Maybe TMI - But need a Hug anyhow

[suburbanchickymama]

I have 2 little ones and my 1st (21 mo) was not able to breastfeed and was a sick little guy his whole 1st year. I swear, any bug that came within a mile of him and he was sick. THANK GOODNESS my 5 month old is a great breastfeeder and he has only been sick twice and they were very minor and he got over it really quickly. He has only had a fever one time that lasted a couple of hours. My 1st had H1N1, several 105 degree fevers, ear infections, and on and on. Oh, and a dreadful stomach bug. The guilt of not providing him with what he needed to fight off all of that sickness is WAY worse than the stress of pumping, not to minimize that stress AT ALL. I know it's not easy. But imagine being in the hospital and watching your little one in distress thinking "if only I had been able to breastfeed..." So GOOD JOB! KEEP IT UP!!! And, of course - BIG

Lisa

 

[llaaadyel]

As a mother who breastfed for 2 years and worked full time pumping several times a day, I can totally understand. I don't think there is one of us out there who hasn't cried over the pumped milk that is spilled on the desk. It happens to all of us. Take a deep breath, tomorrow will be better.

BIG HUG

llaady

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
That is really not what La Leche is supposed to be about--anything else is NOT supposed to have nearly the same amount of impact, and htey are SUPPOSED to be accommodating of different styles for different mothers. Are there any OTHER La Leche groups in your area? Most areas have at least a couple, and you might find a group that is a better fit, even if you have to drive a bit farther. Alternatively, tell the leaders that they are making you feel unwelcome by adding criteria BESIDES breastfeeding. That you have made the choices that are right for your family, and should not be made to feel like you are doing things WRONG.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

With my first, I had a babysitter very close to work so that I could go over and nurse him at lunchtime. That helped a lot.

 

[WingingIt]

Well, that's wasn't just a bottle of regular ole milk, that was liquid gold! That's seriously what my friends and I refer to it as because we've all worked so hard (at various times over the years) to produce/pump/bottle it for our kiddos. I've spilled some, too, and I cried, too. You're doing a great job and you're a great Mom.

 

[Raiquee]

I know how it feels *hugs*

I only BF for the first month, my milk dried up. I was so bummed when I had to give him formula...but the month was hard as it could have been. He didn't latch, so I pumped exclusively for that month, and I never produced mass quantities of milk either. I was very happy to have given him the milk I was able to, as its better than nothing at all! I agree though, BF is no longer mainstream or the norm. I had a bunch of my friends have babies in a 2 year span and I think out of 8 of them I was the only one to BF mine for what I was able to.

 

[EweSheep]

I know this question may be off the track here, but with so many women in the past two generation NOT breastfeeding, could it be genetics that we "lost" our ability to breastfeed our kids today? Unlike animals, it is rare to find animals not having enough milk, abnormal teats or udders, etc and yet we allow them to feed them by mammary glands while we couldn't. Could it be genetics that was lost?

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Ditto! And a

 

[BarkerChickens]

 

[SpringChickens]

I'm so sorry! It really sucks to lose that liquid gold! I'm so sorry that your co-workers aren't more supportive, but unfortunately some people are just like that. Just brush them off and go on with your day.


A funny story for you:
One of my friends went to pump when her baby was little and was so sleep deprived that she forgot to put the bottle on - she said it took her a few minutes to realize what was happening! She was mourning the loss of that milk for days!