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Photo by starburst1680
Meet first-time mom starburst1680. She's sharing the roller coaster ride of her first year of motherhood. Check back every week for all the emotion and exhaustion — right up until Kathryn Grace's first birthday.
Week 10:
I can no longer say that we are exclusively breastfeeding. For the past two weeks or so we have had to supplement some. She is still getting mainly breastmilk and only one bottle of formula a day, if that. I wanted to go longer without formula but I was having trouble keeping up since going back to work. With the next baby I'll try to make sure I have a much bigger freezer stash before I go back to work than I did with Kathryn. I am sad that we have to give her any formula at all but glad that we are only having to give her a little formula and she is primarily getting breastmilk.
I think she might have her days and nights mixed up (again...or still). When I get home from work in the morning she is usually ready to eat so I feed her before I put her back to bed and crawl in bed myself. Well, recently Kathryn has decided that immediately following this feeding is a good time to just hang out and chat. It is absolutely adorable and I love any time that she just wants to sit and talk to me! I just wish she would wait until a little later in the day when I'm not wanting to sleep. I usually give in to her and talk for a few minutes because I cherish that bonding time so much and I miss her when I'm at work. A few minutes of talking is absolutely worth giving up a few minutes of sleep. Did I mention how cute it is?
Challenges & Concerns:
The exhaustion is really starting to hit hard. My husband and I are still working out responsibilities, feedings, sleep , etc. Kathryn still wakes up every few hours at night wanting to eat and with me working the graveyard shift we don't have normal sleep schedules. Kathryn is kind of on a schedule but not really so one of the big things we are trying to figure out is how we can each get enough sleep. I just have to keep telling myself that it will get easier. She will get bigger and eventually sleep longer stretches. I will get off this schedule in 8 weeks, if I can, and we will work on getting her on a little stricter schedule. My husband and I will continue to adjust to parenthood and that alone will make life easier. I just have to be patient.
Did you exclusively breastfeed or did you sometimes supplement with formula?
(We're celebrating starburst168's first year with baby, so thanks for keeping your judgments about parenting choices to yourself!)
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Previous Weeks:
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Stephanie is a Surrogate Mom
Ashley Is a Widow Who Stays Strong...
I Named My Kid SpongeBob!
Emma Lives with Severe Food Allergies
Comments (9)
Thank you for sharing your story with us. I wish I had something like this when my boys were little. I never kept a baby book for them because to be honest, I was too lazy and forgetful to. You'll love having this to read as she gets older.
I BF my first one exclusively for the first couple of weeks but had to eventually suppliment and then completely switched over to formula. It was a hard transition but my son would nurse forever and nothing I did helped at all.
Just keep doing what you think is best for you and your daughter, that's all you can do :) I can't wait to read next weeks installment.
It is a challenge to maintain a full milk supply when you are back to work full time. I must comment on this "With the next baby I'll try to make sure I have a much bigger freezer stash before I go back to work than I did with Kathryn." A bigger freezer stash is NOT the answer! This is a big myth. The key to maintianing a full supply is to pump out every day the same amount baby needs at daycare. If you take from the freezer every day, even just 2 ounces, your body is not getting the message to make that milk. Thus begins the downward spiral of lower milk supply.
There is some great info here on keeping baby on 100% breastmilk (if that is what you choose):
Smart use of your Freezer Stash
Send what you pump
I had to supplement a bit when I first went back to work, but got back on track really fast by pumping while nursing during ALL AM feeds. After the first week, no more supplements needed.
Also be aware that babu needs one to one and a half ounces per hour of separation. A lot of babies get overfed with the bottle.
kudos for keeping up the nursing! my son was born on the 22nd of november, so they're close in age! my husband and i decided to switch to formula, which we're doing gradually. partially because the demand of nursing was making it difficult to concentrate on my schooling, also it's hell to keep a proper diet for him (he's sensitive to milk right now). don't feel too guilty about it, because it's more important how you raise your child than whether or not you breastfeed. my daughter switched to formula around 4 months old, and she was the first in her preschool to know her ABC's, to count to 10, and to recognize several shapes, because I taught them to her. kudos again, for doin what you're doin :)
What helps me pump is to take advantage of the let down initiated by the baby. So I pump and nurse in the AM between four and eight am when production is at its peak. I also pump while baby feeds as soon as I get home from work...sometimes twice. Massaging the breast while pumping doubles output. Adding hand expression to the end of the pumping session gets you even more. Here is a video that might help: http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html If I pump alone I only get 2 oz, if I massage and pump I get 4 oz if I hand express after I get an additional ounce. I also take advantage of my "turbo boob" the one that pumps really well. The other breast doesn't pump nearly as well but responds with hand expression. If my supply runs low, I marathon pump on days off. There was a time or two I was barely keeping up, but perseverance paid off.
Oh, one more thing. Having the right pump is so important! I work part time so I have a single electric medela pump. But a full time worker needs a more powerful double pump. It makes a huge difference.
I also make sure that I pump what was used that day. So if the baby had 12 ounces. I pump until I get that replacement amount. For instance, tomorrow she will take twelve ounces while I am gone. When I get home I will pump six ounces go to bed, wake up and pump four or five more in the am and pump again to gain the rest before I return to work.
Check out your local Le Leche League group and start attending! Each bottle of formula is one meal LESS your breasts make, and the quickest way to fail entirely. With the right help and good info, breastfeeding can be the easiest thing in the world, and it's the BEST thing in the world for you and baby.
Best advice: Get rid of all formula and do not allow it in your house.
Don't feel bad for having to supplement with formula.
My son was formula fed and the girls got formula at the hospital. I pumped for 5 months with my oldest daughter and for 9 months with my youngest. I was able to get more milk with my youngest and had a deep freezer full so I should have had enough to last until she was 1, had way to many bags have the seam rip and had to buy a couple of cans of formula until I could put her on milk.
thanks for your story