Before I started nursing, I knew it would take a lot of practice, patience and some commitment…I just never imagined it would consume ALL my time. To say breastfeeding is a challenge is certainly an understatement. Definitely not something for the faint of heart.
Hard work aside, there’s no denying the medical benefits of breastfeeding. Antibodies in breast milk can protect against major illnesses like obesity, asthma, diabetes and cancer, to name a few. In addition, breastfeeding can help boost a child’s IQ. So, it makes sense that doctors recommend it.
But the time commitment needed to take on this ever-important function is quite daunting. A mother can really become an around-the-clock milk factory. And that’s exactly the situation I’ve been finding myself in over the past month.
You hear about the latching-on issues or nipple confusion you may encounter, but you may not hear so much about the constant pumping or demand feeding required to sustain a proper milk supply for baby. Yeah, that’s right. The more you pump or feed, the more milk your body produces for later…so if you skip a couple pump sessions while hubby bottle feeds, you’re sending signals to your body to produce less milk. And so you find yourself trapped in a perpetual pumping/feeding cycle. A bit frustrating indeed :(!
Related: How to Breastfeed at Night (Tips to be Prepared and Stay Awake)
Breastfeeding can really pervade itself into every aspect of your life and become much more than a full-time job, so it’s important to prepared. Here’s how it’s affected mine:
Food: I grab whatever I can eat after baby has been fed, changed and resting.
Showering: What a luxury! If I can time it so that baby isn’t fussy and sleeping before noon, I can sneak in a quick shower.
Sleeping: At night, a 3 hour sleep schedule is a good night. But baby hasn’t displayed a very consistent pattern yet. Could be 1, 1.5 or 2 hour schedule. During the day, it’s impossible to nap when baby does…feedings happen about every two hours and can last anywhere from 15 to 40 minutes. And then of course, you gotta throw in some time for pumping.
Entertainment: I’ve never watched more day-time reality tv in my life. What else can you do while attached to a pump machine? 🙂
Outings: Haven’t really gotten out much despite the nice weather kicking in. Baby can’t be in direct sunlight and I just haven’t had time to take him for a stroll around the block during the day yet. Hopefully that will happen soon!
Not exactly what I thought nursing would be like, but this is the reality. I guess that’s the price you pay to have a healthy child. And I’m sure it’ll be well worth it after 6-12 months!
Ana, a mom to three rambunctious little boys, has supported hundreds of thousands of women throughout their pregnancy and motherhood journey since 2012 as a blogger and maternal health advocate at MommysBundle.com.
My little man is 18 months old now. But I did breastfeed for the first 5 months. I so wanted to do it til 1 year, but my body couldn’t keep up, and I was on the phone with a lactation consultant nearly every other day! But I sure am thankful for those 5 months of breastmilk he got. You are so right. Your life revolves around feeding and pumping. I had a really cool cover and I just got used to doing it in public (covered of course!) or in my car. It is one of the most precious bonding moments for Mommy and baby, even if it seems like its all you do!
Thanks for leaving a comment! I want to do it for at least 6 months so we’ll see how that goes! I recently just got a nursing cover too, they call it “Hooter Hiders” hehe!!
Good for you for doing it, and I promise it gets easier once the baby gets on something of a schedule. I breastfed both mine for 10 months, and those first weeks are the worst. I got to the point where I would feed during the day and then pump at night after bedtime. That was I had some milk in the fridge and the baby always got what they needed. Hang in there! Oh! And I read a lot while I was breastfeeding/pumping. In fact, I kind of miss the reading time now that I have two toddlers. 🙂
Thank you! I hope it does get easier. 10 months is amazing – great job!
Hi there! I just found your blog and was looking around. Are you still breastfeeding?! I am up to one year now, just a little over. It really is the best experience ever. I am just starting to wean my daughter. I’m very scared and sad at the same time. The bonding time is amazing.
Yes, going for 6-12 months as recommended 🙂 I gotta admit, the first couple of months are the most challenging, but after that it does get easier!!! Good for you for making it past the year mark!
Thank you so much for sharing this post, it sounds exactly like my life right now and it’s reassuring I’m not the only one!