Working moms/mums - come share tips and get support too! #2

[~*Nicole*~]

We're getting better at it. My mom is a "spontaneous" flighty type. She is trying hard to stick to a routine b/c she knows it really helps me out with having to work and also that DD happens to do really well with routine. I do think my mom, who tends to be more carefree and whimsical just doesn't think in a routine type way naturally, so she has to really remind herself to follow the same structure each day. I don't mind if she does some spur of the moment things, obviously (walks to the park, run out to do errands, play in the yard, whatever) but the eating and napping I really like to be a little more consistent and that's what I try to encourage her to go with.

Thanks for the advice. We're getting it, I think.

[lidiayy]

Hi Nicole,

Glad you're making it!
And don't worry too much because Ava will adapt to this scenario changes, you'll see.
Keep us posted on how you go!

XOXO

Lidia

[clh]

What Lidia said.    {{hugs!}}

[niques9]

A few tips that have helped me and now I have an ample supply (thank God) is to pump after each feeding to empty yourself out so that your body thinks to produce more and also an old wives tale of drinking a cup of tea (not to dark) with milk and a little sugar.

[~*Nicole*~]

Things are going pretty good right now. I think overall I am jealous that my mother gets to spend more time with DD than me or my husband. You miss so much, you know?

[clh]

I know, hun.  {{hugs}}  Treasure the time you DO have.   

[lidiayy]

Hi Nicole,

IKWYM by being jealous. I'll tell you what my therapist use to say when I tell her that I'm jealous about DD staying at MIL's house: the love that your baby has for your mother (her grandma) doesn't exclude the love that she feels for you. 

[~*Nicole*~]

Thanks Lidia and clh......

Trying to remember to think that way does help me to feel better.

[olkan]

Hi Ladies,


It's been a while since I last posted here, DD has turned 1 year and learns to walk, and I need guidance in terms of next steps. Currently she takes my milk in the bottle before bed (I switched from BF to pumping and giving bottle here as she takes more and sleeps longer). She still wakes up at 5 - 6 am (a progress from 3-4 am) and I BF her back to sleep. I recently moved the last day bottle at 2 pm to cow's milk, she took it right away. I took the pumps down from 4 to 2 times a day, midday and night, still produce more than she needs, and have 2-3 months supply in the freezer. Not sure what are my next steps:
  - how long do I maintain morning and bedtime feeds in general ? Should I work on changing the bottle to a cup for milk as well?
  - do I maintain 1 day bottle or rather switch it to solids?
  - do I switch the remaining feeds to cow's milk at some point as well?
If so, I'd probably stop pumping, have her take the frozen milk till it lasts and then give cow's milk. Pumping works great, but quite tired of doing it and started feeling hair and nails are getting worse, so I wouldn't mind stopping, although can easily go for few more months.
  Thanks for sharing, for some reason I struggled finding info on 1+.

[clh]

Congrats on a year!  You've done a great job! 

As for what's next, that's kind of up to you.  Do you want to wean completely?  Do you want to wean to just the morning/night bf's?  Or maybe just the morning?  Do you want to continue pumping?  (Sounds like no to the last one.) 

I can give you my experience.  (As best I recall them; it's been a while.  )  When I decided to wean, I cut out pumping sessions first.  I just picked one and started reducing the number of minutes.  You won't be "empty" like when you're pumping for quantity.  Lots of people say that you can drop one every 4 days or so, but I think I did one a week or so.  (Paranoid of clogged ducts & mastitis.)  I enjoyed the actual nursing experience, so I held on to those as long as my supply held out.  If you want to drop them sooner than that, I'd probably switch those to a bottle, & then pump (just a little) if you need to for engorgement reasons. 

As for dropping the nighttime milk, Isaac is 2 & still has a sippy of cow's milk each night.  And the bottle/sippy, I think I went to sippy when I went to cow's milk.  James may have even continued his nighttime (cow's) milk in a bottle for a while because I was afraid to change.

I didn't have a stash with J (struggled with supply all thru with him), but with Isaac I did what you're thinking:  use up the ebm & then go to cow's milk. 

