now listen to music or to calm myself, and even close my eyes. I have decided that to keep my supply up and continue building a stock, I have kept my morning and evening pump sessions, as well as 3 pump sessions during the work day. 5 times a day on top of breastfeeding when my little munchkin is awake is getting to be a lot! Not to mention, my stock has become so large, that I’ve had to make 2 separate trips to store in my parents deep freezer. I now have enough stock that if I stopped pumping completely, I’d have enough for Riley to eat for at least a month while I am away at work. I think it’s time to drop a session, but—man- it hurts!
What’s to come
It has definitely been what I’m calling a journey because there are ups and downs, at times I feel like it’s so inconvenient to be pumping all the time, storing, and cleaning parts, but at other times (more so in the middle of the night) I feel like it’s so convenient to not have to make a bottle to feed her. My goal was to breastfeed for 6 months- a year, and I think that since I’ve made it this far, it’s completely do-able. Before we know it, Riley will be starting solids, and she’ll nurse less and less (Sad face- she’s getting so big already). I’m happy to know that this has been something that we have made work for our family and for us the positives heavily outweigh the negatives!
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