GIRLS ONLY

This BLOG report is recommended for the girls only. Boys who choose to read it, should beware that it contains girl graphics...read at your own risk! I am choosing to print this in order to keep the BLOG "real" and to help my soon to be first time mother readers...Allison, Jody, Carter, Dawn & Kristi!!!

As many of you know, I am choosing to breast feed the boys via pumping alone, meaning I pump and then they eat via bottles. This decision was made at about 3 weeks, as Taylor was having latch on problems. We went to a lactation consultant and worked with two others, who felt the problem was resolved, though it was not. At first, I was completely satisfied with the decision because it gave me some help as I was not the soul feeder, milk maker, etc. Lately, the whole concept has been nothing but painful in many ways. In hopes of helping those future mom's, I am choosing to share this experience because it seems no one talks about pumping/breast feeding negativities. We all know the positives, hence the reason I am hanging in there!



I thought...You buy a $350 pump, put it to your breast, it sucks the milk, you put in bottles and the boys drinks...HOW easy is that. Yeah right. Here is the real deal.

You buy the $350 "best" pump out there and it dies...twice! oh yeah, I have officially had 2 medela pumps die on me and am now renting a hospital grade pump. They have replaced it for free but still , that is after long waits to talk to a medela 1-800 person and the pain of mailing the old stuff back to them (which meant another putting 2 boys in the car to run into the UPS place for 5 mins. ) I have clogged milk ducts, which are terribly painful, like every day from not completely emptying my breasts. Who has time to empty and can "relax" with two screaming babies going crazy? You know that sitting in a bouncy seat is child neglect in some countries, right? Last night, i took two showers as i was up from 2:30 on after going to bed at midnight, to get the ducts unclogged. I mean, who has time, to sit at the pump for an hour every 3 hours, even at night. Yep--i am setting my alarm clock to pump at night, despite the boys are sleeping. When the boys are awake and I'm alone, I am attached to this short wall unit, playing with them, slouched over in their bouncy seats....talk about bad body mechanics. No wonder my back and neck are hurting! Did i mention that i have blisters on my nipples because they are squuezed throught this tube which is half the size of the nipples every time i pump? And with all of that being said, i still am not producing enough for the chow hounds that i proudly call my sons....

That, my girlfriends, are some joys of breast feeding. Not to scare you, but just so you'll know. No one told me and people still don't like to talk about it. The sad part is that despite all of the negatives, i feel bad about quitting. I know the research and know it is so much better for the boys in the long run! My sister was not breast fed and still to this day, is always sick!!!I know people who were not breast fed who have always struggled with their weight too. I want my boys to have a better chance of a healthy lifestyle...guess that is true love! The pain of this every 3 hours is worth it for my sweet baby boys...at least for now!!! We'll see how i feel tomorrow.

On a positive addendum, they got into the childcare of their first choice--Roper Learning Center!! Starting on Jan. 19th, they will be on site where i work, so i can visit at lunch if i want/need to...they will be having Ms. Lizzie take care of them until then, then off to work with mommy! We can hardly wait!!!