Big news ladies... My boobs are mine again! This is the end of day 2 of no pumping! (Men if you're still reading, I warned you!)
I have mixed feelings about being done. The first feeling I have is anxiety that now Ry isn't getting those magical immune boosting antibodies that are in breastmilk. Next feeling is relief because I'm not obligated to do it anymore. Next is disappointment that I couldn't make it to my original goal of pumping until August (when he'd be a year corrected). The last feeling I have is energy - If I sleep, I no longer feel like I'm out of gas half way through the day. I did my best - better than many thought I would, so I have to take it for what it is. He's been around for 11 months, Sadie breastfed for 10, so in a way they're even. Another weird feeling is that before, when I was pumping more regularly, his crying drove me NUTS. Now, it (usually) drives me less nuts. I think that maybe it drove me nuts because I wanted it to stop. Immediately. Normally, if you're breastfeeding and your baby is crying like crazy, you give them boob and they stop. I had the feeling of wanting to do that, but because he couldn't eat, I couldn't do it - therefore crying would not stop immediately and I felt helpless, frustrated, and often very emotional about it. That feeling comes back sometimes if he's super fussy, but I'm noticing I have more patience for it (if I'm rested and we've had a good day). So for all the moms and moms to be - don't let anybody pressure you in to doing anything - do what is right for you, your body, and your sanity. Looking back, would I change anything? Not really. Like I said, I tried my best, and it was impossible to pump the recommended 8 times a day for 20 minutes. That's 160 minutes per day. By the end I was only doing 3 times per day, but that's still an hour out of an already very busy day. One more bonus of no pumping: Guilt Free Wine. My timing sucks though because Scott and I have made a deal that to save money we weren't buying wine for a month. March 18 is the last day of the 'challenge'. A happy Monday it will be. Cheers.
P.S. Thanks for all the kind words, emails, etc. after my last few posts - wasn't sure how many people were still reading but it's nice to know we've still got the team behind us.
Awesome! Lady - no matter what people say, pumping SUCKS (hardy har har). No really. I can't believe you were supposed to do it 8 times a day! I mean - you have a toddler! Jeesh. Anyways - super impressive you made it this far with the pumping. You've done a great job! Go to the fridge and grab a beer (the deal was just no wine, right ;-)
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