While looking at our Relief Society calendar in church yesterday, I came to a sad realization. There are a lot of fun things going on this week, and this month, such as a book group, craft night, and a cooking class, but I'm not sure how I can go to any of it. To be more specific, I'm not sure how I can go to more than an hour of each. Why? Because Julia goes to bed at 8pm.
This may seem like a lame excuse. And I've certainly let Clark put her to bed before, so why the sudden change? Maybe this is too much information, but I just can't seem to pump anymore. I could only really get anything out first thing in the morning, anyway, which means 5:30am, while Julia is eating on the other side, and honestly? That's nigh unto impossible for me to do these days, between it being so dang early and trying to fumble around with Julia and the pump (it's a manual one). And when I do actually manage to pump, I only get about 1-2 ounces. Certainly not enough for my hungry little eater!
And so we have The Dilemma: do I just make sure I'm home by 8 every night, or do we give her formula occasionally? I know neither Clark nor I is very keen on the formula idea, but it's mostly a cost issue. Which is negated by the fact that we still have some free samples from when Julia was born. That and I'd hate to stick Clark with giving her something she'll potentially hate on a night when I'm not there.
I'd say that I was asking for advise on the subject, but I guess I'm really not. I know that if I want to be out at 8, I've got to do the formula. It's just a matter of what I really want to do. Oh, and I guess Clark is somewhat involved in the decision as well :) Though, if any of you have any thoughts or comments, feel free to add them.
**Update**
Clark fed Julia a bottle of formula last night (because it took somewhat longer than expected to get my hair cut), and she seemed just fine with it. While I'd rather she get breastmilk, it's nice to know that she won't complain if she gets formula instead, for those rare occasions when I need to be somewhere.
Since 2020 . . .
18 hours ago
4 comments:
So your milk is pretty well established by now...so missing a feeding here and there will probably NOT affect your milk production (it took my milk about 2-3 weeks AFTER slowly weaning to completely stop). So try the formula thing once in a while. When we finally found one Z liked (Good Start, he wouldn't touch anything else!) it was SUCH a relief. I could go out and leave for more than an hour or two and not worry about having a bottle in the fridge.
Oh, what freedom!
PS: The GS is less stinky than Enfamil or Similac. Oh, the Target Brand is not so stinky either. Once he took GS pretty well, he took the other stuff too. Good Luck!
I would say give her the milk you have pumped that first night and then have Clark supplement with whatever formula she still needs. That, or you could just have him give her some juice and yogurt or something. It won't kill her to not have milk. Then, rather than skipping the feeding completely, when you get home, pump. Your body is used to producing milk at that time of the day anyway, so you might as well take advantage. Then, you can refrigerate or freeze it and when you need to go out, you'll hopefully have a few ounces to leave with Clark or a babysitter.
I always pumped if I missed a feeding to build up my supply. You can do this during the day as well. You can feed her some juice or something solid and pump instead, or have Clark feed her a solid dinner while you pump. Then you can go out and Clark will have some milk and you'll keep building up your outside milk supply for you when you aren't at home. I don't have any clue how anyone can be so tied to their child. I think I would have gone completely insane if I thought I couldn't be gone for more than 3 hours at a time. I know a ton of people that do it that way, but my independence is way too important to me. Thank goodness for pumps! Good luck!
Bean, there is one problem with pumping when she skips a feeding: I can't get much out. That's why I could only pump first thing in the morning before, I'd only get maybe 1 ounce otherwise. And before, I would pump in the morning and get 4-5 ounces, enough for a feeding. But now I can't even get that when I've been saving up all night! Yes, thank goodness for pumps. I'm so glad that the pump has worked well up to now, otherwise I'd have gone CRAZY.
I see the dilemma. Maybe your body is starting to wean on its own? Does a body do that? I have no idea. Maybe Julia eats less than you think when you nurse her? It's tricky, but I'd say a few oz of formula here and there won't break the bank or make her less smart ;) She's only got three months to go until she can drink whole milk anyway.
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