It's been two months and I don't know why I've been putting off this post but I have....and now that Addie is almost turning one I'm realizing writing it is now or never...so here it is...and as a warning - it is about BREASTFEEDING...so stop now if thats TMI...don't say I didn't warn you!!If you read my post here all about our breastfeeding journey several months ago you might remember that I mentioned that Addie was from time to time receiving some formula to supplement what my body wasn't making. Emotions ran high around our house at first but gradually I accepted it and over the course of a few months I realized that Addie was getting more and more of it. I'm not a formula hater...I wanted to breastfeed for as long as I could and was secretly hoping that we could make it to a year. What I didn't realize was how quickly these kids grow (yep, I had no idea...a year ago I would have told you that Addie might be crawling by a year but certainly would not have any teeth...naive and clueless, I know!) Anyhow...I'll put it out there...as Addie got older things started to get weird for me (its personal, i know - i don't think its weird for anyone else to breastfeed past 9 months so I'm not trying to be offensive or insensitive here). I know its natural...I know its healthy...I get that...but when she was grabbing at my shirt and nuzzling her head in my cleavage I just started to feel like we were ready to move to just a bottle. And then it happened...she chomped down....and thought it was funny...2 days in a row...yes, that was it - we would be nursing no more. I planned to continue pumping for as long as I could but shortly after stopping nursing I noticed a steep decline in my supply. Like...I pumped for 20 minutes...both sides....and only got an ounce. I'd be lying if I didn't say there was some relief in putting away the pump and making the switch to all formula...enough to overshadow the disappointment I felt for not making it to the year mark...or 2 year mark as my Addie's pediatrician encouraged me to do (the hubs quickly nixed that idea). We were lucky...Addie made the transition to formula with ease and my girls dried up with a quickness (not once after my marathon pump session to only get an ounce did I ever even feel full)...and I'm EXTREMELY thankful for that. Now we're approaching the next transition to cow's milk and I'm VERY excited about that. Like I said above...I'm not a formula hater but I couldn't drink the stuff so I'm looking forward to introducing Addie to the good stuff....whole milk..yum!!
Anyone else have a similar experience....or not??
13 comments:
I just went through this last month! It was hard on me though. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make it to a year and felt like a failure when we only made it to 8 months. But now she's on formula and SURPRISE...were both still alive and the transition didn't even phase her. lol. It is crazy how fast they grow, but I'm looking forward to transitioning to milk in a few months. Cause formula...is expennnnnnsivvveeee!!!!! :)
When I stopped pumping my emotions were super high as well, and this came much earlier in my baby girl's life. I did the best thing for her and it works out very well! I'm so glad your girl adjusted to the formula so well. Good luck xo
From the very beginning, I had trouble producing enough for Cohen. By 2 weeks, we had to supplement with formula. I just wasn't producing no matter what. I pumped and only got an ounce total...after 30 minutes and using both sides! I also never got that "feeling" of being full and needing to feed. I switched to only formula after that pumping incident and Cohen was still fussy at feed time and losing weight. It was the right decision for him but I felt like a failure. Then I realized as long as he was healthy and gaining weight, it didn't matter! :)
Also- I am so sorry I haven't mailed your lunchbox yet. Things have been nuts but I'm putting it in the mail today when I get to leave work! :)
I breastfeed Cole for a full year and then switched him straight to whole milk. I was so happy that it worked for us and it was so easy. I am not against formula, but thankfully I didn't have to buy any.
I did not BF for too long and was totally ok with it. It was just not my thing. But now that C is older and even off formula now he LOVES his milkies. Good luck with the whole milk thing. :)
Good for you! We are still BFing but E is getting a bottle of formula a day while I am at work because I was SO sick of pumping. She also will plant her face in my cleavage but it doesn't really bother me, and I've been bitten MANY times- it hurts but I just pull her off and let her know it's not ok, and then she laughs at me :) We're hoping to make it to the one year mark then switch to cows milk- hopefully the "drying up" parts goes as easy for me as it did for you!
You should be proud to be able to breastfeed as long as you did!
Good luck transitioning to milk! We were pretty lucky that Jamie took to it easily!
I made the choice to change after about 6 months, and I was a bit disheartened at the time. I just couldn't do the no dairy/no soy in my diet anymore! I thought I'd go at least 9 months and maybe a year.
Looking back though, I'm probably like you in considering it a bit weird for me at some point. I can't imagine W at 10 or 11 months breastfeeding AND I know that little sucker would have bitten the mess out of me!
Yay for real milk soon!
I nursed Morgan until she was 11 months old but did give formula as well. When Morgan started to bite that is also when I quit because honestly I just couldnt do it anymore. It was a lot of emotions for sure knowing my little girl was old enough to not nurse and have teeth. Its always amazing to me that even though I stopped nursing her almost 4 months ago my milk still has not dried up completely! No leaking but still seems weird so thats wonderful that you dried up so easily.
I just wrote a whole post on the switch to milk if you are interested. I thought it went pretty easily and Morgan got to the point she hated formula and switched to whole milk. She now loves her milk.
You should be SO proud of yourself. I was never able to breastfeed Bryson, so I just pumped for 8 months. I'm the same way about formula. I hate the smell and was so ready for Bryson to hit the one year mark so he could get the good stuff :)
well I WANTED to breastfeed but never happened, ok so it did for like 2 weeks tops with both kids, so they grew up on formula and believe it or not, they didn't grow two heads. (Seriously, I was once of those "I will NEVER give my kid formula and that is HORRIBLE etc etc", yeah, now look what happened :), I'm glad you aren't one of those breastfeeding nazis -- can't stand them.
However with my kids, they don't drink milk. They went right from formula to rice milk. Just for personal reasons I decided that they wouldn't drink cows milk.
now my problem is that the oldest is three and he STILL wants a bottle at night, and a few times during the day. Horrible I Know!!!
I am still BFing Lydia, but she does receive at least 1 bottle of formula a day when I am at work. I am not sure how long we will do it, but definitely not past a year. Thanks for being so open and real about a sensative subject. :) Lana
Good luck with whole milk. Grayson hates it! Hopefully Addie will love it!
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