Weaning the Bean

Good morning!

The last few days (since last Wed), we’ve been lucky enough to have another visitor, my Mother-in-law (aka Cookie).  Sadly she had to return home yesterday so we are once again a house of 3 (well 6 if you count the 4-legged sort).

Instead of a weekend recap, I’ve got a baby-related post for you….

When I became pregnant, I knew that I wanted to (try to) breastfeed.  Not only did the doctors and class instructors highly recommend it – no, they pretty much said it was the only way to go – but it was also something I wanted to experience as a new mom.  Regarding the doctor-comment above, Zach and I did feel like those who wanted to go the formula route could feel  ‘less than’ or chastised, which we did not like.  It’s a personal decision to breastfeed or not, and no new parent should feel pressured one way or the other. 

Anyway, I intended to breastfeed for at least 3 months (until I went back to work) with 4 months being a  nice goal and 6 months being a very lofty goal.  I am at 3.5 months and still breastfeeding to some degree (anywhere from 3-4 times a day/night).  As you may recall we began supplementing with formula in week 5,  which was anywhere from 2-6 oz per day.  When I returned to work that amount drastically increased since I never was able to pump enough for a large freezer reserve. On average, the bean gets about 12 oz of formula a day since my return to work – sometimes more, sometimes less.  I breastfeed when I can, namely in the mornings, at night before he goes to sleep, and again if he wakes in the middle of the night.

But I’m ready to stop.

And there are three honest reasons behind that:

1. Bean is A-OK on formula – he likes it, has no issues taking a bottle, and seems to be thriving
2. Pumping at work is a huge pain.  I have to account for the time I’m not working and that means more time away from bean.  No thanks.  Besides, I can only get about 3 oz a session which isn’t even enough for one of his feedings
3. I want my body back.  Yes this is selfish to some extent, but it’s also honest. 

Now I’ll clarify: If for some reason Sawyer could not stomach formula or wasn’t taking bottles very well, I would be doing everything under the sun to keep my breast milk supply healthy and long-lasting.  Since that is not the case, I feel that nearly 4 months of breast milk is a good decision for me and the bean.

I’ve gone to several websites seeking information how to best wean and many say the same thing: space out feedings/pumping more and more each day to week and feed less each time.  So that’s what I’ve been doing.  Now when I pump (1x/day), I only ‘let down’ – I don’t actually pump to emptiness.  Same for feedings.  I start Sawyer off and then finish with formula.  It seems to be working quite well.  And while some engorgement and knots have occurred, nothing has been overly painful.  I can go about 8 hours in between at this point.  My desire is to migrate to formula completely by May 1st. 

And if it’s not evident that my baby is thriving, he is now 14 lbs 6 oz as of last Friday!  His 4 month appointment is the first week of May and we’ll get the full report then. 

If you’re a mom that breastfed, what drove your decision to stop?  And when?  Any tips?

Feeding the beast

You think I’m talking about myself dontcha?  Nope, I’m referring to the pint-sized beast who is semi-permanently attached to my boob: Soybean (aka Sawyer).

Before I merge onto that topic into depth, I wanted to fill you in on how my post-baby body progress is coming along.  I don’t want to do a weekly update because the changes will likely be minimal, so I’ll let you know in full how things are going next week when I have my 6 week postpartum doctor’s appointment.  I have been getting in more activity though including a 4 mile hike on Saturday, weights on Sunday and cardio on Monday.  All of it has been very mild, but it feels oh so very good to get back to the gym.  It does absolute wonders for my disposition. 

Okay back to "feeding the beast"…While lil soybean has been a really pretty easy baby, life hasn’t been without hurdles.  Breastfeeding is one of the most immediate trials.  Women have been doing it since the beginning of time so you’d think it would be easy as can be, but really there is a learning curve.  And the learning curve, for me, had a lot to do with getting over the discomfort (and sometimes pain).

But based on some horror stories I heard, my experience was a cinch!  Sure there was a few blisters, tenderness, etc, but no mastitis, clogged ducts, or swollen montgomery glands (…yet).

I started breastfeeding in the hospital right after giving birth and don’t remember a single thing.  During my stay I was fortunate to see a lactation consultant who went through holds and technique:

Nice visual eh?

For me, I quickly learned the football hold was easiest though I desperately wished the side lying hold would work so I could eventually feed in bed

After leaving the hospital we had a visit at the "Newborn Club" where they checked Sawyer’s weight, then had me feed him, and checked his weight after feeding on each side.  I averaged about an ounce which is great for only 5 days after birth.  And it was wonderful having a lactation consultant check my latch and the girls to make sure all was well with the world   Because the soybean had lost nearly a pound since birth, we went back to the Newborn Club to weigh him again a few days later and he had gained a few more ounces so breastfeeding was working.  At this time he was feeding every 3-4 hours and even had a 6 hour stretch and an 8 hour stretch.

I should also note that we had already been using a pacifier simultaneously since the hospital.  The nurses provided one and asked my permission before giving him one. There were no issues with nipple confusion using the binky and breastfeeding.  We have been using the Nuk brand pacifier.

Pumping was another story.  Though I’ve had my pump (Medela Pump in Style) since pregnancy, it took me until 3 weeks postpartum to give it a go.  I blame my slow recovery.  Pumping is seriously a hoot.  My hubby and I gave it a go one evening and were cracking up at how ridiculous I looked.  I felt like a total cow.  I only pumped one side at a time and still do, mainly because I was usually using my other hand to play on my phone and I just broke out my hands-free bra yesterday.  Whoops. 

I’ve been pumping 1x per day and storing it in the freezer, though we did introduce a bottle about a week ago with no issues whatsoever. 
However, last week Sawyer was a bit fussy and feeding a lot and I feared I wasn’t supplying him with enough food.  Sure he had plenty of wet/dirty diapers per day, but based on my low-perceived volume of pumping (about 2+ ounces total per time), I decided to call the advice nurse.

She assured me that my body was producing enough and to make sure I was drinking a ton of liquid especially while I’m in the act of breastfeeding.  She also suggested I burp in between sides to make sure all air is out of him so he can accept more food.  Both great tips.
Now this week, he’s been upping his desired feedings from 3-4 hours to close to every 2.  Oye. 

For this reason, I decided to start to supplement with formula.  What I want to say here is that I do NOT feel like a failure for supplementing at close to 5 weeks.  I read so many blogs with new moms saying they feel like their body faiiled them.  Why?  Every lifestyle and body is so different, we can’t expect that every women will as easily produce milk as the next.  There are so many factors that can affect milk production.  Besides, there is nothing wrong with formula-fed babies.  In fact, both my hubby and I were exclusively fed formula and we turned out fine (…we think..haha). 

So anyway, sure I could easily be at his beckon call every 2 hours, but that would have really tested my patience and my sanity particularly in the evenings when he cluster feeds a bit.  I wanted to have a bit of flexibility to leave the house if need be or get some extra stuff done if I so choose.
We chose the Enfamil Infant formula and so far so good.  Our plan is to feed him once a day with formula and the rest of the time breastfeed, but this could change.  Flexibility is key. 

As with everything in pregnancy, motherhood, life, it is easy to compare, but what’s most important is doing what’s right by you!  There is no one way, no right way, no best way.  It comes down to what works for you and your family so that you are healthy, sane, happy, and have a good quality of life. 

And with that, Happy Thursday!

PS I use the Boppy for all my feedings and love it!