The Struggle is Real
Every week is different with Sophia and our nursing adventures continue. Overall, I feel like we spend more time on the struggle bus than peacefully enjoying the beauty of breastfeeding.
We had two really fun weeks with my family in December leading up to my brother's wedding. Before that, I was still pumping twice a day; before bed and first thing in the morning. Rob and I decided that it would be best if I work to wean from pumping entirely before my family came to town. We were going to be traveling a bit and the added stress of worrying about when to pump and where just seemed like too much to carry forward. So Sophia and I spent two weeks really focusing on her draining me entirely and dropping a pump session here and there until they were gone.
I was pleasantly surprised that after removing the pump sessions from our day, that Sophia seemed sated throughout the day. I also felt I could meet those in-between feedings where she seemed hungry ahead of time. She wanted less supplementation, which became two big extra activities off our plate. I finally made it to the point where I am producing enough for her during the day. Her 4 month appointment confirmed that her weight gain was acceptable, so I this is a blessed relief.
This little lady loves people! As she continues to grow and change, any time she's around other people she would much rather be smiling, cooing and amazing them than nursing. With my family in town, she wouldn't nurse unless I was walking or bouncing. I call it acronursing. At home, we have a yoga ball we bounce on. On Tony's wedding day, Sophia and I walked 16,000 steps just nursing! She never makes anything easy, but fed is best! I took her to a breastfeeding group meeting in January and she was more interested in talking to the other babies than eating when she got hungry. She has such a fun personality! I wish I could give her more of what she wants by getting her around other people more, but we're still eating every other hour to stay on top of her weight gain and keep my supply up, so it is very difficult for me to go out when I know she will struggle to nurse while we're away.
This week, she is teething. Sophia's poor gums are hurting her, so she is back to screaming and fighting me when we try to nurse. The weather has been awful, with a polar vortex and tons of snow last week, and tons of rain and ice this week. So it's not so bad to stay home and work with Sophia. We've tried all kinds of ways to help her and have found a few remedies that work. So she's still eating enough and we're going to make it, but boy am I tired!
Developmentally, she is in such a fun place! She's starting to sit up pretty much unassisted. I'm still down there with her, ready to make sure she doesn't bonk her head, but she can sit for a few minutes at a time on her own. She can get up on her hands and knees and rock back and forth, getting ready to crawl. And she coos and delights us with smiles and giggles. I think her hair looks more red as its growing out and one weekend I tried combing it a different way after a bath and she woke up with cockatoo hair! Her favorite song is, "Darling Irish Girl" from "Darbie O'Gill and the Little People." Anytime I sing it, even if she's mid-cry, she stops and gets a big grin on her face. She's our sweet girl and I love doing the work of nurturing and loving her.
