Officially Done Breastfeeding!

Before I had James I knew that breastfeeding was the way I wanted to feed him. Thankfully I didn't encounter many problems during the year of nursing. James was a bit of a difficult baby to nurse, he was always interested in what was going on around him. Even if I covered him up, he would still try to see what was going on. 

As stated in a previous post I cut out his 3pm feeding on April 30th, and his 11am feeding on May 12th.  I continued with the 7am and 7pm feedings until the end of May.  He really wasn't interested in nursing at all, but I didn't want to cut out multiple feedings all at once and end up suffering. On May 28th I cut out the 7am feeding and he did fine. I figured we would continue with the 7pm feeding for at least another week. Again I was just dragging it out for my sake at this point.  Well he wasn't having it any longer and on the 30th I cut out the last feeding. 

I was lucky and didn't have a single issue with the drying up process. I'm not sure if it is because of my suspected low supply issues, or just because James was eating so little towards the end. Either way I am happy with how the process went. 

I set a goal in the beginning to make it a year, and we did! I am proud of reaching my goal, and I know that James is healthier because of it. I'm really hoping that the next baby we have will be easier to nurse, but we will have to wait and see!

Weaning Process

On April 5th I started mixing James' oatmeal with whole milk. I had been mixing it with formula, but ran out and didn't want to spend $35 to get another can. So I decided to make the switch.  For a few weeks I only put it in the oatmeal. Then I started giving him a cup of milk with his meals.  He has done so well with the cup that I decided to start weaning him from breastfeeding. 

On April 30th I decided to cut out the 3pm nursing session.  James had been fighting me each day at that time so I knew he was ready to let it go. I gave him a snack of cheese and milk. He seemed so happy to be eating a snack instead of nursing.  Today I decided to cut out the 11am nursing session.  For over a week James has been fighting me at that feeding. So once again I knew it was time.  When he got up from nap today I gave him his lunch and he did fine. 

Tonight at the 7pm feeding he wasn't very interested, but I'm not going to cut out 2 feedings at once. I plan to continue nursing him at 7am and 7pm for a few weeks.  I haven't had any issues with cutting out 2 feedings so far. I hope that I don't experience any engorgement when I cut the last 2 feedings out, but I will just have to wait and see. So far so good!

Breast Feeding

So I've made it 11 months breast feeding James. My goal has always been to make it a full year. Let me say that I thought this was going to be an easy journey and boy was I wrong! James has become horrible at just laying still and eating. He constantly tries to stand up and look around. He can tell when I am starting to get mad and he will climb up me and give me kisses and then rest his cheek on my face. I can't be mad at him when he does that to me! But dang it's frustrating that he won't just eat.  I really hope that the next baby I have will be better at nursing, cause I don't think I can handle another one like James.  I don't regret my decision to go a year at all since I know I made the best possible choice for him.

I had heard from tons of people what a joy it is to breast feed, and that there is such a strong bond from doing it.  I have to be honest and say that I don't find it joyful, or think that it made my bond stronger. I compare it to how everyone says that when you are shopping for a wedding dress when you find the right one you have that "feeling", well I didn't get the "feeling" then. I guess I'm just different.  I do love that I can look at James and ask him if he wants to eat and he will get excited and crawl over to me, cause he knows that I supply the food. It makes me happy to be able to provide the best nutrients for him. I have to honestly say that I am looking forward to his birthday because it means I will have reached my goal, and that for the first time in almost 2 years my body will be mine again!!  That is until we decide to have another baby, and then it won't belong to me again for about 2 years. It's all worth it in the end, I know that for a fact! 

Check back after James turns 1 for a whole recap on my nursing journey. I know that I will love having it written down when the next baby comes along and I want to remember that it wasn't all sunshine and roses. It's really a full time job.

