Weaning

WARNING: this post contains subject matter that may not be suitable for audiences of the male species, read on at your own risk.

 Hallelujah!!! We have officially weaned from breast feeding as of about 4 weeks ago. It was always my goal to breast feed Noelle for 12 months. I feel so incredibly blessed to have been able to meet that goal. I know so many stories of Mother's who wanted nothing more than to breastfeed their babies but for unseen health reasons were unable to do it or were not able to do it for very long. I'm sure you all have heard me mention the breastfeeding book that I read throughout this journey but when it came to weaning I nearly chucked it across the room. They had me mistaken if they thought I'd take their advice on breast feeding Noelle up to age 7. Now I know that there are many different opinions and articles that may suggest breast feeding your children for longer (and I have no judgements either way), but none of those had any influence on my decision. I had always known that I would not be competing with the Mom on the cover of Time Magazine. Just not my steelo (style for those of you who don't know the group 702). 

While I was at work Noelle took bottled breast milk and did great with her Dad. When I was home I would put her to breast for every feed. At 11 months I started substituting one feed with bottled breast milk instead of nursing her. I was nervous that she would protest because that's just not the way we did things when I was home but she never fussed and took the bottle without a problem. We substituted one feed a day for about a week. During those times I did not pump when she took the bottle, telling my breast to slow down on production. 

I also started stretching out the times that I was pumping at work. I went from pumping three times to twice during my 12 hour shift when Noelle was about 7 months. She was taking food and I still had a HUGE supply in the freezer. I tried waiting at least 7 hours between both pump sessions once I got down to two. After the first week I started giving Noelle two bottles during the days I was home, still no protest. As long as she was being fed it was all gravy.  We eventually got to only morning and before bed nursings and bottles during the day. I did have to do one pump in the middle of the day at home to keep from being completely uncomfortable. 

My production slowed down after a couple weeks and I started pumping just once a shift and not pumping at all at home. I started decreasing my one pump session at work from 25 minutes to about 15 minutes, then 10. Eventually I was able to not pump at all during my shift and Noelle was only being nursed at night. A week before her birthday we started adding whole milk to her bottles. First just an ounce, then half the bottle. My frozen breast milk had gotten her through her first birthday. I slowly introduced the last bottle at night and before I knew it the last time I put Noelle to breast was 2 weeks after she turned one. Sometimes the lumps that you develop just don't come out with pumping and putting your baby to breast is the best way to get them out. 

I was surprised that it had taken over a month to wean. After going days without feeding Noelle or pumping I would end up uncomfortable and have to pump an ounce off here and there, it was the weirdest thing. I was sure it would just go away but slow and steady was the pace. I was consistent once we started the process and the only reason it took so long is because I was extra careful not to push myself to the point of pain or mastitis. My breastfeeding experience had been so easy, I didn't want to complicate the end with an infection. I wasn't so much in a hurry to be done, I was just ready to move on the next phase of parenting. I worried at first about our bonding time after she was done breast feeding but we have found other ways to spend quality time and we've felt no less close for ending that part of our relationship.

 Breast feeding and pumping for a year is a HUGE commitment but so worth it. I was so inspired by stories of other Mom's who had overcome some major obstacles and never gave up. I met a Mom who ended up in the hospital with a pulmonary embolism after developing a clot with the birth of her third baby. She was hospitalized for a week undergoing procedures and taking medications that stopped her from feeding her baby. She was fighting for her life while pumping and dumping to keep up her supply so she would eventually return to breast feeding her baby. If this is something you want to do, you CAN do it. Although I am a big advocate for breastfeeding, whether your baby receives formula or breast milk we all want what's best for our babies and nothing should separate us from supporting each other. Side note: It has never felt so freeing to keep my shirt DOWN, especially in this weather. I almost do cartwheels to this day leaving the house not having to worry about the bra I wear or the type of shirt I have on!

Breastfeeding & Returning To Work

Replace the young woman with my pump and this is exactly how I feel, but it's all for my sweet cheeks!

