Pros
- Great bonding time with Aiden
- Healthy for Aiden and me
- Saves money (less formula)
Cons
- Pumping at work is inconvenient (juggling everything to and from work, plus taking time out of my work day to do so)
- Clogged milk ducts are painful (I get one for a day about every other week)
- Occasional pain during feedings
- Limited social activities (I'm not comfortable with breastfeeding in public, so we have to plan accordingly)
- And the selfish one - I can't drink caffeinated or alcoholic beverages without risking a hyper child or a pump and dump (I've read that a pump and dump is not necessary if you have just a drink or two and then feed several hours later, but it still freaks me out).
I have been pumping and freezing milk since Aiden was one week old, so I have a pretty decent stock. (I'm running out of freezer space!) That means he will still be getting breast milk for several weeks, if not months after I wean him.
The other thing I am nervous about is the weaning process itself. I mentioned yesterday that Aiden is sleeping through the night now. That means I'm not feeding through the night - 8 1/2 hours. At about 3 in the morning, things get pretty painful due to engorgement. I cannot roll onto my side without waking up because of the severe discomfort it puts on "the ladies". I was hoping this process would be quicker, but here I am Day 5 with one skipped feed and still in nightly pain. I'm not going to cut out another feed until this one is under control. How long will this take?!
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2 comments:
This will seem to take FOREVER! The choice is completely up to you. You know yourself better than anyone else and you have to do whats best for you. If you keep doing it even though you dont REALLY want to, you may start to resent the whole process. My suggestion on quitting...DONT try to skip...try to delay. If you are used to breastfeeding/ pumping every four hours, wait five hours. Do this for a couple of days, then wait 6 hours...so on and so on until you can go 12 hours without major engorgement. You have to remember that you aren't just weening Aiden, you are letting your body know that you no longer want to make milk. Good luck. The quitting process took me about 2 weeks and even then I was still wearing the breast pads...but at least you know you are quitting and it cant hurt that you are keeping the stockpile up. Just remember everyone is different...this is just MY suggestion and what worked for me!!!
I don't know Sara, but she's right! Don't skip a feeding entirely, just try to hold out for a little longer. Your boobs will work wonders for you, it's amazing what the human [female] body is capable of!
Matthew's almost 8 months, and I'm still nursing... I learned a few things throughout that may be a little too detailed for a your blog... LOL! Shoot me an email if you like :)
Just remember, you're the mom, and whatever decision you make will be the right one :)
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