Day 16:
Baby is now 3 weeks old. This is the time when research shows it is best to introduce a breastfed baby to a bottle. According to experts, you don’t want to do it too soon because you want to make sure baby has developed good breastfeeding habits or too late and it can be difficult for some babies to adjust. With babies 1 & 2, I followed this rule precisely like a good millennial mom who reads everything on the internet ( just kidding, I’m debatably a millennial and only a good mom sometimes). However, baby #3 had low blood sugar and I was super sick from the anesthesia and couldn’t breastfeed him for several hours so we ended up having to introduce formula and a bottle early on. The nurse seemed nervous to ask if it was okay to supplement with formula. Make sure my baby is getting nutrients that he needs—yes, I’m okay with it.
I breastfed, although not exclusively, with the first two babies for 9 and 6 months. Returning to work and pumping was HARD, even though I wasn’t in heavy travel roles and once I did start travelling again it really impacted my ability to pump regularly. My supply dropped during a trip to Europe when I fried the plug to my pump because I failed to take into account voltage conversion (science in everyday life.. something I try and point out to the girls whenever I can, but apparently failed to consider pre-baby). This was before readily available Amazon and I had no way to get new pump parts in time, so I hand expressed for the remainder of that trip. It is not easy to pump- especially out of the comfort of your house so I commend all moms committed to it. To moms pumping in bathroom stalls, cars, airplanes, cubes, or in other countries with a malfunctioning pump.. I feel you!
While I believe in the benefits of breastfeeding, as a working mom who is set to travel upon my first week returning from leave- I have decided that convenience, two other kids, and a significant career win out over the stress of pumping regularly and keeping up my milk supply which has always been difficult for me. Baby made the decision a little easier since he is a BEAST and wants to nurse non-stop which would have been a deal breaker for this on the go mom. Fortunately, baby switches incredibly easily between bottle and breast and doesn’t seem to have a preference. On the breastfeeding vs formula feeding spectrum, I’ve always been somewhere in between since I supplemented with both but admittedly I’m a little anxious about this decision to discontinue breastfeeding once I return to work. My anxiety isn’t so much around judgement from other mamas (why do we do that?), but maybe my advanced feelings of missing out on the incredible bonding experience between mother and child. Until then, I’ll enjoy breastfeeding as much as I can and attempt to stockpile breastmilk for the next 9 weeks. Unfortunately, this feels like a zero sum game because this guy doesn’t let me save much!
Positive Thought of the Day: Thankful for all the support on the new blog. Am excited to see where this goes. I have lots of ideas for future posts, stay tuned!