Liquid Gold Celebration

6 months!! 🎉🎉I’m excited, proud, and blessed to say that I have nursed my baby boy for 6 months exclusively on my breast milk! I remember the days when I wanted to quit in the beginning or even the days half way through when I felt inadequate. But I made it! And I pray I make it another 6 months! There are some things that have helped me and I think are important to keep in mind as you mommas adventure on this EBF (exclusively breastfed) journey:

1. You will want to quit often-especially the first 4-6 weeks because it hurts so much or you aren’t happy with how much time it takes out of the day. Whatever your reason may be, don’t give up!  It gets greater later…I promise. Set weekly/monthly goals for you and your little one. In my previous blog I talked about praying through it-give it a try!
2. Inverted/sensitive nipples-I have them and have spent the last 6 months using a nipple shield (Medela Nipple Shield) to help my little one eat successfully. They are wonderful and I’m sure will help me even more when those teeth start coming in!
3. Lansinoh (Lansinoh Breastfeeding Salve Ointment) did wonders for my sore nipples after feedings. Until you get used to the sensation or it stops hurting, using this after feedings helps quite a bit.
4. Nipple Blisters- Ahhhh!!! It hurt so bad. I couldn’t let it just run it’s course like they all suggest. I put a warm compress on it for 20 minutes on/off for a couple of hours and then busted that bad boy and put lansinoh on it. 😝Cleared right up! I was too determined to feed my little guy to let that stop me from nursing/pumping for a few days until it ran it’s course.
5. When Duce was about 3.5 months old my stock pile was practically non-existent and I was not producing an oversupply of milk. I was so disappointed in myself and concerned for my son. The reality was, he had just started requiring more milk-he went from 6oz bottles to 9oz bottles for feedings! The boy can eat! And my body was beginning to regulate how much he needed and stopped giving me the over supply. After talking with my pediatrician I started avoiding giving him bottles and only letting hubby bottle feed him. I nursed him at every feeding and continued to pump. My doctor also recommended a supplement called Fenugreek (Fenugreek Supplement) that worked wonders! I took 6 a day and my supply was back up within a week! Yes I drank tons of water-90oz most days, but the supplements gave me the boost I needed to make sure my little guy was getting all he needed-he was still gaining weight even though my supply had decreased/leveled out, meaning he was getting enough, I just didn’t have extra.
6. Don’t get so bent on the idea of your little one eating every 3-4 hours or whatever timeframe. Just follow your baby’s cues and feed your baby. When Duce is hungry he eats. Lucky for me he’s ALWAYS hungry! 😌
7. Many hate the pump because it is so time consuming, loud, and even uncomfortable at times. However, I have reminded myself how important it is for my son and his Daddy to have that bonding experience during meals too. So I pump so that he has bottles in the middle of the night if my husband feeds him or while I’m out at a meeting or hair/nail appointment, my hubby can feed him. The pump=QT and FREEDOM! Even if it’s only for a couple of hours. Our hubbies need that QT with baby and we need some FREEDOM to decompress and recharge for our little ones.
8. Target has the BEST nursing bras and tanks! Great investment so get you a couple! (Target Nursing Bras and Tanks) They make nursing so convenient on the go and when you are just relaxing at home or doing your day to day routines.
9. What I don’t leave home without (aside from my nipple shield)….nursing pads! Whether they are the disposable ones from Medela (Medela Nursing Pads) or the reusable ones, they are a MUST! They not only prevent a leak but they also disguise our larger than life nursing nipples we inherit as new nursing mommas! 😄 Get you some!
10. I love the Medela app! I can not only track our breastfeeding sessions, but also when I pump and how much, bottles, diapers, sleep, weight and height. Those things were important to me to track-especially for doctors appointments and my own personal accountability. Check your app store for MyMedela.

**P.S. FED IS BEST! I support no forms of pressure/shaming to nurse/breastfeed. There are many mommas who aren’t able to produce or have the time or patience to nurse and that is okay…because FED IS BEST!  😘

The bond continues to blossom as he nurses. Looking up at me when he is almost done and smiling really big like he is saying, “Thanks momma! You ROCK!!” 😍 It gives me so much joy to see.

~Soli Deo Gloria💜

Copyright © 2017 by Da’Quisha Whitaker
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