Momma, You are the BREASTest!

The decision to breastfeed my Riley was made long before Ro and I decided we were ready to have a baby. I chose breast not because of the widely known fact that it makes the child smarter [which is true in a way], nor is it because of its weight loss characteristic. I chose breast because I don’t believe in polluting my baby’s body with artificial, made-in-a-lab supplement [formula]. Formula is great, sure, but for as long as it has been around, the creators have done nothing more than attempt to duplicate breast milk, meaning breast is best. Formula is simply, the easy way out in my opinion. There are some mothers out there who have no choice but to rely on the supplement and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. When it comes down to it, it is your choice what you want to feed your baby. Everyone is different, and what works for some may not work for others. I don’t think either person’s ways are better than the other, just different.

I don’t have much support from my family when it comes to breastfeeding; my mother did not breastfeed any of her children, and is a huge advocate for formula [60's baby- go figure!] I have heard all the excuses from her, …you don’t have enough milk, you’ll never have enough milk… you’re never going to sleep… you HAVE to give her formula… breast milk is just water… she went on and on and on. That, was my biggest challenge, getting support. When you don’t get it from the people you trust most, where do you turn? I struggled with this the first few weeks after Jewel’s birth. My mother's blurts were getting to me. What if I wasn’t making enough milk? What if I couldn’t pump enough when it was time to get back to work? How do I know if she’s getting enough hind milk [fatty stuff] and not just foremilk [low-calorie thirst quencher]? All these worries were stressing me out, and too much stress effects your milk production- which stressed me out even more! I knew my research, but began to doubt myself.
The day I gave birth, my mother gave Riley some formula, this was upsetting to me, but I let it happen.

I vowed never to give in again, so I turned to Kellymom.com. This site also inspired my blog. It was a life saver! I found many stories from moms who had the same EXACT experience. There, I found my support. I took a deep breath and smiled. I knew that I would be just fine. All I had to do was believe in my body; this was the way nature intended, therefore it will work out. I stopped checking time, and worrying about ounces. I went with my instinct. Whenever Rye wanted breast, she got it. Never minded for how long or how many times. I now have a very chunky 13lb 5oz 11wk 6d old!

She's actually 6 wks here, but chunky right??

She is exclusively breastfed with the fattest cheeks on the planet. As far as pumping goes, the first few times I pumped, barely got an ounce because it was too early. Establishing breastfeeding is VERY important!!! The most crucial part to success. Most people quit before 8 weeks because they either give up or don’t believe they will have enough. The caveat to this: it takes up to 8 weeks for breastfeeding to be established. After this period, the milk will flow, no matter what. So my fellow breastfeeding mommas, keep going, there is light at the end of that tunnel, and boy is it bright!

 Here we are- 10 wks old.

I dream that one day, she'll just come out and say, "Momma you are the BREASTest!"