7 Down ? To Go.

BB and I just hit 7 months of nursing and we are looking forward to 7+ more. I feel really lucky that we had miniscule problems that were very easy to overcome with the help of my LC and support from my family. I'm also lucky that I'm able to stay home which makes nursing much easier. I do not have an estimated weaning date. My goal is to let him self-wean.

Slightly related, I attended my first LLL meeting yesterday and I had a great time! There were a few ladies still nursing their 2 year olds and it just made me happy to be around like minded ladies.

I even made friends with the hostess and we're going to get coffee some time. Hooray solidarity!

Breastfeeding - With A Little Help From My Friends

When I was pregnant, I never took a breastfeeding class because I was on strict bed rest when they had the class. I also had two Non-Stress Tests a week. I saw the breastfeeding support group pamphlet twice a week for about eight weeks.

After BB was born the nurses at the hospital were quite helpful. Except for the night nurse who said if BB's blood sugar was low one more time they'd have to supplement, to which I said "Nope, it will be fine next time" (but tiny little poppy seeds of doubt were scattered in my brain). It was unfortunate that I never got to see the LC, as she had pneumonia.

At home I had great support. No one told me to just give formula or anything else that I didn't care to hear. They just helped me. I had read a great book while on bed rest, but books don't give you a sense of sisterhood or community.

At three weeks PP I was still hormonal and crying all the time and my nipples hurt and I needed help. So I found my big girl panties and I went to the breastfeeding group. I made a few friends, had a wonderful time, and I really wish I had gone earlier. The LC (I call her my LC) offered me some advice and a few pointers to help with my discomfort. It was like MAGIC!

I go to group almost every week. I've missed four meetings since my first time going, but even if I don't go, it's okay. I can catch up with our Facebook page. The Facebook page is nice because it is mostly made up of moms who have been to that group, or their friends, and you can ask any question and someone will have an answer or suggestion for you pretty quickly.

If you are pregnant and plan on breastfeeding I highly suggest/recommend that you take a breastfeeding class and attend a few meetings of your local BF group before you have your baby (if you are able). It really does help that extra bit. And if  you are BF now, even if you're doing great with it, find a local meeting and go. It feels great to get out of the house and interact with people who have the same feelings about BF as you do. You get help, and you give help and you may even make a few friends. It's also really cool to watch the other babies grow.

Thanks to going to group, I haven't felt like I didn't have enough milk or that BB isn't eating enough or any of those other fears that breastfeeding moms have. I have an awesome group of other nursing mom's behind me, and I'm behind them. We've got each other's backs, and we help each other out.

Hooray for the sisterhood of boobies!

Multitasking Fail!

I do "multitask" while nursing, but I really shouldn't. ¿Por qué, you may ask? Porque I always end up dropping, plonking, or otherwise bonking Baby Bear on the head with whatever electronic device I happen to be using.

He usually doesn't notice, as his skull is neandertalish like his daddy's, but when he does there is much wailing and even tears. Tears! Tears are awful and they break my heart.

So, yes, I do sometimes multitask and I am terrible at it. And its not as if my multitasking is anything important. I'm not folding laundry or doing anything else useful; I'm dicking around on twitter or Facebook.

I wrote most of this with my phone while nursing, and I nailed him with the phone before I even started. I accidentally knocked it into him when I tried to grab it off the bed. I wont be winning any awards any time soon.

I prefer the times that I'm technology free. He just eats and smiles, plays with his food (sometimes squirting himself in the eyes ) and sometimes falls asleep. I prefer the times that we just are.

Night Weaning: Why I Hope It Never Happens

Obviously it will happen at some point in time, but hopefully not until after Baby Bear is at least two years old. Here's why, Lactational Amenorrhea! It isn't fool proof, especially now that BB is 6 months old, but I never go longer than four hours during the day, or six hours at night without feeding him; I don't plan to for as long as I can help it. We have not yet started solids and I'm not going to give him juice or water when I can BF him, or give him BM in a cup.

We bedshare, which really makes the whole night feeding issue a non-issue. BB will start to get a little restless in his sleep, I barely wake up to put a breast in his face, he latches on and I don't really know what happens after that because I am already back to sleep.

Long story short, I'm not in any hurry to night wean because I get plently of sleep. It will happen in it's own non-stressful time.