James update

James had his 6 month appointment today.  We are running a few weeks behind on them, but since he won't get shots at his 9 month we should be able to get back on track then.  The last time I gave an update on James he had lost weight. I took him to the doctor on Nov 19th, for a weight check and he was up to 15lbs 4oz, from 14lbs 3oz. He had gained 1lb in 2 weeks.  Well today he weighed 15lbs 3oz, and is 26in long.  His head was 17inches. 

The doctor is not concerned that anything is wrong with James, and thankfully is very supportive of me continuing to nurse him.  He has recommended that I start giving him fruits or veggies after each time I nurse him. He has me nursing him every 3 hours, and I have been giving him fruit or veggies twice a day.

A typical day for James has been:
7am- nurse, oatmeal and fruit or veggies. Nap at 8:30-10
10am- nurse. Nap at 11:30-1
1pm- nurse, 2 veggies. Nap 2-4
4pm- nurse. Sometimes nap around 5-6 if other naps have been short and he's tired
7pm- nurse, go to bed for night

Now the doc wants me to add the fruit or veggies after each nursing session, and also offer him oatmeal at least once more during the day.  I have to take him back in Jan to check his weight, and see what the next step is if he hasn't gained any. 

I'm not concerned that anything is wrong with him. The doctor confirmed that he is meeting milestones for babies of is age, and is very alert and active. He did say that he might have to send us to Cincinnati Children's Hospital to see a nutrition specialist if he doesn't gain weight. 

I've been taking a prenatal vitamin, and also taking Gaia Lactate Support. I know that James is getting milk, I constantly hear him swallowing. He never comes off the breast crying like he isn't getting anything. I think that if I could get him to nurse for longer it would be very good for him. I will have to figure out how to make him stay on longer.  Any advice on getting a baby to nurse longer is welcome!

Nursing Issues

So for about a week now I have been having bad pain while nursing. James has started pulling off while still sucking. So he is causing me to be almost in tears with pain. I first was very concerned that I wasn't producing enough to satisfy him. I decided that I needed to talk to friends who nurse their babies and see if they had experienced the same problems as me.

I talked to Emily about my issues and took her advice and purchased some Hylands teething tablets. I gave them to James Tuesday and Wednesday, but at the 3pm feeding yesterday I was in so much pain I decided I would have to pump and give him bottles. So I gave him a bottle at 7pm, and this morning at 7am. I was able to get in to see a lactation consultant for his 11am feeding today.  She said that he latches on great, and he is obviously getting enough from me.  She believes that because he "plays" around and pulls off that is what is causing my pain.  So the plan for now is that when he starts to do the pull off thing I should tell him no and take him away from the breast. If that does not work she suggested giving him a bottle at the following feeding. He takes bottles like a pro, but I can tell he prefers the breast. She felt that "punishing" him with a bottle might get the point across. I'm really hoping that telling him no and taking him away from the breast will solve the problem. Because I took a break for two feedings I didn't hurt when nursing him today. I nursed him 3 times, so he only had one bottle today. 

I am not going to give up on nursing, I will make it to a year unless something beyond my control stops me! I've been blessed to really not have any issues until now. I think that it is probably normal for every woman to experience some kind of bump in the road while breast feeding. The key is to keep going after getting over the bump!

I just love this boy!

Help me please!

I am having trouble with nursing, and need some advice.  For the past few days James has been pulling off and crying and acting like he isn't getting anything after a few minutes on one side. I will switch him to the other side, and he will do the same thing. So then I will go back to the original side and start over. Some feedings he will seem happy after getting each boob twice, and other times he still seems hungry. I can't figure out why he is doing this to me.  Has anyone experienced this problem?

Moving on up!

We live in a two bedroom apartment. When we moved in we decided that based on the setup it would be best to put our cats things in the spare room. Well when we found out I was pregnant there was a dilemma as to where to put the crib.  I didn't want it in the spare room since the cat's litter box and food were in there. So we decided to put James' crib in our room.

