One year and counting!

bugandbibs

Genevieve and I have officially made it to one year of breastfeeding!  I am so excited (and proud) of our hard work.  Look back at our nursing journey, I have learned a lot.  I thought I'd share to encourage others.

Breastfeeding is like any new skill- practice makes progress.  The more you do it, the easier it becomes.  And isn't it lucky that newborns want to practice all.the.time around the clock?  Seriously though, the first 3 weeks were really hard.  I cried every time she wanted to nurse.  It hurt, I was tired, and I was constantly afraid we weren't doing things right or she wasn't eating enough.  Our LC was really helpful and things got better.  By six weeks we were getting the hang of it.  What really helped was the support network I had, especially MH who did all the diaper changes and made sure my water bottle was never empty.

Our next hurdle came at 6 months when I returned to work.  She hated bottles!  We went through so many trying to find one she would use for more than a week.  She refused to eat more than an oz or two during the day, which meant she was nursing all night long.  Reverse cycling is hard, but eventually she and I found a way through.  Side-laying nursing was the only way I got any sleep for awhile.

Now we nurse 4-5 times a day.  It's the first thing she wants to do when I get home from work.  I still stare at her sweet face and marvel at what my body can do for her.

My advice, take it one day at a time.  Focus on small goals and go from there.  Get help when you need it, you aren't alone.  Get the right equipment.  My breastfriend pillow was a life saver, as were my bravado nursing bras/tanks.  I realized after my first few weeks of pumping at work, that my pumping flanges were too big.  I bought a smaller size and was so much happier (who knew that even with 36 G boobs you could still need the smallest size flange?).  There is no perfect way to breastfeed your child.  Find what works for you. We will continue to nurse for as long as we both want to.

Good luck to all of you!