Goals

When I started nursing my first, the idea of nursing for a year was scary and overwhelming, but even before she was born, I knew I needed to set a goal and stick to it. That's just how I operate. So, I started with six months.

After the first day, six months seemed like an eternity. You can read about the issues I had here. I didn't know how I'd make it past the first six weeks. But, like it says in that post, we got through it. I did start supplementing at 4 months because she was on the small side and I just not able to get anymore milk out. But ultimately, I made it to 6.5 months. Yay.

With my second, I set the same goal. I had a rough start with her as well, but I haven't written about that yet so you don't know. But we made it and things got better and better and better. So, at six months, I made the decision to go to nine months. Here I sit, nine months and 6 days later and we are still going strong. We are going to attempt to make it until the end of June. Her birthday is in late July and I want to start weaning her in June while we are on vacation. But we'll see. I'm letting her tell me what she wants.

I'm a believe in goals. It's good to say "I'm going to stick this out for X days/weeks/months." It gives you something to work toward. A starting point. A road map.

Would you just get in your car and drive around with no idea where you are going? Would you set off on a hiking trail and just decide later how long you will hike? I guess maybe some people would. That's why I'm not governing voice on nursing. Just sharing my experience. So, what's your's?

Late night follies

Night feedings have always been tough for me because I have a tendancy to doze off while nursing.I have had to find ways to keep myself awake while feeding my little ones.

I know lots of people who co-sleep and do the side-lying nursing. I can do that, but I HATE sleeping with me wee one. She beats me up. No lie. She is brutal. So, I get up and feed her and put het back to bed.

The first few months when I was up numerous times, the only thing that kept me up was the TV. I would get het, change her diaper, carry her to our living room and watch a how I had recorded on the DVR for the 30-40 minutes it took her to eat. As she got a little older, the light of the TV actually roused her so that was not an option anymore. Instead my iPod Touch became my new best friend. With wi-fi, I could get online and read the news or my email with one hand. In fact, that's how I am typing this right now.

As she got even older yet, moving to the living room seemed to wake her up too much, so I moved to nursing in her bedroom on the glider. From this spot, I browse the web on my iPod or read a small book if it is light enough outside.

I am not one of those moms that can gaze longingly at their child while nursing. I am too tired. Gazing and rocking in a warm, dark room puts me right to sleep...and most of the time it does the same for my sprout.

So, what do you do to stay awake at night?

Rough starts

There were issues in the beginning with both of my children.

They were born full-term, one at 39 and one at 37 weeks. They had no medical issues. But they just had issues latching.

I'm going to tell you the story of my first.

The first wanted to suck on her upper lip. I figured "we'll get it." The nurses tried to help but they weren't helpful. I tried over and over and over again. I was frustrated, but determined. My husband said he had never seen me so patient toward anything, this was definitely a first.

She wasn't gaining weight and was a little yellow and my doctor got concerned. I was still very determined to breastfeed. I bought the pump, darn it, and I had opened it! We were going to do this!

In the first few days, my doctor suggested a nursing vacation.

Vacation?

I interpreted this as "taking a break from breastfeeing." I was immediately relieve. Oh, good, I thought, we'll take a break and try again in a few days.

But that's not what it meant.

She meant, the baby and I get in bed together and do nothing but nurse. I immediately said no in my head. I had things to do. I had a house to clean, gifts to unpack, thank you cards to write, announcements to get out...I couldn't possibly take a two-day break from everything.

You do hear the sarcasm right?

After a day of crying, both her and I, my husband and I decided I needed help. We just weren't getting it. We called our hospital and the amazing lactation consultant met with us and showed me what I was doing wrong. We determined my baby needed stimulation farther back in her mouth to let her know something was there. Nature wasn't helping me in this area so we resorted to a nipple shield.

BAM! That was what she needed.

I was given strict instructions to feed then nurse for a few weeks, probably a month, to make sure my supply was well established given that nipple shields can make it a little more difficult for little babies to nurse.

It took a bit, but we got the hang of it. We even got such a great system down that I was able to balance my laptop on the couch nearby get work done while I was feeding her. (This time around it was replaced by an iPod Touch, but that's a story for another time.)

It was really a tough start, but we made it six months.

Don't let rough starts taint the whole process.

Keep that receipt

Alright, I'll admit it, I'm cheap. i cut coupons. I shop at the dollar store. I like to stretch a buck. What better way to save money than not buying that incredibly expensive formula?

In the beginning, I bought a few cans here and there when I had a coupon so that I would have it when I decided that breastfeeding and pumping had become too much. But I've used two cans, maybe (I know we had to throw a can away when it got too old), and we have four cans up in our cupboard unopened.

But this is money I'll throw away--well, I won't throw it away, I'll donate it. But you know what I mean.

Kellymom.com, which is one of my favorite breastfeeding information websites, provides a handy-dandy little chart to show you how much you save by nursing.

It shows that you can save more than $700 nursing for a year. But it's not just a few. It shows how much you save with one day, one week and with each additional month.

Currently, I'm at 9 months. It says I have saved $567.42, which is a new washer or dryer or three-night Bahamas cruise. I don't know about all that, but I'm thinking it's worth something--hmmm, maybe I need to treat myself to a new little something.

And for a penny-pincher like myself, that's pretty motivating.

Pain in the Breast

Lots of people say that nursing shouldn't be painful, and for the most part, it isn't. But sometimes it can be.

One thing I didn't know about prior to my first daughter's birth was the pain that would occur in the beginning. Not the pain of the latch or my body getting used to it. I am talking about the pain of contraction proportions. You see, breastfeeding causes uterine contractions and helps the body bring th uterus back to size after delivery. It really isn't the slight discomfort my male OB described it as, especially not with my second baby. It was "Am I going to need an epidural to feed my kid" pain.

The good news is that it subsided. The bad news is there are other painful ailments waiting to take its place. I have never had the honor of mastitis, thankfully, but I have had a few plugged ducts. Here is what I do to ward them off and prevent against them.

-Heating pad- from th early pain to the throbbing of a plugged duct, the heatin pad just seems to soothing. With any pugged duct, I would keep the heating pad on it as much as possible. It eased the pain and helped move things along.

-A pump- This may seem strange. If nursing is inflicting pain, why do it more, right? Well because pumping can ease the pain of engorgement as well as help clear a plugged duct. To avoid additional pain, only pump on a level you are comfortable at. To help with a plugged duct, try leaning forward and letting gravity help with some of the work.

-The fridge- I don't know about you, but when I are sore, a few cold ones really help. I'm not talking about beers, I'm talking about pump parts stored in the fridge so that when you take them out to use them, the cold is soothing.

-Ibuprofen- Yeah, it's safe to take when nursing and it really does take the edge off.

In the beginning

My youngest daughter is nine months old and our know our breastfeeding lifecycle is coming to a close. In a few short months, my little girl, who has depended souly on me for nutrition and comfort will soon feed herself food and drink from a sippy cup.

So, why start this blog now?

Well, without the experience of nursing two children, without experiencing the vast difference that can come with nursing two children, without the time and effort I put into it, I never would have had the confidence to share my experience with you.

I'm not a breastfeeding "nazi." I'm far from perfect at it. I'm certainly not an expert in the field. Do what you like. Bottlefeed, supplement, whatever. I'm just sharing with you my experience, my challenges and some funny commentary along the way.

Feel free to ask questions, submit stories or give me some topic ideas.