Tuesday, August 18, 2009

The Breast of Intentions

Well, what can I say? I tried. I tried real hard. I nursed every hour most days. I ate a dairy-free diet. I took all kinds of herbal remedies to increase my milk supply. I contacted all kinds of help from my doctors office to people on the internet. I had the breast of intentions.

When I found out I was pregnant I knew for sure that I would breast feed as long as possible. In my mind that was 6 months to a year - not 6-8 weeks. In the end, it just wasn't meant to be.

I think having a C-Section I got a slow start anyways, it took 5 days for my milk to come in. Mack lost almost a pound in the hospital and I was forced to supplement with formula. Once we came home colic set in around week two and he was just never satisfied. I cut out dairy and that seemed to help but my supply was just too low.

We switched to formula about a week and a half ago and Mack is a much happier baby. He has gained some pounds and I think that has made the world of difference. Of course it's a super special formula and the cost is much higher than "normal" formula. Feel free to send me your Similac coupons!

Here's my big boy with a full tummy getting a bath:

2 comments:

Whitney said...

Sars, the exact thing happened with me, too, pretty much. My milk took forever to come in (after a c-section), losing weight, supplementing, low supply, cutting out dairy, special formula, etc. So I know exactly what you are going through and how you feel. We finally realized that the store brand gentlease (I think Sam's had big cans of it)worked great for Logan and was MUCH cheaper than Nutramagin and the soy based one and worked just as well for him. Let me know if you have any questions about anything. And good for you for recognizing that it's okay to have to stop breastfeeding and not feeling guilty for it. It just doesn't work for every kid. Can't wait to meet Mack sometime!

Katie said...

Don't beat yourself up over it! We all had our ideas of things we would and wouldn't do, but babies have their own plan and they're not budging! What matters is that Mack is doing well - he is ADORABLE by the way!