My #1 tip- Water, water, water....oh and MORE WATER!! It has made a HUGE difference in my supply while pumping at work. But we'll get to that soon. Ok so a lot of this information comes from the book I've been raving about.

Link here

I've also gotten advice from my coworkers, lactation consultant friends and other working Mom's. Everyone has their tricks of the trade and I'll take all the tips I can get. I will compile most of those tips here!

What you'll need...

-All of your supplies of course, but how you bring and store it may vary. I decided to use one set, rinse between use, store in ziplock bags and keep them refrigerated during the day. You may also choose to buy enough sets to be able to use them just once.

Bottles vs. Bags…or Mason Jar :)

And yes, that is a Classico spaghetti jar! 

Depending on the amount you are able to pump during your work day could determine what you bring to store your milk. Because of my 12-13 hour work day and my milk supply I need to have a lot of room for storage so a mason jar works great for me. I clean and sanitize the jar after each use. I pump anywhere from 16-21 oz so bringing enough bottles to store my milk just wasn't efficient for me. Pictured above I have the 2.5 oz bottles that I was pumping into, but I end up pumping more than that in one sitting so instead of stopping and pouring it into the mason jar mid pump, I started bringing 4 oz bottles and pumping into those to save time.

Once I get home I divvy up the milk into my breast milk storage bags. Noelle drinks about 3.5oz each feed so I try and put 7oz in each bag so I know 1 bag is 2 feedings.

I've switched over to more bags than bottles. The bottles are reusable obviously but they do take up more space than the bags. Freezing your bags flats is best for making more space. Also the bags thaw much easier than the bottles. 

*Side note- the wipes container you see in the picture above was something I saw on Pinterest as a way of storing your breast milk bags, but I could only fit 4 bags and it wasn't worth the space it was taking up.

 I haven't quite figured out how to organize my milk yet  > <  I'm having to dig to the bottom to get the bags that have the furthest back dates. I'll figure it out soon enough. Any suggestions?

Here are some of the things that have worked for me in order to keep up my milk supply:

-As I said before lots of water.

-Pumping once in the morning even when I am off. Your milk supply is greatest in the morning so making sure to pump during that time is important in making room for your body to keep producing milk.

-Mother's Milk Tea. I don't drink it as often anymore but I made sure to drink it everyday I worked when I first returned.
-Trying to pump as often as your baby eats (this can be hard, especially if your baby is still eating every 2-3 hours when you return to work, but try your best)
-Put your baby to breast as often as possible when you are with them. Before and after work if possible. Your baby is way better at emptying your breast than the pump.
-*For my nurse friends, I know an every other day schedule usually sucks rocks but doing that schedule when I returned to work worked best. Two 12 hr days in a row was murder to my supply.

Advice I've been given:
-Continue eating like you are still pregnant. This might sound like crazy talk for some of you preggo "savages" as my husband liked to call me, but it's really because dieting while breastfeeding can affect your milk supply.
-Drinking Beer…..something about the hops.
-Drinking Malt- non-alcoholic
-Lactation Cookies
-Lots of oatmeal and cream of wheat
-Pump while looking at pictures/videos of your baby

I know you're looking at my fat stash with milk envy. It definitely took some time for it to look like this. I started pumping on a regular basis when Noelle was about a month old. Building my supply for when we were to be separated. I pumped at least one time per day, in the mornings after one of her feeds. I continued this everyday until I went to work. My milk supply is so great now that I produce more milk than she drinks in the amount of time I am away from her. I am completely aware that a lot of Mother's aren't able to do this and I thank God for how easy it has been, I do not take this for granted. 

I definitely freaked out the first few times I pumped because I wasn't getting as much as I had previously but like the book says, bad pumping sessions do happen so don't get discouraged. If it happens consistently then you may need to make a change. 

My favorite breastfeeding products

Medela Pump In Style Advanced

Oh…I almost forgot! You might think what's the point of buying a hand pump when you have an electric one but believe me, it is so easy and fuss free, sometimes it's the best thing ever. Great for traveling with and when you have things to do you don't have to be stuck in one place. I use it frequently in the mornings when I'm getting ready for work. 

Happy pumping my friends!!!