It's free.
I know it's not free exactly, but I borrowed my sister in law's pump and I don't need any meds to keep up with my supply so all I needed to purchase that I wouldn't have to purchase with formula is storage bags for leftover milk. I am poor and cheap so free is good.
The next reason:
It burns calories better than an intense hour long workout, which I do not have time for anyway.
Basically this should tell you that I am not touchy feely about it and it's all business.
Well . . . . . . .
It turns out I have become touchy feely about it. I like it. I enjoy it. Is that weird? A shock? I like looking down at the butterball while he looks up at me or falls asleep on me while I hold his little hands. I like knowing that all his chub came from me. You can see he isn't missing any meals.
I also love not pumping in the night and just feeding him and falling asleep. I can literally just roll over and shove my boob in his mouth.
It hasn't really been perfect though. You would think it wouldn't be too bad, the cavemen obviously figured it out because we are all still roaming the earth and they didn't have any formula. Butterball lost 9% of his birth weight so we were put on alert that we would need to supplement ASAP if it didn't kick into gear soon. Pumping helped a lot and I was able to put all the weight back on him and then some in the recommended amount of time. Those first few weeks tore my nipples a new one. That didn't happen from only pumping for the twins like I did last time. They were bloody. I have had mastitis twice. Full blown mastitis with fever, chills, body aches and painful boobies. I have a fast flow so the butterball chokes on my milk which means I have to pump more than I'd like, but the doctor said when he gets older it will even out.
With those roadblocks in place it has surprised me that Butterball still hasn't even had one little taste of formula. At this point my last go round I was so completely ready to be done and this time I am still good! Not only am I good, but I have over 200 oz in the freezer!
I have set my first goal to be 3 months and I really think I'll make it! The next one will be six. I am worried about him growing teeth and biting me, but if I could make it to a year I'd like to. That's in a long time. Will I be able to do it? I guess we will find out!
The one thing that I wish I could do but just don't feel comfortable with is nursing in public. My fun bags are giant and I really don't think anyone needs to see them nor would I feel comfortable with them being out. At this point we don't leave the house much but it would be nice if nursing would be easier as I don't really plan on nursing on a toilet. I don't even pee sitting on public toilets, I put down tp and then still squat so I really doubt I would feed my baby in there. As it is, I put a pumped bottle into my cleavage so that it's boob temp and ready to go. I'm not sure what will happen when he is older. I tried nursing him at my in laws in their living room and it felt awkward so I put a blanket over myself and butterball and he did not like that. I'm not sure what the future holds in that arena but I really hope to keep up with nursing him, not making any trips to the store for formula is muy bueno.
I love that your a breastfeeding. i'm a big support. Have you thought of getting a nursing cover for the public?
ReplyDeleteCheck out the badass breastfeeder on facebook. She has those fun emails about nursing in public. She's a super advocate and not sure if I could ever be this great with is.
btw you can donate or sell your breast milk if you have that much. Not just saving money but making money. :)
Good for you! I think you'll prob find it only gets easier! And the teeth shouldn't be an issue--you may get bitten a couple times, but they do learn. I find that when he is teething though, I have to watch his latch--he can pull weirdly, not bite., and it can hurt. Also, as baby gets older, you prib won't be able to nurse much in front of the twins...baby will be to distracted to focus. That IS a challenge for me, w a 2.5 yo too. I try to nurse in baby's room and let him run wild in the living room or watch tv;)
ReplyDeleteOn NIP, I used a cover for my first son. It was just easier. I don't now--just wear a tank and a second shirt and pull one up and one down. But I found I just care less and it's easier wo a cover. However, I also find that as they get older, they nurse less often and more on a schedule. So for short trips, I just feed before we go. After about 3 mos, the frequency evens out. Six weeks even.
Also, you could try nursing in the Ergo baby carrier. It takes some practice, but it does work well, and the hood is your cover. My ergo is critical for nursing on the go, and for being out and about chasing a toddler!
GL!
I haven't commented or posted on my own blog in a while, but I've been reading yours. I was specifically wondering about breastfeeding, but not going to ask, but now that you've brought it up ... I have twins only slightly younger than yours, and I had a similar breastfeeding story. I wanted to feed them so badly, and it didn't go well, and the pumping was SO HARD and my husband eventually made me give it up. I thought I would be ok with it, because while I was in that place, it was just so hard, but now, 2.5 years later, I still regret my decision. I've thought a lot about having another baby, and I know part of it is a yearning to have that relationship with a child that I didn't get to have with my twins. I totally agree with your comment about the women who are so pushy about it, they made me feel like total crap when I decided to give up (how about offering to help me instead of making me feel guilty?). Anyway, it's been interesting reading about your family expanding from 4 to 5, and I'm looking forward to hearing more. P.S. I, too, am worried about the body image issues. I survived the twin pregnancy very well, but I wonder if having another one would be pushing my luck.
ReplyDeleteThat's awesome it's working out so well for you guys and you've gotten into a good routine with breastfeeding! And good for you for sticking with it through two awful mastitis battles, that is not easy! I honestly NEVER thought I'd bf Ian until he was 14 1/2 months old but it really just kept getting easier and as you said it burns calories in such an incredible way! Honestly I think I ate more while bf'ing then when I was pregnant (and that's a lot) and was able to get down to the lowest weight I've been as an adult! I hope bf'ing only continues to get easier for you guys as well and you both continue to benefit. Ian also wasn't comfortable with the nursing cover initially and we just had to practice using it in the comfort of our home before both of us were familiar and I felt like I could do it in public but after a while it was no problem to take our show on the road.
ReplyDeleteLove the pic, he is SUCH a cute little man!
I'm going to have to try the cleavage trip to keep the bottle warm! My little guy is having issues with feeding (he was born prematurely, so his suck is weak) so he's all about the pumped breastmilk.
ReplyDeleteMuch easier than with two, huh? I'm glad you are enjoying it ;)
ReplyDeleteWow! You are truly the Dairy Queen! And zomg, soooo much adorable baby squishiness!
ReplyDeleteI LOVED breast feeding. It was really hard but totally worth it. I was so sad when I dried up. But what really makes me want to weep is how much money we've spent on formula over the past two years....gaa.
He is so squishy adorable!!! And YES, that's all from you! That's my favorite part about breastfeeding =). Okay, well the super adorable baby passing out on your boob at night, or the being able to instantly hush your crying baby by sticking a boob in his mouth is pretty darn stellar too! So glad you're having an easy go with it!
ReplyDeleteAs for mastitis....I really think some people are more prone to it. I've had it 6 times in the last two years. 4 x with the twins, and twice so far with my little man. Crazy.
Keep up the good work momma! He's ADORABLE!!!