Having him in our room worked out great when he would need to nurse in the middle of the night. Now that he is getting older and doesn't nurse at night we decided it was time to move him. We first had to move the cat out of the spare room. Now our front coat closet houses his litter box and he gets fed in the pantry/laundry room. He is pissed that we won't let him in the spare room any more. But he will eventually get used to it. 

We finally got the spare room cleaned and as fur free as possible yesterday during James' morning nap time. We moved his crib during his awake time after he nursed at 11am. He then took two naps and slept the whole night in there. He woke up around 1am and I gave him a passy and I think he went back to sleep. I was a bad momma and turned the monitor off....I remember doing it, but don't think I realized what I was doing. I woke up around 5am and turned it back on and he was awake and moving around. When he started to get fussy I went in and gave him his passy and he went back to sleep until 7am. 

Today he has barely made a peep at all 3 of his nap times! I'm hoping that he does not wake up at 5am tomorrow. He has done so well with sleeping until 7am, and I don't understand why he has started waking up early. I'm hoping it's just a phase, cause I really like sleeping till 7!

Question for the few that actually read this and are nursing mommas: Did your baby change their latch around the time they started teething? I've started having pain while nursing and can't figure out why.

Bamboobies

I found another great product that I figured I would pass along! They are bamboobies nursing pads.
http://www.buybamboobies.com/Breast-Pad.php

They are made of bamboo fabric and are so soft! I suffered from dry cracked nipples in the beginning, and these pads were a life safer.  I have the overnight ones and actually use them all the time. I love that they can go in the washer and dryer. I highly recommend them to anyone who is searching for the right nursing pad.

My "nursing journey"

Before I was even pregnant I knew that I wanted to breastfeed. To me it was the only option of nourishment for my future babies.  While I was pregnant I made sure that Joshua knew that I did not want to give our baby any bottles of formula. Thankfully he agreed with me and is 100% supportive of my decision.  I’m three months into my “nursing journey” and wouldn’t change my decision to do it for anything!

I did have concerns while pregnant that I might not be able to nurse. I wondered if I would produce enough milk for the baby. I have heard of women who want to nurse but for some reason beyond their control can’t.

James was born on a Wednesday and the nurses weighed him at 2am Thursday and he had dropped from 8lbs 3oz to 7lbs 11oz. The nurse made sure to tell me that if he lost 10% of his body weight I would have to supplement with formula. Again Friday morning about 2am the nurse came in to weigh him and this time he was down to 7lbs 6.2oz. The nurse immediately said that I was going to have to supplement and I told her that I wanted a pump; again she said I would still have to give formula. I started to cry instantly because I wasn’t going to give him formula, that wasn’t an option to me. The nurse realized I was crying and said that she would check on the computer and hopefully it wasn’t 10% of his weight lost so far. I got lucky that it 9% (I think). I told her that if a doctor said he wasn’t getting enough to eat and needed formula that I would give it to him, but not before then. 

The pediatrician came in on Friday morning and checked James out and said that he looked great. He wasn’t overly concerned about his weight loss. He did want his weight checked the next day so we scheduled for a nurse to come to the house and check it.

My milk came in on Saturday morning and James started gaining weight after that. By James’ two week appointment he was above his birth weight, and has been gaining steadily since. He normally nurses around 10 minutes a side. He will take bottles of breast milk every now and then.  I have been pumping since a few days after my milk came in, and sometimes will pump before a feeding so that Joshua can feed him.

I do not plan on going back to work anytime soon, but I still pump at least once a day and put it in the freezer so that I have a supply built up. Right now I have over a day’s worth of milk frozen!

I enjoy feeding James, and love that I am his source of food. Early on when I was very tired in the middle of the night there were times I wished that I was just giving him formula and that Joshua could just get up with him. But I know I have made the best decision for James in not giving him formula. I plan on nursing him until he is a year old. I’m not gonna be one of those crazy people who nurse the kid until they are 3.

I know that breastfeeding isn’t for everyone, but it has definitely been the right decision for me and my baby. I plan on breastfeeding any future babies that we have.