Supply Irony

So I think it's ironic that you spend months and months and months worrying about your milk supply, and doing everything you can to keep it as high as possible... but then when you're ready for it to go away, it takes forever!! I just spent the last two weeks aggressively protecting my chest! I was full, in pain, and all lumpy. Why didn't anyone tell me about this?? I went from feeding the little man once a day to not at all, so it's not like I quit cold turkey. I found I had to pump once every day or two. And then, just when I thought it was going to be like this forever, it just stopped. One morning, I woke up, and was back to normal. I had kind of gotten used to that nice bra size, but the three glasses of wine I had last night helped me forget those lost cup sizes. I think I might take an aspirin today just to celebrate.

I Forgot One

I forgot one of the REAL reasons to breastfeed.

MUCH less stinky poop.

The REAL Reasons to Breastfeed

As my time of breastfeeding draws to a close, I've realized there are some very persuasive reasons to breastfeed that they really don't emphasize in breastfeeding books and classes. When we were planning to breastfeed, we had all these lofty reasons to do it... of course it's wonderful for the baby's health, it's great for bonding, reduces food allergies, yadda yadda yadda. But what I really love about breastfeeding is not nearly so noble. First, I love not having billions of bottles and nipples to wash. Next, I love the FREE source of whole nutrition for my baby (have you seen how EXPENSIVE baby formula is??). I also love not having to warm up bottles - breastmilk is always available and at just the right temperature. Another great thing is how easy it is to travel because you have much less equipment to take along. But I think the thing I love the most about breastfeeding is that it is the BEST DIET PLAN EVER. I heard someone on some TV show said that breastfeeding is like having a treadmill strapped to your butt. Well, let's just say I'm down 2 dress sizes from my pre-pregnancy size. And I eat like a pig. Cake? Sure! Donuts? Sure! Gigantic Texas BBQ lunch? I'll be hungry again by 3! All this talk of food has made me hungry. I've got to go get a snack.

Buy Good Nursing Bras

Buy good nursing bras. For one thing, you have the biggest boobs you'll ever have, so what better time to get a sexy bra? And yes, they do make pretty nursing bras. For another, making a little bit of an investment is a good way to commit to nursing. Maybe that sounds a little weird, but for me, spending a couple hundred dollars on bras is something not to be wasted (for instance by wimping out and weaning early). Finally, I think that my nursing bra shopping trip was the first outing we made after coming home from the hospital. It's a good excuse to get out, since you have to go about a week after your milk comes in so you can be fitted properly. And pretty much any store that sells nursing bras will LOVE to see an adorable newborn come through the door.

P.S. While I still really do want to keep up this blog, the month and half hiatus since my last post does not bode well. We'll see...

Pumping Supplies

I've been pumping at work for five months now, and this is my must-have list of supplies for success.

1. A good pump (I use the Medela Pump-In-Style Advanced)
   
2. Hand towel (I put this on my lap while I'm pumping to keep any stray drops of milk off my pants)
   
3. 1-3 sets of extra breast shields (so you don't have to wash them at work, or every single night at home)
4. Bottles that you can pump into and then send directly to day care the next day (any standard neck bottle will work with the Medela)... I just bring the tops with nipples, so that each bottle is 100% ready to go when I've filled it up.
   
5. A little lunch box or cooler with some ice packs, so you don't have to put your milk in the office fridge
   
6. Big bright Do Not Enter sign for your door, even if your door locks (and it helps if it's REALLY obvious, so you can relax knowing that the maid or a secretary isn't going to use her universal key to pop into your office at any moment)
   
7. And perhaps MOST important: a zip-up, strap-on hands-free thingy (see here), which I thought was the goofiest thing ever when I bought it! However, since it allows me to use my computer while pumping, I'd have to say it's really the key to my success as a pumping-at-work mom! (But isn't that photo on the website the cheesiest thing ever?? I hope I don't look like that!!)
   

Breastfeeding and TV

When I was a really new mom, I worried about whether it was bad to watch TV while breastfeeding my baby. The experts said that breastfeeding is a joyful time for bonding with your new one and that you should spend the time looking lovingly into your baby's eyes.

Well, 1) newborns look at your booby, not your eyes, while they're eating, 2) they're usually half asleep, and ignore the rest of the world, and 3) you're NOT going to have much time to watch TV once they get a little bigger. So now that I'm wishing I could catch up on my DVR while bfing, I'm instead trying to get my squirming 7-month-old to pay attention to eating for JUST A FEW MORE SECONDS, and TV is totally out of the question. I wish I'd just watched TV (which I did) and appreciated it (which I didn't).