*Caution...If you are uninterested in a breastfeeding post, you might want to come back another day*
When I wrote this about breastfeeding, I was in the throes of it. For some, one day the baby and mommy just 'get it' and breastfeeding becomes second nature. That is not how our tale goes because Jackson was off of this mommy at 5 weeks and we never looked back so I will never know if we just 'would have gotten it'. That is ok though because what we did worked. Pumping was the name of our game and I am happy to report that so far my baby has been breast-milk-fed for 5 months. One of pros of exclusively pumping for so long is that when a baby cries my milk doesn't let down! But turn on something that remotely sounds like the humming of my pump and my milk ducts go wild. Weird how our bodies do that. Huh, anyways.....My pumping status also allowed us to stockpile my liquid gold for the months to come so our plan is for Jackson to be breast-milk-fed till at least 7 months (yes, I have that much frozen)....D.A.I.R.Y.
With that said, can you tell where this is going......I am in the process of closin' up shop.
Some mommies dread the day they stop breastfeeding which I will NEVER understand because I think I have been dreaming about this day since the moment we started this fiasco. You know that saying, Rome wasn't build in a day......well, I have two Romes that are not going to stop in a day. Closing up this shop is going to take at least a couple of weeks. This, again, is something no one wants to tell you about. What I don't understand is why something that hurts so bad when it comes has to hurt so bad when it goes. Can't we get a break?? The answer is in Genesis 3:16 when the Lord is punishing Eve for eating the apple by telling her that her pains in childbearing will increase. This boob business is a part of childbearing as far as I am concerned. So until I am done having children me and my boobs will be at odds.
The world wide web offers a variety of different ways that assist in this painful process. It suggests everything from cabbage leaves, to drinking sage tea, wearing sports bra, to icing them, stopping 'cold turkey', to binding them.....you name it, someone has probably tried it because desperate times calls for desperate measures. Me, I have chosen simply to gradually stop breastfeeding by decreasing how often and how much I pump. I may give the cabbage leaves or the tea a go if in a couple of days if things don't let up but we'll see. I started this process by decreasing my pumps using Jackson feedings as a marker so when he decreased, I decreased. I went from 8 times a day to 6 times. Then I decreased to 4 pumps a day even though J was eating 5 times and at that point I was able to sleeping through the night!! I have stayed at 4 pumps a day for a while now out of fear; full ducts hurt. This weekend, with the encouragement of my life friend Pam, I dropped another pump. I am at three pumps a day now. PTL!
I would think everyone finds this process hard for different reasons but for me the hardest part has been not pumping as much as I know will offer some relief. Its a small form of torture to know that just 5 more minutes and a few more ounces could be life changing and you can't do it. To make less, you've got to pump less. Less is more people.
Best part about closing up shop is that I get to eat things that did not agree with Jackson like beans, garlic, broccoli, COFFEE, ice cream, and cheese. That is seriously exciting. Mommies with sensitive babies can 'Amen' to this part! And can we talk about the time I am about to acquire. Pumping moms, you know what I am talking about!! Maybe my house will be cleaner or dinner started on time....maybe!
I think it is important to stop when you feel that YOU are ready. It a place in mommyland that only you can decide. I am happy my time has come and I am so thankful I am in a good place to stop. So, in my baby memory bank I am adding breastfeeding to the list of things under the category 'this too shall pass'. I esteem all you milk makin' mamas!!
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