5 Things I've Learned from Breastfeeding

I am so proud of myself. I have officially nursed Ellie longer than I did with Brinley. That was my goal! By this point (8 months), Brinley weaned herself. Yes, I've heard it all, babies go through nursing strikes! keep going. and you didn't try hard enough. Babies go through phases. But--I am pretty sure I never fully satisfied Brinley even from the very beginning. May I remind you that I went back to school full-time when Brinley was only 8 weeks old, and I used a freaking manual breast pump. We didn't know much about supplementing on the side, but I wish we did. I made many many mistakes with her when it came to nursing, but the first baby is a little guniea pig anyways right? So I'm forgiven?? The post about switching to formula (here). 

This time around, I wanted to do things differently. Yes, the baby weight is hanging on and probably won't drop until I'm finished nursing completely. And yes, it bothers me, but I've learned to deal with it. The junk in my trunk is endearing, really. My no-butt before babies has definitely made up for itself now after 2 babies! Anyways--I am also so grateful for this time because I really really missed it with Brinley.

Here are some things I have learned that I didn't do the first time around.

1. Drink tons and tons of water. I'm talking, TONS. OF. WATER. From the beginning, I started this habit of drinking water as I nursed, to maybe subconsciously help get my milk flowing if I was drinking water? Who knows. What I do know, is that it helped immensely. I have turned into Pavlav's Dog when I start to nurse. Every time I nurse Ellie, I become so thirsty that if I don't have my water bottle right at my side, I panic and have a hot flash. Ryan knows the drill after many times of filling it up and I'm so grateful I just have to say Babe? and he gets on it. What a gem.

2. Only 2 weeks after Ellie was born, I started pumping. And when I say pumping, I mean p-u-m-p-i-n-g. I think I kind of became obsessed with seeing how much milk I was making. Seeing it in a bottle is very gratifying. I know that it was pumping that helped keep my milk supply up when I had the plague at Christmas, and also to limit any other problems that come with nursing (mastitis, plugged ducts, low supply). Unfortunately, I have had quite a few plugged ducts, but because of pumping, I was able to get rid of them almost immediately after I found them. I haven't pumped in months, but I pumped more than 200 ounces (donated more than half), and really utilized my pump. Best $50 I've ever spent!

3. Don't stress on the "off" nursing days. Now that we are naturally tapering off nursing, I don't stress as much if Ellie only nurses 3-4 times a day instead of her normal 5-6 times. For me, and probably most of you, stressing is my number one supply killer. If I even stress while I'm nursing for my milk to let-down, it takes longer to make it happen. And those times when Ellie is fighting me for whatever reason, if I stress, it affects every aspect of my day. It is so much easier said than done. But what I love about nursing is that if the baby wants to eat, the baby will eat, and eat until satisfied. That to me is such a beautiful miracle. Our bodies were made for this, and your milk regulates to your babies appetite and need.

4. Eat. Eat. Eat. But--eat the right stuff. Yes, from time to time I've still used the "eating for two" excuse, because I sorta am?, but that's probably why my weight is hanging on. I have told many new nursing mamas this same thing, but the best snack I've found is the 100 calorie granola bars. I have probably consumed more than 200, way more I'm sure, in the past year, but they have saved me. Especially when I'm out and forgot to make a snack for myself, I have a stash in my diaper bag for emergencies. I never let myself go hungry because it affects my supply and it makes me veryyyyy cranky. Cranky leads to stress. Stress leads to low supply. I also make these yummy energy balls from time to time and I love them. Oatmeal and flax seed are great to help with milk supply, and these energy balls are packed with the good stuff to keep your supply up. I try to eat them with some yogurt and fresh fruit, but they are perfect to pop in early in the morning, or late at night, or in the middle of the night, depending on Ellie's schedule.

5. And last--enjoy it. With Brinley, I was so neurotic. There were times were I felt really bored with it. And I just wasn't confident. I felt like I needed to make excuses sometimes. But with Ellie, it has been so different. I don't care if I have to nurse in public, in the car, at the park, it doesn't bother me at all. If we are late because she is eating, I don't worry about it. I don't plan on nursing past a year, so I'm just trying to savor the moments we have together right now. Life goes by so fast, and I am trying to enjoy each stage we are in. Yes, nursing is a hassel sometimes (leaving the house on time, road trips, needing mama all the time), but she won't be a baby forever (tear!!) and I know the moment we stop, I will yearn for that closeness again.

I'm sure most of you are like, this doesn't apply to me at all!, but someday it may come in handy. I am a huge advocate for breastfeeding and I try and do my best to support other women when they are breastfeeding. The biggest thing we need is support for each other. It is hard. Breastfeeding is hard work! It is painful, and time consuming, and occasionally frustrating. But the biggest frustration is when people say to just stop because formula is easier. Um ya it's easier! Duh! I appreciate the strong influences I have in my life that have kept me going with breastfeeding and I am so grateful for them. I am not anti-formula, please please please do not think that. I am just so thankful that this second go around with nursing has been completely different and that I made it this far. It really is a miracle because we have hit many roadblocks along the way.

life lately

first taste of black beans

publix trip

sea turtle up close at the oceanographic center

splash park // publix trip #2

new summer sandals 

library time

her curled toes...soooo delicious. 

