Second Time Mom Confession

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Nursing & Pumping Again 


I can't believe I'm going to be a BTDT or a STM in just a few short months. Those that follow mom blogs and group chats online know what those two acronyms mean. Basically, I no longer get to claim first time mom status since I'll be all experienced and everything...... I don't know about this whole all experienced thing. I still feel like I'm making things up as I go along and it won't be any different the second time around since I doubt Tater Tot and Jellybean will be mirror images of each other. 

Anyway, while I'm excited for that newborn smell, that super tiny scrunched up body, and all those firsts all over again, there is honestly one thing that I'm dreading. Being a slave to my boobs. Yes, I admit it, I hate pumping. Breastfeeding? No big deal. I love nursing my babies because I know that I am arming them with a lifetime of protection. When I was expressing my drudge to Matt, he said we should experiment and see if there really is a big difference between an EBF child and one that isn't. UM NO! Are you kidding me? We are not "experimenting" with our children. Besides, there's no need to. I KNOW that breast is best and any other course of action just isn't going to be an option. Besides, when I was gone for 5 weeks and we had to supplement with formula, we spent probably $80 on that stuff and that was just for supplementing purposes. JB still got frozen breast milk too! I can't imagine how much formula for a year would cost. So, aside from the obvious health benefits (both for me and JB, because I firmly believe breastfeeding help me shed baby weight), it's much more cost effective. The whole nursing process, once you get past the sore cracked bleeding nipples in the first few weeks, is a unique bonding experience that I loved having and look forward to having with my Tater Tot. 

The pumping....well that's what I hate! I really grew to dislike it when I was at Maxwell those five weeks and I really feel like I was a slave to the pump schedule. At least when I'm nursing I get a reward through having some genuine bonding time with my little baby. While I'm pumping....my reward is what? TV or time on my phone? I'd rather have the baby in my arms. I'll once again be a pump at work mom and it just gets so boring and monotonous! The sore ready to burst boobs, the mess, the having to store and freeze and make sure pumped milk doesn't go bad.....it's a lot of work. Am I sounding kind of whiney here? Yeah....I know. But, despite my obvious unpleasant feelings about being a slave to the pump, I will still work my butt off to breastfeed Tater Tot for a whole year. I mean, have you seen my 15 month old now? Breastfeeding sure did that kid good! And despite Dad's joke, there is no way I'm experimenting with my boys and testing out what strictly formula does the second time around. 

So it's no secret that I'm a HUGE proponent of breast milk for babies.  I know some moms who just couldn't get the latch and they exclusively pump. I know some moms who pay for donor's milk. There are ways to get your kid breast milk! Tricare, the military medical insurance company, has just started funding breast pump under its insurance coverage. Wooohoo! Too late for me since I have my Medela already, but that thing was pricey! I'm glad that the price of a breast pump can no longer be an excuse as a reason to switch to formula...which doesn't make sense because formula is expensive I also stumbled across this awesome page: http://www.medelabreastfeedingus.com/medela-recycles. You can recycle your Medela breast pump to help other moms get access to one! 

So, while my confession may have been a little more whining and less confession, I just want to urge moms who want to give up on nursing.....not to. Moms who do it for a year don't love every minute of it. THAT'S ME! There is some obvious foot dragging with this next year of nursing ahead of me, most of it is pumping at work and being on a strict schedule driven and making sure I have a big enough supply on hand to meet his daily requirements at daycare which leads to its own stress factors trust me, but it's truly one of the best things you can do for your babies, for yourself, and of course, your wallet! 
LOOK at how big my EBF baby got

Graham Crackers are his fave. 

I love this chubby face! 

This milk drunk face....I miss it. 

I love when he'd fall asleep on my arm after nursing. Made me completely worthless since I just watched him sleep for hours, but we got great bonding time in. Now he's all mama's boy. 

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