What My Baby Taught Me | Breastfeeding + Formula
Breastfeeding is a journey. A long, constantly-evolving journey.
Sometimes breastfeeding looks like these photos — beautiful, peaceful, connected. And sometimes it looks distracted, squeamish, impossible.
This is the start of a new video series I’m doing, titled “What my Baby Taught Me.” The focus will be on lessons learned from my boy, shared in a minute-long video you can watch quickly (they’ll be posted to Instagram each week).
This first one is all about feeding.
We’re nine months in, and this stage of my nursing journey has been the most difficult on me — both physically and mentally. My body doesn’t produce the milk it used to. He wants more independence. And I feel like the pump is essentially another body part of mine at this point. I am constantly pumping, pumping, pumping. I’ve cried more than a few times, both because of the milk, and because I know this is merely the first of many times I’ll have to let go of something that was once solely ours.
For nine months, he got my milk. Just mine. And that box of formula felt like my enemy. It felt like the beginning of the end of something that I wasn’t ready to let go of.
Watch the video to see our story. This week my baby taught me…
Motherhood is this constant journey of love and letting go, connecting and releasing, of knowing and of trusting.
So for now, I am grateful for every moment like the one in this photo. I am grateful for every time my baby is able to nurse. For every time my body produces the milk he needs. And for every time science fills in the gaps. Formula is really our friend.
To all of you mamas, I hope you know this feeding journey is so different for each of us. That we have to be kind and patient to ourselves, and our bodies. Whether you’re battling underproduction, overproduction, depression, or a chaotic work schedule that makes nursing even tougher, feel proud of making a decision that’s best for you and your little one.
For those of you still nursing, here’s what has helped me most…
Medela Sonata Pump | Mother’s Milk Tea | MotherLove More Milk Plus Drops | Fenugreek Capsules | The BakerMama Lactation Bars
Also, drinking a ton of water, avoiding heavy cardio, de-stressing and sleeping (I know, that’s a long shot for new mamas!), and adding flax + oats to most meals.