pool

lego soup // getting cleaned off

family trip to DQ

no pants allowed

new shoes // torrential florida rain shower with blue skies 

beach trip

letter writing practice. We were practicing A's, and she became obsessed with writing H's. Oh well.

sweet potato time // Ellie's Lego person

instagram: @megbriggs

House Tour Video

I've been waiting for a perfect day and a clean house to film our house tour video. Basically, it's been what, 5 weeks? Well, here it is. Messy. Dirty. Brinley going potty. and Ellie trying to grab the camera. We love our place and we are so happy for the extra bedroom and extra square footage. Enjoy!

on father's day 2013

Ryan as a father is a special thing to watch. Him and Brinley have such a special relationship. She trusts him more than me sometimes. I think it's because she knows he will go easy on her and be more forgiving :-) But, I'm grateful in those moments because we balance each other when it comes to parenting. and Ellie stares at him like he is the greatest thing in the world, and I'd have to agree. 

He juggles the girls when I need a free moment to myself. He works so hard during the day in order for us to have his undivided attention when he is home. He never shows an ounce of worry or stress from his long day. 

He has an optimistic spirit that is contagious. We joke that he is a dreamer, but it is Ryan's dreams that keep our family moving along. I may be the oil that keeps this family machine chugging along, but it is Ryan's big heart that keeps us together. He is loving. and patient. and I love him for it. Brinley misses him tremendously during the day and her energy when they play is exhausting to watch. She has too much to say and so much to do when they are together. Seeing Ryan juggle his schedule, his work, his family, and all his other responsibilities is inspiring. He really is the greatest there is.

Father's Day this year involved:

sleeping in until 8am (!!)

presents to open, in a bag Brinley picked out. 

church, and a baby who refused to nap, and Brinley singing with the Primary

naps and watching his new movie Miracle

mahi mahi tacos and homemade refried black beans for dinner

pumpkin pie for dessert

skype with grandma and grandpa steele

bath and bedtime books in Brinley's bed

an unfortunate quick bar study after the girls went to bed

and finishing off our night with a head rub for me because of a headache and Ryan reading out loud of the new June Ensign.

We had a great day!

check out that princess bag! he loved it.

daddy and his girls

had to show off their beautiful new dresses!

the Relief Society provided pies for the men for the last 15-20 minutes of their priesthood meeting and Brinley of course needed to get in on the action after we picked her up from her sunbeam class // and Ryan requested a pumpkin pie so I made Paula Deen's recipe. Ryan could eat pumpkin pie for any occasion, any time during the year. It is odd but he is a man who knows what he likes! 

I'm proud of my mahi tacos! I rarely make fish, but I used this rub and it turned out perfectly. They were way delish.

enjoying their dinner. Brinley loves fish and had been asking for fish tacos for dinner for a long time!

 

pumpkin pie // skyping

cuddles in bed

So grateful for Ryan and the wonderful man he is. He is the best daddy to these girls and I love him so so much. Glad you had a great day, Ryan!

Brinley Sings

Be still my heart. Isn't her voice the sweetest? She sounds like an angel.

Ellie: 8 months

Ellie has really started to come into her own little personality lately. She is very good at letting us know what she needs. More food. More sleep. More playing time. She is a gem, we love her dearly. She never needs to be the life of the party, but she naturally steals everyones hearts just by her cute smile and playful spirit.

This month, she has started to do the baby plank and scoot backwards. She is so strong that I know this month she will be crawling. While my parents were here, they bought the Johnny Jumper thing and so far, she has just decided to spin around and sway side to side. Very little actual jumping, but she likes being able to move around in it.

Also this month, she is finally decided that baby food isn't poison! I have increased table food with help from this site. She still hasn't consumed an entire jar of baby food at one sitting, so who knows if we'll ever get there. I can see a short window for baby food for her. Very different than Brinley because we had to introduce it to help with her early weaning from breastfeeding. Brinley consumed a LOT of baby food. Ellie's favorite kinds are just like Brinley's: green beans, sweet potatoes, and mixed vegetables. She loves the yogurt melts and cheese puff (baby Cheetos as Brinley calls them).

In the past 2 weeks, Ellie has become a master at feeding herself. She loves bananas. Lovessss bananas. But hates how slippery they are and how hard it is for her squish fingers to pick them up. She has also tasted pancakes. That was a fun treat for her. She is quite the little piggy when she eats and is pretty hilarious to watch. She makes lots of noises and twists her wrists in circles when she's excited or wants more. She is still nursing 5-6 times a day and I am so grateful for her consistency with that. So happy to still be nursing and what a wonderful responsibility it is for me. I still cherish those moments we have together.

lets see how close I can get to the edge...

Ellie is such a happy girl. She rarely rarely cries. She loves to giggle and scream. She loves to play with Brinley. Her favorite time is when we all pile into Brinley's bed at night to read books. She buries her had into th covers and just screams and giggles because it is so fun to be in her big sissy's bed. Brinley doesn't want Ellie in her room yet at night because "Ellie will wake me up Mama and I don't want to be waken up." And since Brinley is still napping during the day (and they nap at the same time), I'm not ready for them to share either. Hopefully by the end of the summer.

then I gracefully helped her off the couch and she was instantly upset. girls and their drama, I tell ya! 

month to month