It has hit me lately that I will be having a baby in 2-4 weeks. Thats a little frightening and overwhelming all at the same time. I have been thinking back to the days when Keating was a newborn. Although I wouldn't change that time with him for anything, I have to be honest, those days were MISERABLE. Is that awful of me to say? If you read my blog back then, you may recall that he screamed for what seemed like 24 hours a day, for 5ish months of his life. We tried everything and nothing ever seemed to work. I PRAY that things with Archer go differently. I think we missed out on a lot of cherished times because we were so stressed out with his crying.
I believe part of the problem with Keating had to do with reflux, the other part was a low milk supply on my part. I tried things to boost my supply, but in the end, nothing helped. After five exhausting months, I had to switch to formula. I'm not turning this in to a formula vs. breastfeeding debate, because I think that is a personal preference, but I had my heart set on nursing my baby longer and more successfully than 5 months. I felt like somewhat of a failure that it didnt work out.
I am nervous that this time could be similar. I am not putting the pressure on myself to exclusively breastfeed. I have a lot of things going against me this time that were not an issue previously. It has been a year and a half since I had my surgery. I have been told that breastfeeding should not be affected, but I always think in the back of my head that there is a chance this wont work out. That my currently huge Dolly Parton boobs are going to fail me. I am also going back to work very soon after Archer is born. As much as I would LOVE to stay out longer, I am taking an unpaid maternity leave. Right now its just not an option and 6 weeks is all that I get.
I know going back to work is going to affect my milk supply, I will have limited access to pump, but I am going to try my best. I am also doing things now to help with supply. I have been drinking Zija supplements which aid in earlier milk production and help with supply. Its full of iron, folic acid and calcium which is great for supply and growing babies. The Moringa leaf also helps to energize you naturally, which is a huge plus when you are up all night with a new baby. If you dont know anything about Zija and are curious, research the moringa plant. It really has some amazing health benefits that Zija has made into supplements and teas.
I believe part of the problem with Keating had to do with reflux, the other part was a low milk supply on my part. I tried things to boost my supply, but in the end, nothing helped. After five exhausting months, I had to switch to formula. I'm not turning this in to a formula vs. breastfeeding debate, because I think that is a personal preference, but I had my heart set on nursing my baby longer and more successfully than 5 months. I felt like somewhat of a failure that it didnt work out.
I am nervous that this time could be similar. I am not putting the pressure on myself to exclusively breastfeed. I have a lot of things going against me this time that were not an issue previously. It has been a year and a half since I had my surgery. I have been told that breastfeeding should not be affected, but I always think in the back of my head that there is a chance this wont work out. That my currently huge Dolly Parton boobs are going to fail me. I am also going back to work very soon after Archer is born. As much as I would LOVE to stay out longer, I am taking an unpaid maternity leave. Right now its just not an option and 6 weeks is all that I get.
I know going back to work is going to affect my milk supply, I will have limited access to pump, but I am going to try my best. I am also doing things now to help with supply. I have been drinking Zija supplements which aid in earlier milk production and help with supply. Its full of iron, folic acid and calcium which is great for supply and growing babies. The Moringa leaf also helps to energize you naturally, which is a huge plus when you are up all night with a new baby. If you dont know anything about Zija and are curious, research the moringa plant. It really has some amazing health benefits that Zija has made into supplements and teas.
So far I have only been drinking the Smartmix because it is okay for pregnancy. Some of the others have added energy as well as weight loss benefits, but those are obviously not recommended during pregnancy or while nursing. If you are having trouble with milk supply or want to get a jump in your nutrients for milk production like me, then you should try it out. I will be sure to update my progress once baby A makes his appearance into the world.
My daughter was really tough too. She was diagnosed w reflux and we did all of the medicines/sleeping upright/etc and she still screamed all day every day. She was also in the 5th percentile. It wasnt until she was almost 4 months old that I realized that I wasnt feeding her enough. Started supplementing w formula and she jumped to the 60th percentile and stopped screaming. Whoops! First time Mom, what can I say.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry you had such a hard time with Keating, hopefully Archer will be a little easier! I will have to look into that product next time I have a baby. I went back to work after 9 weeks and pumped 3 times a day for about 10 minutes each, and I took all kinds of supplements. The one thing that I always noticed made a huge difference was water! It didn't matter if I didn't eat for 3 days, as long as I drank tons of water my boobs stay inflated, ha!
ReplyDeleteJust talked to a friend of mine who is expecting her second baby boy any day now. She had a lot of difficulty nursing her first, and was going to the hospital to meet with a lactation consultant this afternoon. I had never heard of or thought about talking to an LC before baby is born, but the LC said it was a good idea to get a "game plan" in place early to help her be more successful nursing this time around. Makes sense!
ReplyDeleteMaybe that's something you could consider, if your hospital offers free LC consultations like ours does. Best of luck! :)
B was colicy for the 1st 5 months of his life & I fell like we too missed out of so many precious moments but Colton slept through the night after only a few months & made up for all the yelling his big bro did.
ReplyDeleteAs far a BF I failed with both boys & it bothered me with B but when Colton was born I decided not to stress it & if it worked out than it did & if not then it just wasn't ment to be. I tried just about everything & pumped every hour on the hour to try to produce more but nothing I did worked. I don't know if its my implants or not but its something & sometimes I guess it just doesn't happen. Try not to stress it & just let whatever happens happen!