Okay... I need a little moment to brag. And I just want to put it out there that I am not trying to offend anyone. I just need a little moment to celebrate since pumping at work is just plain out no fun!
Even before I was pregnant, I knew that I wanted to try to breast feed. I know the benefits of giving your baby breast milk from working in the NICU. I knew that if we needed to use some formula, it wouldn't be the end of the world. But deep down, I am really proud of us for getting to this point without needing to supplement. That's not to say we didn't have our challenges along the way... engorgement, fast let down, and bottle refusal. We our very thankful that Meriter has a lactation nurse, that our pediatrician is a realist, and that we are personal friends with a lactation consultant (who I did make Nick call twice over a weekend). Also, thank you to all my friends and especially my mom, who said just go a day at a time, it will get easier. A huge THANK YOU to Nick who has listened to my anxious insecurities about the whole breast feeding thing. Initially, it drove me crazy that I couldn't see how much Owen was eating and since every other baby seemed to put on weight so quickly. Nick was always there to reinforce that Owen was eating fine! I needed his realistic viewpoint a lot. Like a broken record he would say, "He's pooping. He's peeing. He's sleeping" Thanks! Also, thank you to Nancy who hit my car last year and scratched my bumper. Don't tell, but I didn't replace the bumper with that insurance money. We bought a chest freezer. And I've filled that freezer with milk. Pray to God that the power doesn't go out. Even Nick has had dreams that our garage has flooded and that the frozen bags of breast milk have floated away.
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| Frozen milk... now where to store the bags?? |
Why the sudden nostalgia about breast feeding? This afternoon we have our 4-month doctor's appointment where we are going to discuss solids. We have come such a long way from 2-3 months ago. And now Owen is even taking a bottle for daycare without an issue... The boy will suck down 4 ounces in minutes!
My goal is to give Owen breast milk for a year. But I am being realistic about it, since I am being back at work. Little goal- 6 months, Big goal- 1 year. Let's not lie, the whole "eat whatever you want" part of breast feeding is pretty awesome!
Here is a plug for my neighbor's blog (see "you are the smile to my face" link under blogs I follow)- Kaiti and Andy have an adorable little girl named Harper who was born with a hole in her heart and needed heart surgery when she was roughly Owen's age. I can't imagine the stress and heartache we would have if we had to go through Owen having surgery on his heart! Kaiti and Andy are very strong people indeed! This Saturday, we are so happy to join them and a whole bunch of other people to raise awareness and money for Down Syndrome research. Please take time this October to read Kaiti's blog and consider donating to the cause!
Click here to read more/donate to the cause!
Okay... here's your reward for reading!
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| Practicing sitting in my highchair! |
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| Waiting for Gma Char to come play! |
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| Trying to suck my thumb and put my toy in my mouth! |
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| Corn Maze! All bundled up! |
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| At the pumpkin patch! |
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| At the pumpkin patch with Best Buddy Mason! |
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| Who me? |
Heck, I'm proud of you for the breastfeeding! And holy moly, what a freezer supply! You are superwoman.
ReplyDeleteGreat work, Sarah! You have every reason to be proud of what you've accomplished-both the pumping and your little man. He is so handsome!
ReplyDeleteI recently came across this link, if you need to "organize" your bmilk bags: http://greenlitebites.com/2011/06/02/breast-milk-storage/
Brag away, Mama! You did great. I'm totally jealous that you're able to keep the breastfeeding going. I've definitely learned a few things to help me next time 'round. And you're right...pumping at work is all kinds of suckage. Even when I had a private room for doing it. (I've heard horror stories of women who had to pump sitting in a bathroom stall...YUCK!)
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the solid foods...I'm sure he'll do great! We found the Cuisinart to be our best tool for making the early purees. Frozen into ice cubes and stored in a Ziploc bag. It's almost too easy.