I have TWO degrees in Nursing.

Warning:Probably not for men to read!!

Back in February, I blogged about my successes in breastfeeding. At that time my goal had been to make it to 6 months of breastfeeding. Well, 6 months came and went with relative ease, and I soon found myself reaching 12 months. 12 months of breastfeeding! In 2003, only 17.2% of moms in the United States made it to 12 months. I feel very lucky and blessed to have made it so long. I couldn't have done with without the amazing support of my husband, family, and co-workers. Now that the breastpump has been packed away, and the "milk-makers" are shrinking back down to pre-pregnancy size, I'd like to reflect back on my journey. (I'm mostly just typing this all out while it's still fresh in my mind so I can come back and read this the next time I have a baby.)

When I talk to friends of mine about the beginning days of breastfeeding, I remember back to my worst night. The 2nd night in the hospital, and all Sam wanted to do was nurse. Or suck, really, but at that time I was so afraid of the pacifier, that I practically nursed him all night long. Through my fog of exhaustion, I tried everything I could do to comfort my crying baby. I bounced, rocked, hummed, and swaddled. Everything I had seen on TV, or read about on the internet. I even contemplated murdering my husband as he slept comfortably in the chair across the room. The only thing that would quiet Sam was nursing. Some people would say that I should have sent Sam to the nursery, so that I could have slept. I knew that in the nursery, they would give him a pacifier, and thought with that pacifier, all hope of breastfeeding would be gone. He'd have nipple confusion, and we'd be done. Though I was exhausted, I really feel like that 2nd night helped establish my immense supply. BFing is all supply and demand, and obviously my body was thinking that Sam was demanding more milk, and so, it was made.

We probably created some bad habits that night, as in my grogginess, I didn't focus on "the proper latch", instead, I focused on the quiet. After that night past, I noted that I was "chapped" and sore every time he would latch on. After we left the hospital and went home, for the first 4 weeks, the pain would be so intense that my toes would curl when he would latch on. After the first minute, the pain would lessen, and I'd be fine. I used everything, lanolin, soothies, air-drying, shields, everything to ease the pain. On the internet I had read that you just have to make it through the first 4 weeks, and then it stops hurting. Well, they were right, 4 weeks in, and I'd toughened up, and the pain was gone. (Whoever tells you it shouldn't hurt to breastfeed never breastfed a baby. It hurts, initially!)

Another "obstacle" I had to overcome were what I called, "The Milk Cannons." I had a LARGE supply and what's called, over-active let down. Which basically meant, after the first 30 seconds of nursing, I would basically drowned Sam. He would then break the latch trying to save himself, and I would try to quickly cover myself as milk shot EVERYWHERE! Thus, "the milk cannons." I learned techniques such as breaking the latch when I felt the let-down coming, and using a burp cloth, but as he got bigger, Sam was able to handle the increase in flow. It definitely lead to many laughs had by myself, and Justin. I remember Justin's reaction the first time he saw milk shooting across the room, and he was like, "What the hell is that!"

Some of my best breastfeeding tips are as follows:
*breastfeed in the same place everytime. I set up a table upstairs in our loft, next to my recliner, and had everything I needed in one place. Lanolin, burp cloths, kleenex's, the TV remote, and my water jug. That way all I had to do was carry the baby upstairs to my chair, and I was all settled in. Initially, I tried to breastfeed in the house whereever I was. I quickly learned that didn't work.

*Go to a breastfeeding class after the baby is born. I went to our local hospital every Thursday while I was on maternity leave. I met other mom's who were breastfeeding their babies, and was able to ask questions from the mom's and the lactation consultants. I was also able to weigh Sam before and after so I could see how he was gaining weight, and how much he was taking each session. It definitely calmed the nerves of this nervous mom.

*Drink water, and eat, a lot! I had a HUGE mug that I would fill everytime I would set down to BF, and would drink the whole time I was nursing. Also, BFing isn't the time to try and diet. You need extra calories to continue to make milk, and I ate ALOT!! I'm struggling now after a year of eating whatever I wanted and not having to worry. Now that I'm done BFing, I'm going to have to cut down on my snacks!

*Invest in a good breast pump. Not necessary if you are a stay at home mom, but for the working mom, it's a must have! I only pumped twice a day while at home, and only 4 times a day on my working days, and I was able to freeze a HUGE amount of breastmilk to use at the sitters, etc. My proudest accomplishment was being able to donate breastmilk to the Indiana Mother's Milk Bank. I wrote about them in my previous breastfeeding post, and at that time, my goal had only been to donate 100 ounces. Well, I'm extremely proud to say that I was able to donate ~2580 ounces over the last 12 months. And I still have breastmilk left over now to continue to give Sam during cold and flu season. I'm just so proud that I was able to help so many other babies besides my own!!

*Buy new bath towels. Old towels are scratchy on your nips, new towels are sooo nice. :)

I breastfed in some very strange places.
Outside during Race for the Cure in front of thousands of people (with my nursing cover)
In the parking lot of a Dog N Suds
In a cemetery during grave-side services (while in my car)
In a funeral home
In the backseat of my car
In the bathroom at the Zoo
In the lactation room at the mall
and I'm sure other places that I can't remember.

Sam and I are done breastfeeding, and the transition was actually really easy. For the month of November, I wasn't producing quite enough to keep up with Sam's needs, had also stopped pumping at work, so he would nursing in the morning and before bed. During the day we would do bottles of breastmilk. The night of his birthday, and for 3 days after, I was sick, and couldn't do the nighttime sessions. Justin fed him a bottle at that time, and I would just nurse in the morning. The last few days of BFing, Sam lost interest in that morning session, and I dropped it, and things were fine. Easy and quick, and neither one of us was upset. Just the way I had wanted to wean.

Right now, I only have 80 ounces of breastmilk in my freezer, and it does make me a little sad to know that it's almost all gone. But, Sam is loving Cow's milk and doing great with sippy cups, and that's all that matters!!

So there you have it, my journey of breastfeeding! So now you know why I truly have TWO degrees in Nursing.