So, this time last year exactly I was on my last period before getting pregnant! Also, it was my last proper period I've had, the only bleeding I've had since is the post-birth bleeding (oh, and implantation bleeding). Sooo nice I'm so glad my periods haven't come back yet.
I went to the baby stay and play at the local Surestart Centre yesterday. There were two other babies there Robert's age (quite cool, but the three of them were about 8-9 days apart total!), so I stopped and chatted with them. We were all first-time mums. But it also made me realise when the babies got hungry, that I am the ONLY mum I've seen there feeding their baby breast milk. It almost seems to be the "done" thing to have your little Tommee Tippee bottle with water, tip the powder in and feed your baby that than to get out your boob. We talked about it a bit, and from what I could tell, they just gave up too early and easily. One of the mums said she breast fed her baby for two weeks, and then one day he sucked her dry, so she rushed out to buy formula. Robert has "sucked me dry" plenty of times, but that just means he has to wait a bit longer til my milk comes back again. And he's not suffered for it, he's been gaining weight well at a rate of about 1oz a day. Although I don't know his weight gain for the last 3 weeks, I'm getting him weighed tomorrow so will see.
I just wonder if most of these mums who end up bottle feeding at the first sign of trouble are the ones who didn't really want to breast feed in the first place but rather were pressured into it by midwives, books, etc. There are plenty of times I could have given up, but I really wanted it to work, so I have persevered, and I'm so glad I have, because it has got so much better! About a week ago, Jonathan suggested supplementing Robert with formula in the evenings when I was tired, and also when I was getting frustrated with Robert and being rough with him. But I know the main reason people's milk dries up prematurely is because they start supplementing with formula, so they're suckling less on the breast. So once you start it's almost like a spiral that keeps going down until your milk's all gone. And the last thing I want to do is to get my milk dried up simply because I'm too tired, as formula is so much more hassle in the long run, none of this powder, sterilising water, getting the bottle to the right temperature, etc. Also knowing how much and how often he would need a bottle, it's so easy just to whip out a boob whenever he's getting hungry without having to think about it, and let him take as much as he wants so nothing goes to waste (well, within reason anyway - except the stuff he sicks up).
Yesterday morning I woke up engorged. I fed him the most engorged side, and then after he was back in his cot I expressed the other, and got 5.5oz within half an hour from that side, whereas sometimes I'd be going for more than half an hour and struggle to get 2oz (from both breasts!)!
Anyway, I'd best get going now, check he's alright on the bed! (so glad he hasn't started to roll over yet!)
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