babies like to eat!
I knew from day one I was going to breastfeed and then move on to homemade baby food and then regular food that the whole family eats.
I didn't factor in going back to work and traveling and how that would affect my plan. but i managed and LD is a nice healthy growing lady.
(warning: personal pics and talk about my boobies and milk ahead).
First stages:
After birth, I immediately started breast feeding. After a couple tries, she latched on pretty easily.
we had nice early feeding sessions in the hospital and she ate and slept around the clock.
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| Leena-Deen latching on, day after birth |
When I brought her home we continued our feeding routine. In retrospect, I was a little anal about her feeding schedule. I timed how much time she was on each breast and had a hard time avoiding full and leaky breasts because of how frequently she nursed. All day, all night. it was hard and painful the first couple of weeks. I even feared some feeding sessions because my breasts were so raw. I used some
Lansinoh Lanolin ointment which I had originally received samples of in the mail after registering my email with one of those free baby sample sites. After a week, nature did its thing and I adapted and it soon became comfortable and beautiful. Leena-Deen slept like a baby (literally) after her long feeding sessions and I was able to get good sleep too. (this is why co-sleeping worked very well for us).
When I went back to work, I breastfeed in the morning and then pumped a few botttles for her to have while I was out. I started off with the
Nuby breast pump my sister-in-law bought for me. It was cool because I could switch between electric or manual. Ultimately, I was more comfortable using the manual mode. As a back up, I also got a
Medela Harmony Manual Breast Pump. This was really easy to use, clean, and transport and the bottles were a perfect size. They also carry the pump and/or bottles in most drug stores, so if I ever forgot a part or bottle when I was on the road, I could easily pick up a replacement. I also used the breast milk storage bags by
Lansinoh. I later picked up the Target brand,
Up & Up Milk Storage bags. I pumped 2-3 times at work. And as soon as I got home, I breastfed again. It sounds like a lot, but it wasn't that taxing. I usually read or talked on the phone while pumping and had a cute bag and ice pack case to transport my bottles and milk back from work.
The breastfeeding adventure continued on for over a year, until she started walking and eating fruits and veggies and was no longer interested in being attached to my bosom :(
I was sad.... truly sad, but as they say kids evenutally grow up. I just didn't think it would happen so fast since I see other kids breastfeeding when they are two and three years old.
I am looking forward to having another baby so I can once again share my love and nourishment while holding an infant who will actually sit still in my arms, unlike my wild toddler, lol!
Did you breastfeed? What were some of your most memorable moments?
