First things first– I never realized how hard it would be to be pregnant and still breastfeed! Hello, PAIN, much? Let me say…it hurts. Bad. Bad Bad. All of you moms…you remember that breast tenderness from the first couple months of pregnancy, right? Combine that with a baby WHO HAS TEETH. Who can super-suck down 6 ounces in under 5 minutes? I kept thinking, “HOLY CRAP, WHO SWITCHED MY BABY WITH AN ALLIGATOR???”, even when he was just peacefully sucking.
But Gregory and I powered through for the first 4 weeks. Then, I started noticing that Gregory wasn’t satisfied when he was done nursing. He was also eating EVEN MORE food than he usually does, only happy once he’d gorged himself. And even then, he was fussy and hungry again an hour later.
Jesse and I came to the agreement/conclusion that perhaps my body wasn’t capable of fully feeding 3 people, all at the same time, especially when the all-day morning sickness took over. I was barely eating a normal day’s worth of food, much less enough to feed two children on top of that!
Side note: I know that the La Leche league is very adamant (even, dare I say it, judgemental?) about the fact that NOTHING gets in the way of breastfeeding, when done properly. Um, can I please meet these people? And tell them they are WRONG? I know my body, and I have worked hard at keeping my milk supply up this long. Sadly, the herbs that work best with my body (ex., Fenugreek) are NOT approved for pregnancy. They can actually cause miscarriage, seeing as they are uterine stimulants. So…do what I need to get my supply up, only to potentially hurt/kill my other baby? No. Sorry, LLL, not gonna risk it.
Anyways, at 10 1/2 months, he also wasn’t ready to start drinking cow’s milk. But every book/article I’ve read firmly states that a kid under the age of one should be getting at least 60% of their calories from milk.
So we decided to start supplementing with formula. It’s made me a bit sad, but mostly due to the fact that my little boy is growing up.
And, wow. He’s been such a different boy since we started supplementing. So much happier, so much sweeter and easier to work with…long and short, I’m very confident that it was the right decision. I’m glad that I’m able to swallow my pride and make the best choice for my baby! I’m glad I didn’t assume he was going through a “cranky phase”, instead recognizing that he was just HUNGRY! Hello, I’d be cranky and waking up all the time if my tummy was growling!
I’m still nursing G 2-3x/day, but I know that it won’t last forever. Everyone’s warned me– once you stop nursing full time, milk production goes waaay down, and quickly. But for now, it’s working. I nurse G in the morning when he wakes up (he’s so sweet and cuddly…:) ), at lunch time, and right before his night-time bottle.
One big downside? Enough formula to get us through just 6 weeks, giving him only 3-4 bottles a day (fulltime would be 6-8) is going to cost $200. YIKES-A-ROONEY!!!. I can’t imagine why parents would willingly opt for formula from the get-go! That’s an extra car payment every month, for something that could be free! Doesn’t make sense to me. That’s around $2,000 for a whole year of formula!
Anyways, done with boob talk. Well, maybe. No promises. If it comes up again, ever so slightly, don’t yak in disgust.
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courtney says
i know you’re sad but it sounds like the right decision. you are right. it would be WRONG to hurt/kill your one child in order to give food to another one, when other food is available. besides, didn’t you think that anything after the first 6 months was just bonus anyway? 🙂 also, Dr. Dennis would have started talking to you at the 12 month mark to begin introducing cow’s milk, so it’s good overall to start getting him used to something else. AND don’t feel like he might stop nursing right around the corner. i know of LOTS AND LOTS of babies who nurse in the morning and right before bed at night until they’re 18 months to 2 years. having another baby might be really helpful in keeping up your supply for those special mommy/gregory moments as he gets older.
Jenny Folsom says
Hey Kelly! So have I told you about my new hobby- couponing. Still trying to learn the ropes, but when I read your post it made me think “there’s got to be some coupons out there for formula”. And, i mean, if you’re gonna buy it anyway… Here’s a few I found bc I’m not sure what kind you use. It’s worth a try 🙂
1. http://www.earthsbest.com/node/311
2. http://similac.com/benefits-of-membership (you have to sign up first)
3. http://www.enfamil.com/app/iwp/enf10/content.do?dm=enf&id=-13493&iwpst=B2C&ls=0&csred=1&r=3493226382
Kerrin E. says
Hey Kelly!
What kind of formula are you using? Generic brand is the same in nutritional benefits as name brand, but half the price. They all have to go through the same testing and such. Jane now use’s Walmarts generic brand, Parents Choice. When we made the jump to formula we used Similac…..Hello gas and constipation! But once we switched she got so much better! Anyway, from my “extreme couponing” tendencies I have found that Target’s generic Up and Up brand formula is the cheapest. They sell them in the extra large canister sizes (you won’t find the extra large canisters in the baby dept. they are in the section with value size items) and they frequently offer coupons on top of it. I love that Target offers coupons on their generic items. love love love. Anyway, glad it is working out for you!