Do Wah Diddy Diddy

Today is one of those days that I love.  It has been trying to rain for days.  I opened the curtains & was greeted with some gray clouds.  I love a pre-rain day.  A nice crispness hangs in the air right before the clouds open.  It's like someone is giving me permission to sit on the couch and indulge my hands with wool, needles, coffee and a good book.  And that fits my mood exactly.  I've been trying to post since we got back from the camping trip, but it wasn't possible.

This is a breast-feeding post, so move on if that kind of thing bothers you.  But since you've been reading Two Black Sheep, I'm sure you can rattle off a couple other topics that would turn you off more than a little titty.  I love nursing.  Love it.  I think that it's the first selfless thing that you can do for your child.  It isn't easy even with excellent suckers.  I get so mad at any person or book that says, "Latching on shouldn't hurt."  Bullshit.  Those first couple of weeks, everything hurts.  Miss a nursing and I swear they must feel like brand new boobies.  But power through.  If you try it for a couple of weeks,  I'll pat you on the back.  Sometimes people can't do it, but at least they tried for a while.  But I have lots of friends that have said having a baby suck on your boob is gross.  I always ask, "You let your husband do it though?"  And they always say, "Yes, but that's different."  I get enraged when people who don't nurse say "I hate when women just whip out their boobs without trying to hide it."  Maybe I'm not looking for boobs at the mall, but I've NEVER seen a woman's full boob flopping around Forever 21 trying to feed her infant.  Of course, those women have hundreds of examples of bare-chested women spraying milk all over the store.  I figure that if my screaming child is hungry, my boobs will come out in front of the Pope, but he won't see my nipple. 

Both boys have been excellent nursers & had different styles.  After Gus, I'm surprised I nursed Tuck.  Gus nursed for an hour & gave me an hour break in between.  This went on for about 6 months.  Tuck nurses for 20 minutes and would go three hours in between.  Lately, he's been popping off to laugh or "talk" to any stranger.  Not ideal, but how can you be mad at a smiling kid?  We're down to about 3 1/2 nursing times on the weekends & one good pumping during the week.  That's all changed & I couldn't be more upset.

With Gus at about 8 months, my OB-GYN took me off of Depo and put me back on regular old birth control.  We had established a good schedule and he was eating a ton of solids.  No problems with my supply.  I decided to do the same thing with Tuck last week.   I was a lazy pumper at the campsite, but there was still a decent amount of milk.  Tuesday came and everything changed.  I pumped out a measly 2 ounces when I usually get 9 ounces.  Perhaps my diet was fucked up from the beer & campsite food?  I loaded up with good food & water.  Another 2 ounces later in the day.  I can't tell you how sad those little 2 ounces look in the bottle.  I called my OB & now I've got a choice to make.  She wants me to pump every 3 hours to see if the lazy pumping is the problem.  If not, I can go back on Depo (reduces bone mass), use the mini-pill (70% success rate), or deal with it.  I'm not ready to quit, so I'm attacking those boobies hard.   Any advice would be appreciated.

On top of my boobs drying up, I've had to rip Amanda 3 times!  THREE times!  I think I'm on track since one button-band is completed.

L

Comments

[Gonzomama]

all i can think of is how soon i will be in your shoes. again.
i never could pump. i would pump for 40 minutes and have barely an ounce. luckily henry was always with me so the need did not arise to often, if it did he got formula. he started to wean himself around 8 or 9 months. i was ready but i wasn't at the same time.
i never went back on birth control after having henry so i don't really have any advice. just want to let you know i feel your pain sista! (oh and glad to know i am not alone when it comes to having a drink and nursing) i am so ready for that drink!

[Gonzomama]

sorry. one more thing now that i'm thinking of drinks.
while i am pregnant i love, love, love root beer floats. they are my indulgence. well, one of them. i saw somebody flipping through a magazine and there was a Guinness float! i think there was some spice like cinnamon or something added to it. i don't recall. i do know that it looked soooooo delicious.

[Sarah]

Sorry, I totally sucked at pumping. Can you find a lactation consultant to maybe help you try out some different pump styles? Good luck!

[Susan B]

I pumped like mad for the first 3 months once I was back at work - every 2-3 hours for a good 45 minutes at a time, and I'd ever only get at best 2 or so ounces, so I'm not great help, I'm afraid. My milk never really dried up when I went on the pill (mine would nurse every 45 minutes for upwards of an hour each time!), but as the pill SUCKED so much by giving me periods that would last for 3 weeks, go away for a week, then show up again for 3 weeks solid, etc. I only kept it up for about 8 weeks and then totally threw that little pack away and that was, what............2.5 years ago and lord I so do NOT miss it! Could you just ditch the pill until you're done nursing & use a different form of b.c. in the meantime?

[kelly jo]

I'm still nursing my daughter, she's 10 1/2 months, and I've gone through pumping spells lately. She nurses / eats 4 times a day (meals and bedtime) and 3 days a week I pump once at work. Those pumping sessions have been getting very sad lately. Went from 7oz or so down to 4 or 5, and even a few at 2 (my favorite Aunt also showed up during this time, now go home Ant Flo). I just battle through it. My bubby girl seems satisfied when she nurses, so I figure either my pump is fizzing out, or my boobies are boycotting the pump. Try not to stress when pumping, that'll definitely make it worse, I notice a huge change when I'm rushing or not completely relaxing. You could always try the (ick) Mommy's milk tea or fenugreek to see if that gives you a boost. I read somewhere that women were raving about Mirena. Have you looked into something like that? Whatever you end up doing - good luck lady!

[Lisa]

Lactation consultant weighing in here. Your body can react differently each time. It may be the BC. You can try and up the pumping, try some herbs like Fenugreek or More Milk Plus. If it is the same pump you used with your first child the motor may not be as effective, they are not made for long term, multiple baby usage(sad to say). Try power pumping(check out www.kellymom.com)As to the bone mass issue, most nursing moms experience bone loss with nursing. However once they stop larger deposits of calcium are made and mothers who nurse have stronger bones in the end.
I wish I could clone you as sooo many moms I work with want to say they "tried" and it didn't work yet they are the same ones on the computer and Blackberry while the baby is rooting and crying. When you tell them the baby is hungry they say oh no, not yet, they "just" ate! I get depressed. Moms like you make us LC's happy!

[Ava]

Hope it straightens out/comes back soon. I think that my supply started to slack off when the girls were around 7 or 8-months since they were eating more food, plus my period came back. And, for the record, the only nipple/boob I've ever seen while someone was nursing (besides my own) was yours. Then again, you "helped" latch the girls on when they were wee little ones, so we're probably even.

[Becky]

I had production problems intermittently also. I would try to pump more frequently and also pump out the "other" side when my daughter nursed. It was awkward at first to get everything situated, but worked ok. I also had to drink gallons and gallons of water. Good luck!