That's right... I'm going to 'go there'... a friend of mine actually inspired me by sharing her experience with nursing her little guy (we had VERY similar experiences). There of course has been lots of research done on this topic, but there is no right way to do things. For me, personally, I wanted to nurse my little ones (mostly because it was FREE ;-)). Free is well, pretty appealing... especially with the economy the way it is. PLUS, these days they have so many things that make nursing easier and more convenient, like 'udder covers' (use code FAMILY2011 to get one FREE- they might be out... but it's worth a shot).After I had Addison I was still teaching, so when I went back to school in August, I had to pump more than nurse. So, I guess that means I technically nursed for 4 months. After that, I was pumping (she still got breast milk, just from a bottle). I used a medela pump and LOVED it! It was convenient (I got the back pack one) and really worked well. BTW... they now make these SWEET bras for people pumping... HANDS FREE! Wish they had those when I was doing that!!
Anyhow, it didn't take TOO long for me to feel like I was becoming a SLAVE to that pump. I couldn't go to bed when I wanted to, I had to pump first. I couldn't sleep in in the morning (well... that's a given... but in the RARE instance I had the chance... it didn't matter) I had to wake up and pump. At that point, I felt like it wasn't good for either of us. She was already 8 months old. I mean, most studies/doctors really push for nursing for the first 6 months. So, I had exceeded that, right?! Then why did I feel SO SELFISH?! Weaning Addison was a hard decision and an EXTREMELY emotional process. In the end, she was fine... I was fine... We were ALL fine!
Now... Wyatt... yeah, THAT is a different story! First of all, I had a toddler... which put a small strain on things to begin with. But, I was determined to try nursing again. Unfortunately, I had serious OVER SUPPLY. When the poor little guy tried to nurse it was like I was
Will had deployed, I was visiting my parents and I started running a fever and feeling achy all over. It was AWFUL! So, I went to the doctor and they prescribed me a Z-pack (here's where they FAILED). They didn't tell me anything about nursing while on meds... what they SHOULD have said is that, Wyatt might get thrush (fancy word for yeast infection in his mouth) from it. Yeah so... he did. No biggie, right?! Lots of babies get thrush.... but, since I was nursing... it didn't stop there. Wyatt proceeded to pass the yeast infection right back to me. :-( THAT was probably the most pain (next to child birth... I don't know maybe more than child birth...since I had an epidural...) I've EVER been in. I remember sitting on my mom's bed holding the pump in my hand... and having to take and deeeeeeeep breath and count 1...2...3... and start the pump! AHHHHHHH! Once it started, it wasn't too bad. But, that initial pain... EXCRUCIATING!! On top of that, my nipples were cracking so now this painful milk I was pumping was pink from the blood that was in there (don't worry... I googled that... not enough blood in there to hurt the little guy).
I looked everywhere and everything said that I had to nurse/pump through it (during this pain I SWORE I would NOT let Wyatt anywhere near my boobs again). The ONLY thing that seemed to help was taking a warm bath (it is actually BIZZARRE). Unfortunately, this meant that Wyatt only nursed/pumped for 4 months. I didn't quite make it to 6... BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUT, that pain... well, it's NO JOKE!!!
I found this fun pros and cons list on www.americanpregnancy.org
| Breastfeeding | Bottle-feeding | |
|---|---|---|
| Nutrition | ||
| Perfect balance of nutrients | Not as efficiently utilized as breast milk | |
| Contains high levels of nutrients | Nutritional content depends on proper preparation | |
| Easily digested and absorbed | Some babies have difficulty tolerating certain nutrients | |
| Content varies according to milk production stage, which meets the changing nutritional requirements | Pediatrician/care-giver determines amount | |
| Infant determines amount | ||
Costs | ||
| Free | Formula ranges from $54 to $198 per month depending on brand | |
| Nursing pads, nursing bras, etc. | Bottles, nipples, etc. | |
| Breast pump (optional) | ||
Advantages | ||
| Always the perfect temperature | Anyone can feed the baby | |
| No preparation time | ||
| Milk is readily available at any time and any place | ||
Disadvantages | ||
| Mother must be available for feeding or to provide pumped milk if she is absent | Warming formula | |
| Mother must pump if feeding is missed | Preparation time varies | |
| Early breastfeeding may be uncomfortable | ||
| Certain medications can interrupt breastfeeding | ||
So... for me... I nursed/pumped the babies... and when it was time, switched to formula. What did YOU do? If you had another chance... would you do things the same way? Let's Chat...
**SORRY if this was WAY too much TMI... just wanted to put it out there. Maybe there were other mommies dealing with the same kinds of stuff.
No comments:
Post a Comment