Nursing has been a frustrating journey for me. I have not been able to offer any of our children only breastmilk. I have always had to supplement with formula. You might be saying to yourself "Had too? I doubt that!" but the truth is, I really, REALLY worked at nursing each baby, going further into the art of stimulating a better supply with each one. The longest I have nursed is 7 months with #4 (each baby I have been able to go one month further), and that was supplemented with formula also.
As I anticipate the arrival of baby #5, I am preparing myself for the challenge of exclusively breastfeeding this one. I feel more prepared than ever. I feel that the knowledge I gained after baby #4 has finally armed me with what I need to be successful!
A little background:
The frustration of the vbac delivery with #4 bled over into the frustration of nursing a baby and I pushed myself (and the baby) into exclusively nursing for the first month. My baby cried for the first month and at one month, when he still was not up to birth weight (scary, considering he should have had a gain at that age) I relented and gave him a bottle. Miraculously, he stopped crying. He was hungry. He was underweight, not gaining and I was so determined to be successful at nursing that I was starving him.
The very next day, I saw an posting on craigslist for free breastmilk! The mother donating the milk had extra, had a clean bill of health and it turns out, was able to give me some of the BEST advice I had ever had (and trust me, by the 4th one, I had all kinds of advice and counselling). My baby gained a full pound in that first week of supplementing with her milk! She loaned me her electric pump (yeah, where were you with that one, WIC?), a good pumping routine, and recommended supplements that actually WORKED! In the end, I discovered that I don't have a "relaxed setting", meaning I have a hard time allowing myself to relax completely and experience a milk let-down, which means the milk won't keep flowing.
I supplemented with Mother Love's More Milk Plus and Ignatia Amara (homeopathic remedy), which is a common stress helper (not her advice, but a La Leche suggestion). Pumping, for me, had to be continuous, I couldn't miss a post feeding pumping or my supply would drop drastically. Very hard work and very time consuming, especially with 3 other kids who need you and who are homeschooled. In the end, between the round the clock pumping, buying a house, packing, regular chores and school, I chose to stop pumping and let my supply take the course it would, giving in to formula again.
Our #4 is now 17 months old and will have a new baby sister or brother in just 2 short months. I think that I can do the pumping regiment now, since we are moved completely, school will be over just as the baby arrives and I am scaling back ALL outside the home activities! I am even looking forward to it! When my supply is in and the baby #5 is eating well and gaining weight, I am even considering switching #4 back to breastmilk in his bottles! He has refused to be weaned from soy formula and I would feel better about him taking a bottle at bed if it was breast milk. A little unconventional, I know, but healthier (and far less expensive!) than feeding him a chemically based formula. Am I setting my goals too high? Maybe.
Wish me luck!
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