Is it possible my 11 week old daughter understands snow day?? She slept in until 6:00 today and still is not up for her regular 8:00 feeding!
Since Elle was born, I pump a bottle for her dad to give her every night. It is a nice bonding time for them that they would not otherwise have because she is “EBF”. For a while I was a real crazy woman about it and I would make him take his shirt off so she would get the benefits of skin to skin. Poor kid got confused with skin to skin vs skin to daddy’s furry chest! It really is the cutest thing ever though.
Dad doing an evening bottle also has huge benefits for me. It gives me a 4 hour stretch during the day that I can go shopping, run errands or just be out of the house and not attached to Elle. I love her to pieces and am so happy I get to spend so much time with her, but it is nice to run around a bit in the afternoons knowing she is well cared for.
A funny thing has happened to my milk supply because of this arrangement. I dramatically over produce in the mornings and NEED to pump. Then, in the late afternoon early evening, my supply seems light. This is a challenge when her dad cant feed her on any given day. That evening feeding is her playful and fussy feeding anyway, combine that with a light supply and I get punched right in the boob every time!
Showing posts with label breast feeding nursing pumps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label breast feeding nursing pumps. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
What no one told me: MILK
Good Morning new moms! Or people who want to be a mom. If neither of those applies to you, you may find the following post disgusting, so don’t read it.
I wish someone would have told me about ‘let down’ or ‘milk coming in’. Now, in the hospital, the nurses all asked if I was going to breast feed and I said yes. I was informed my milk would come in soon, within 4 to 5 days. So that made milk coming in sound like a one time thing.
So that first time is a beast, I thought I was dying of the flu. I had hot flashes and cold sweats. (Note to moms not planning on breast feeding, your milk still comes in. Biology doesn’t listen to personal choices.)
After I got over the initial shock of what it felt like, we did get into some kind of a routine. I am very lucky that starting at about 5 weeks, Elle slept for 4 or 5 hours a night. I am even luckier that by 7 weeks we were up to 7 or 8 hours of sleep.
The down side to a full night’s rest is that I often wake up in a puddle of my own milk. New mommies, buy nursing pads. These are my favorite by Lansinoh, but many other companies make them, including Medela, Gerber and Playtex. In a pinch, a few washcloths tucked in your bra will work, but is kind of bunchy.
Now, we are really into a routine. After Elle’s 10:00 pm feeding, I pump out everything that is left. I use a Medela "Pump in Style" double pump to make it go quicker. I can then sleep with reasonable certainty that I won’t foul the bed with dairy products.
A last weird note about biology. I can tell when she is hungry because her cry or whine or grunt makes my milk come in. It is like a weird bond. Also very weird, if I hear another baby wailing…there is a good chance the milk will come then. So wear those nursing pads out of the house, unless you want people to talk about you and the big damp spots on your boobies.
I wish someone would have told me about ‘let down’ or ‘milk coming in’. Now, in the hospital, the nurses all asked if I was going to breast feed and I said yes. I was informed my milk would come in soon, within 4 to 5 days. So that made milk coming in sound like a one time thing.
So that first time is a beast, I thought I was dying of the flu. I had hot flashes and cold sweats. (Note to moms not planning on breast feeding, your milk still comes in. Biology doesn’t listen to personal choices.)
After I got over the initial shock of what it felt like, we did get into some kind of a routine. I am very lucky that starting at about 5 weeks, Elle slept for 4 or 5 hours a night. I am even luckier that by 7 weeks we were up to 7 or 8 hours of sleep.
The down side to a full night’s rest is that I often wake up in a puddle of my own milk. New mommies, buy nursing pads. These are my favorite by Lansinoh, but many other companies make them, including Medela, Gerber and Playtex. In a pinch, a few washcloths tucked in your bra will work, but is kind of bunchy.
Now, we are really into a routine. After Elle’s 10:00 pm feeding, I pump out everything that is left. I use a Medela "Pump in Style" double pump to make it go quicker. I can then sleep with reasonable certainty that I won’t foul the bed with dairy products.
A last weird note about biology. I can tell when she is hungry because her cry or whine or grunt makes my milk come in. It is like a weird bond. Also very weird, if I hear another baby wailing…there is a good chance the milk will come then. So wear those nursing pads out of the house, unless you want people to talk about you and the big damp spots on your boobies.
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