Here we are, eight months postpartum! How in the heck did this happen?! I seriously feel like I sat down on the remote of my life and accidentally switched it to "fast forward".... WHERE'S THE PAUSE BUTTON!? I would totally love to pause my life and enjoy Opal at this stage in life for a bit longer. I wish Dillon was here to enjoy her. She's beautiful and just so, soooo smart.
I want to focus on how our breastfeeding journey has been thus far, and share a couple of things with y'all for World Breastfeeding Week.
First of all, I want those parents who may be reading this, and weren't or aren't breastfeeding to know that I am in no way wanting you to feel offended or less than those who do. I support you and however you are feeding your babe!
They're being fed and that is all that matters! I know that there are so many reasons parents use formula, and that is your business, completely!
I happen to be breastfeeding though.... and I want to share my experience and the lessons I've learned.
Try to sleep as much as possible.
First off, the first couple weeks sucked. Having a newborn baby and being super tired sucks in general. I remember waking up so many times to my husband, Dillon walking around the room holding a pillow in his arms and "shushing" it back to sleep.... He was asleep and thinking he was comforting our new baby. That is how tired we were!
Life has to go on.
Dillon and I had no family in DC.. It
was just us. There was no hospital visitors, balloons, prepared food,
clean house, or welcome home party.. It was just us and the dogs with a
brand new little baby. Neither of us had changed a diaper before. We had
no idea what we were doing. And we had no one to do our errands for us.
Opal literally was out grocery shopping with me in snow storms at 2
weeks old. I had to take her out. I had to resume my normal life, even
with a fresh cesarean scar.
Talk to a lactation consultant.
Engorged boobs were the worst! I started out with a B cup, by the time I was 9 months pregnant I was a DDD, and I am now a D to DD, depending on how much milk they're carrying. Opal had a tough time the first day that my milk came in, but we happened to still be in the hospital when that happened (due to an infection in my uterus) so I had a lactation consultant come by to help me out. She was an angel. She helped me out so much, taught me so many tips, and gave me so much confidence.
Create a circle of support.
When we got home from the hospital I was
soooo scared. Nobody in my family had breastfed so I had no idea what it was even supposed to look like! I called my mother in law for advice and asked all of my friends for so much advice. It was a lot of pressure knowing that I was responsible for our daughter's nutrition! I didn't want to do anything wrong. How was I to know if I was feeding her enough? What if I would wake up one morning and not have a drop of milk for her? Should I keep formula on hand? What kind of bottles would she need if I caved and used formula? All of these questions would run through my head and I would have panic attacks every day. I definitely want anyone and everyone to feel comfortable coming to me for anything! If you have a question about nursing, I am here for you. If you need to vent about how tiring it is, I know, and I'm here to listen!
It actually got better!
I didn't believe anyone that it would get easier, but Opal and I became better at nursing every single mealtime. She was really good at latching on early into it. I think the hardest part was when my letdown was too much for her. She would get really overwhelmed and start coughing. It scared me so much, that I actually went to Target to look at formula... I started reading everything about it and was actually ready to switch because I thought I was hurting her. I decided to reach out to some of my friends who told me to try out some different nursing positions that may help. They actually worked and we got stronger and better.
Nurse in public because you're f*cking awesome. *excuse my language
My family continuously asked me how I would feed Opal when we were out running errands or shopping. They would ask if I would use a cover or just pump... And you know what? I've done both.
I've tried using a cover and that sh*t sucks. I couldn't see Opal, it made us clumsy, she was so sweaty, and I almost dropped her because we got all tangled up.
I've also pumped, and it sucks too! The only part about nursing that hurts, (aside from the occasional bite) has been pumping. I seriously give moms who have to pump everyday props. I cannot imagine how hard that must be, especially to keep a positive attitude while doing so. I actually just invested in a hospital grade breastpump and I'm very excited. I hope it is a lot better than my smaller one and that I can enjoy pumping somewhat more.
When I'm out running errands or hanging out with my family and Opal tells me she is hungry, I stop and feed her. If I'm at a mall I find the family restroom and nurse her in the room set aside for that. If I'm at target I just sit down somewhere quiet (yes, in a random aisle- I don't care) and I feed her. If were using the carrier I just pull my shirt down and feed her, that simple. If were driving, I pull into a parking lot and feed her in the backseat. I don't use a cover and I don't pump and take a bottle with me. I tried those things and I just didn't like it. I've learned that feeding my baby wherever and whenever works for me.
Teething sucks, but it will get better!
As I type this right now, I'm laying in bed watching breaking bad. Opal is latched on, dream nursing, and every couple minutes she will sneak in a little tiny bite. It is JUST barely noticeable. But, that's not always the case. Sometimes she will look at me with a very sneaky smile... And she will chomp down! I've learned to over dramatically scream and to say OW! She instantly looks shocked and will kiss my boob or my arm. I hate when she bites, but she's cutting 4 teeth right now and I don't blame her one bit! I go absolutely crazy when my wisdom teeth flare up every couple months, and she's just a little baby who can't even understand what the heck is going on with her mouth and ears. That must be so frustrating!
When she first started teething I had asked what to do when she first started biting. Instantly, people who had never breastfed in their lives told me "that means she doesn't want to breastfeed anymore."
I was devastated! I was so confused! How could my 3 month old baby already be done? How could this be?
Well, they were wrong. I researched a lot. And my baby kept asking for my milk. And I just flicked her and over dramatically said "OW!" If she bit me. And you know what? It got better!! Now were going through another hard teething phase and I'm not taking it as "mom your breast is no longer necessary!" I'm taking those bites as, "HEY MOM MY MOUTH HURTS AND I DONT KNOW WHAT ELSE TO DO." ;-)
Don't give up. It gets better!
It takes dedication.
Being a breastfeeding mother is easy and hard at the same time. It is hard to be solely responsible for your baby's nutrition. But you know what makes it easy? Knowing that you are giving your baby exactly what God planned and blessed us with!
If you ever need help or advice, I'm here for you!
:)
-Chels.
First off, my favorite things to pin to my boards are decor, projects, and plans for Opal's next room. We definitely see another baby in the near future so we are going ahead and planning on transitioning her from the crib to a toddler bed once we move in. I want to have the crib in the room as an option for her, but also so that she doesn't have to go through a weird process of bringing the crib back in once the new baby is on their way.