HTH & BTW, you have a cutie! 

[lidiayy]

Hi Olga,

Congatulations on a year too!!

I echo what Candice has said and I can also give you my experience: i'm still BF'ing DD (she's now 1y3mo) when she wakes up in the morning (6:30 - 7:00 am ish), she has a bottle of cow's milk at 1 pm and then I would BF her at 8:30 pm (bedtime).

I dropped pumping sessions when she turned 9 mo due to a nipple bleb (and also because I was getting tired of pumping). My frozen stash was enough for DD until she turned 11 mo.

I know I'll have to wean her next month as I'm going to be working like crazy and may not be at home for bedtime. I'll go cold turkey as I can't predict when I will be and when not... Not happy with this situation, but I can't complain as my first goal was to achieve 6 months of exclusive breastmilk!

Whatever you choose, take into account that I year is fabulous and it's not easy to get this far. Be proud of you (I am!  )

HTH 

Lidia

[olkan]

Thank you Candice and Lidia - as always right to the point, exactly what I needed:) I missed the day pumping session today, wasn't really engorged, just full, so pumped 12 oz in one session, but I know it will get back to my standard 7-8 oz pretty quickly.
So I will continue pumping for her bedtime feed, and will add with the frozen EBM, as she takes 9 oz for bedtime, cow's milk for the day bottle, and BF for the morning feed till I feel like it.
We are also thinking of moving DD to the separate room (as her cot was in our bedroom), maybe she will FINALLY move her 5 am feed to after waking up. In which case I'd have to wean anyway, as she doesn't nurse when she's not sleepy, so will go with the flow.
For now, we are struggling for the 3rd tooth for 2 weeks, walking her first steps and transitioning towards 1 nap, so never a dull moment as you can imagine

Lidia, hope the weaning will go smoothly, Tessa didn't have any problem switching for the bottle for the bedtime, though I dreaded it, but it went no probs at all.
Candice, good luck to you and your little one, hope she arrives smoothly and on time!

[campbellchick]

Hi ladies - long time no talk  , sorry I've been MIA from this website for quite a while now!

I just wanted to pop on to say congratulations to both Olga and Lidia for both making over a year on the BF'ing.  You have both done such a great job and worked so hard to keep it up.... Best of luck on the weaning - great news if your dd's like the cow's milk, so you shouldn't have too much trouble by the sounds of it.  I know Holly just loves her cows milk and is still taking 3 bottles a day  and it definitely doesn't affect her appetite. I can't get enough food into her  .

Candice, best of luck with the new bub too - I can't believe how soon you are due now. It feels like you were only just telling us you were pregnant recently.  Let us know when the bub arrives.

Kerrie xoxo

[lidiayy]

Kerrie!! 
I missed you so much!     You know that a few months ago, when I heard about that hurricane (or something similar) in Australia, I really thought about you and your family (please don't misunderstand me, I didn't think of bad things )

Glad you came back. How's Holly? And Hunter? Milena is ok, each day with something new....This age is so cute!

Olga - thanks for the words, now that it's getting close, I don't know how I will react when DD quit having milk from my boobs.   

Candice - Hope everything is ok with you and your family. Big hugs to you, dear.

XOXO

Lidia

[campbellchick]

Hi Lidia - I've missed you so much too!  I have thought about you lots over the last few months and was wondering how you and Milena were doing.  Holly is doing great - just like Milena, something new every day.  Hunter too - he talks NON STOP now, it can drive me insane some days (and I am a big talker too...), but it is fun!  I totally agree about the girls ages being so cute.  There is not one time that I don't look at Holly and think (or usually say) how cute she is.  I love it.  Thanks for thinking of us in the hurricane - thankfully it was not near us.  I am so proud of you too making it this far with feeding Milena.  I remember when you just wanted to make it to 6 months and look at you now.  It will be hard quitting feeding her, but you have done such a wonderful job to this point and should be so proud of yourself - especially working and feeding. 

Olga - your avatar of your dd is gorgeous.  She is beautiful and looks like she is growing up fast.

Candice - good luck again - let us know when the big day finally arrived.
xoxo