breastfeed for 6 months

how one’s hormones fluctuate during the period of breastfeeding? It’s not the normal monthly cycle. The only thing I could find online were articles about weaning induced depression…can’t recall having experienced that before although it is sad…and difficult.

Last week I felt particularly fragile and pms-y.

that’s a well fed baby! :)

((((Lil man)))

sleeping through the night but then got this snotty nose. He’s been waking up once or twice during the night the past few nights.

Baby girl had swine flu and everyone else had nasty colds so if all he and I get are snotty noses, I’m good. I hope he doesn’t feel crappy. I feel surprisingly healthy after all that. go figure.

Baby boy has been sleeping through the night (11-7) all week.

I kinda miss our late night snuggles. but sleep is good too. :)

getting bigger and more aware. He looks at me while he’s nursing, smiles, coos, holds onto my top or my hand (or my hair!)

Ohhh, so darling. I love it. Such a snuggle bunny he is. Why he’s most comfy on my bony shoulder I shall never know. :)

Well, Ive stopped breastfeeding I think.

Willow was exclusively breastfed for 4 months and then combination fed until she was 5 months (20 weeks). My milk simply wont hold out while I am combination feeding which is why I am going to now stop, I just dont have any.

I am marking this as done, rather than giving up, because I want to feel good about exclusively breastfeeding for 4 months. From my posts people will know that I was realy enjoying it, and was considering breastfeeding much longer than the 6 month mark… but for my second baby on the trot, mother nature had something else in mind.

I was gutted to have to stop. I still am a bit. But I hope that Willow got a lot of goodness from the breastfeeding I did achieve. Despite having had difficulties (again) I will still attempt breastfeeding with baby number 3. Maybe next time Ill even manage to get through the full 6 months!

Once I have finished my doula training I want to study to become a breatstfeeding counsellor. I cant do it under LLL as they would consider me a failure even though it really isnt my fault that Ive had to stop early :o( but I can do it through Childbirth International. Part of my work as a doula I really want to help women be prepared for breastfeeding – there is so much which you dont know in advance and I really want to support it to be a tiny bit less of a culture shock!

So yes. I have two frozen bags of breastmilk in the freezer – will give those to Willow and then she’ll stop being a breastfed baby. x

Willow is about 4 1/2 months old and we are managing to get her to have one breastfeed a day, although Im not sure how long thats going to hold out. Am still aiming to keep getting a bit of breastmilk into her until she is 6 months, but its going to be difficult. She is 95% formula fed now, and although it isnt what I had in mind, she is happy and seems to be healthy, so I guess in the end thats the important thing.

must have slept longer than normal last night. I woke up with my breasts very full and tender. That’s a good thing…we might be approaching sleeping through the night. Woo hoo!

Seems like my other two got on schedules fairly easily so hopefully…

Me being rested will make a lot of difference I’m sure.

Although I’m a bit sad to see the newborn phase go. Everyone says he looks like a baby now, not a newborn.

You know how it is. At least for me, I mourn the passing of each phase at the same time celebrating the new one. Bittersweet mommyhood.

I have a clogged milk duct. I tried nursing him a lot on that side and massaging but it is still sore…

Willow is no longer exclusively breastfed.

We took her to baby clinic yesterday, and she had not put on any weight in the last fortnight, and only put on about 11oz in the last 2 months. Babies are roughly expected to put on about 5/6oz a week.

Willow has been on nursing strike for the last week, refusing the breast and only really taking bottle – so all in all I didnt feel like I had much choice but to start supplementing.

I really wanted Willow to be exclusively breastfed for 6 months, but it seems to be detrimental to her wellbeing to pursue this ideal any longer. She needs to put some weight on now, she is so skinny bless her.

Im still going to attempt to keep breastfeeding her until she is 6 months, obviously it will just be mixed feeding now. I do feel a bit like I have failed, but I realise thats only because I set a very high goal for myself which forces beyond my control have stopped me from achieving.

Our health visitor said that I needed to stop looking at what I havent done (ie. fed her exclusively for 6 months) and look at what I have done – fed her exclusively for 4 months. I know this, and I think when she starts piling on the pounds, Ill come to see it was the right decision.

I just really wanted it to work this time around, and am still questionning what I could have done differently. Logically I can see that Im being silly but those maternal hormones are still making me feel crap about it.