In the days and weeks before Norah was born the two things I was most anxious about were staying in the hospital overnight and would I be able to breastfeed? I guess I didn't know any better, because there is a LOT more to be anxious about than those two things! Staying in the hospital, in the maternity ward at least, is pretty comfortable... room service, 'free' babysitters, no real responsibility other than naming and feeding your child... the only down side was someone coming in to take your temp and check various other things every couple of hours!
But I digress... Turns out breastfeeding, while not trivial, really wasn't that hard for us to get the hang of. By the time we left the hospital, we had it down pat. I didn't have problems like many moms have, my only real challenges with it came after I started back to work (for real that is, when I started my new role in July) Pumping stinks, there are no two ways about it. My supply, while seemingly sufficient for her while nursing, really challenges me when pumping.
I set 6 months as a goal - the bulk of the benefits to both Norah and I are in that first six months, and gosh darn it, I was going to make it! When the six month mark came and went, I really didn't feel any inclination to quit, so we decided to keep on going! Some time around the 7 month mark I just reached a point where I had had enough. I just needed a break, and while Matt is more than willing, being a man, he's not exactly able to share the load on this particular one. I could have him feed her and pump instead, but dislike pumping that much that I'd rather just feed her myself.
I should note that neither Matt nor I are fundamentally opposed to formula, and all along have acknowledged it as a perfectly acceptable back-up plan. I think it was this open mindedness and knowing we had a backup that allowed me to nurse stress-free, for the most part. Matt has been great about being encouraging without forcing it, and really supporting whichever direction I wanted to go with it (which, you may know, sometimes changed from day to day!)
In any case a week ago Sunday, sick tired (literally) I said to him "It's time". Norah has been sick and teething, so we've delayed a little, but last night she got her first after work formula bottle, from Matt. She seemed to take to it alright... I didn't really know what to do with myself, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't second guessing myself. But overall, as usual, we survived. Surely there will be tough days ahead as we continue to drop a nursing session every few days in lieu of a bottle, but as usual, we'll get through it.
In closing I will say that I have really enjoyed nursing Norah, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I'm a little sad that we're moving on, as it seemed like we just got started, but I am also looking forward to getting some time back in my day, hopefully fit in some exercise instead, and set a positive example for my daughter. If any of you friends and family out there are ever considering breastfeeding and want to talk about it, I'm happy to. Reading about it and researching it became a bit of a habit for me!
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