Amazing lactation bars from Oat Mama, boosted my supply so much that I had to cut back to only a few bars a week. It’s even hard to eat just one a day because they’re so delicious! Journal is from The Everyday Mother, which is an awesome tool for me to track Adeline’s intake/output, my pumping amounts and much more.
When I became pregnant I decided that I would be breastfeeding Adeline. I watched videos, took an online course and spoke with two specialists. When Addie was born, I began breastfeeding immediately. She latched on right away and when a specialist visited me the next day, she helped me to feel more comfortable with it.
However, Adeline was destroying my nipples. She was latching on properly, but not much was coming out of me and she was hungry! My nipples were bloody and cracked. When she fed, I was in excruciating pain, hunched over and wincing. I couldn’t understand why everything had been done properly, but I was still suffering.
When I got home from the hospital, Eric and I decided that it was best for the baby and me if I stopped breast feeding and began pumping and supplementing with formula. At first I felt really guilty. I worried that my daughter wouldn’t bond with me anymore and I felt like a failure. I couldn’t even talk about it without crying.
It’s been a week since she was born and she is thriving! She isn’t the only one who has benefited from the change. I am able to sleep better because it doesn’t take 30 minutes to feed her anymore. My nipples are no longer in pain and she is still getting the benefits of breast milk because I am pumping for her. This will also help us out on the weekends when Eric is home, since he can feed her too.
The most important thing I have learned from this is that mom guilt is real and it is not okay. When I was considering changing how I feed her, I stumbled across a lot of pump/formula-shaming websites and it bummed me out. We mothers need to be uplifting one another and supporting one another. Motherhood is hard. The last thing we need is to feel bad about anything that is in our baby’s best interest. There is no one right way to parent as long as the baby’s and mother’s (and father’s, where applicable) needs are being met.
Seeing her grow and thrive gives me the confidence I need to keep going every day!
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article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard
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