Friday, August 2, 2013

World Breastfeeding Week

This week brings a lot of emotions forward for me.  If you have been reading along for a while well then you know why.  Every day I try to be okay just pumping but the truth is that I hate this stupid pump.  When we were back in Minnesota, my mom was singing "The Wheels on the Bus" to the girls.  And she said, "The mommy on the bus goes pump pump pump."  OK, and I have to admit that it was pretty funny, but I feel like its all I do!! I pump, then I count down the next 3 hours until I have to get the stupid thing out again.  I'm not ready to quit, and I'm not sure when I will be, but I do hate it.

Elliott is still a nursing champ- when I'm full.  He does great in the morning and has no problems getting what he needs.  Its when I'm getting low that he has a problem and just can't become satisfied.  I'm sad to say that the past two nights that I've tried to nurse him before bed, he just wasn't having any of it.  My pumping schedule has been such that I pump around 6:30 pm  and then try to nurse him to sleep around 8-8:30.  I think I'm not giving myself enough time to fill back up so perhaps that's the problem.  So, I might have to drop a session or juggle my schedule a little if I want things to change.

Oliver is going to the ENT on Monday to check if he has acid reflux and tongue tie.  If he is indeed tongue tied and they recommend getting him clipped, I probably will do it.  Its not just for the fact that he might breastfeed after that, but there can be other problems like speech issues that could come up.  I'm sure it would be a lot more traumatizing when he's 3 to have that done than now when he won't know what's happening.  So, we will see!

If you don't like breastfeeding pictures, please feel free to skip.  I believe that breastfeeding is beautiful and people should not be afraid to see it.  Yes, breasts are sexual, but they are also for nourishing babies and I don't believe they need to be hidden away.  These pictures are special to me and I'm not ashamed to show them.

Oliver- 24 hours old

Elliott- 24 hours old

Tandem nursing my baby boys- about 3 weeks old

Tandem bottle feeding

So sleepy after a nice meal



Sleepy boys



Milk! 


Silly girl playing with the nursing pillow

Elliott

Elliott and Oliver

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3 comments:

AletaObrien said...

I think ALL of the pictures are beautiful! They are growing so quickly. Just beautiful. My doctor told me to stop pumping after 1 month because of my insufficient supply and she said it wasn't going to be worth putting myself through that much. I felt like a failure for having to stop, but at least I did the month and I tried my hardest. It's the most we can do.... try our hardest and with love. You're doing a great job!

Jessica said...

I agree that pumping is a lot of work, but I'm surprised your doctor told you to stop! I also have a low supply, but with the domperidone it has almost doubled, so that's a plus. Any breastmilk you gave your baby was truly a gift Aleta!! One month is a lot more than no months! :)

Juanita Dorrington said...

I totally understand your emotional struggle with this. I grew to HATE my pump, but now in retrospect it was amazing as it helped me provide for my babies. You are doing an amazing job and you will know when you are ready to divorce your pump.