The Journey of Parenthood…

Crissy’s Breastfeeding Story

For the first Breastfeeding Story of the week here’s Crissy’s story. She is one of my very best friends and was a HUGE help in my own breastfeeding experience! Since she’s nursed three babies (so far…) she’s a great resource and has so much to share! Enjoy her story and thanks again Crissy for the nursing cover for the giveaway (be sure to enter to WIN here!).

Breastfeeding, nursing, or whatever you want to call it I have had 3 babies within the last 3 years, and have nursed every one of them. So, obviously I love nursing. I really, really do. I am one of those blessed women that nursing comes pretty naturally and never really hurts all that much (and I do NOT have a high pain tolerance).

Crissy and Stevie, her oldest

 

My first baby, Stevie Joy, came out of my body looking for food. I still remember right when the nurse first brought her to me and stuck her little head up to my breast, I remember for like a *slight second being nervous, but then little Stevie just jumped right on and did totally fine, like a PRO In fact, Stevie was such a pro at nursing that she did not EVER want to drink a bottle. Even if it was a bottle of breast milk, this child was hardcore about boobies. Which made it VERY difficult for me to leave her more than 3 hours at a time with anyone. Around the time that I got pregnant with baby #2, Stevie’s weight started dropping and the doctor recommended that I supplement her diet with formula due to the fact that my body was just not making enough milk to support her and my fetus. Hahaha, that was a joke! She would scream and scream with formula. The doc even told me to put chocolate syrup in the bottle to get her to drink it, for real! The only thing I could ever get her to drink from a bottle was goats milk (so random, I know). But, alas, we survived and she is strong, healthy, happy girl now.

Stevie

When my 2nd child came along, Miss Neela was also a good nurser. She was so sweet and would sleep in the bed with me most every night for the first couple of weeks (I know lots of you are not co-sleepers, I would totally be, but my hubby is NOT, so he allows the newbies to sleep with me for the first 2-3 weeks, but then he “kicks” them out). My husband was in graduate school when Neela was born and was taking the courses online, so he was home a whole lot. I had to work two full days each week and my hubby watched the kiddos on those days. He said from the very beginning that he did NOT want another “only boobie” child like our first child. So he had me introduce formula to Neela around her 3rd week of life. I gave it to her about once a week, maybe twice a week. Things were pretty good, she was a very chilled baby which helped, bc we also had a 15 month old toddler to look after. Little by little she started liking the bottle more and more We were living with my husband’s parents at the time and I was starting to rely on the bottle too much. It was easier to feed her a bottle in front of people rather than try to *discretely cover up and nurse her or go to another room.

Crissy with Neela, her 2nd baby

By around 4 months old, she preferred the bottle over me. I was devastated and very, very emotionally depressed. I LOVE nursing and wanted her to continue. However, with me working outside of the home and living with others, it was really what was best for our FAMILY at the time. I want to make that encouragement to others. You have to do what is best for the entire FAMILY, a family-centered family is much more functional than a child-centered family!! This coming from a person who treated the world formula like a cuss word was now feeding her child formula!! Until Neela was about 6 months old, she would still nurse at night and in the morning, but still need a bottle after (this child can EAT!!). She drank 17 oz of formula at a time!! AND I was pregnant with Titus, so I don’t think my little body was making enough for all three of us (me, Neela, and Titus). So, I was very upset, BUT she was happy and healthy and a VERY easy baby. So I was fine, but did still very much miss that bonding.


Neela

Then 13 months after Neela was born, my little man, Titus came along!! OMG, he is to die for!!! Sweetest, happiest, cutest little guy. He was like Stevie and came out ready to suck on a boobie, lol! Seeing as I had two different extremes (one all nurser and one all bottle) I was hoping for a balance with this one, ha! And I *somewhat got it. I am very good at breastfeeding, not to brag, but it just comes very natural and easy to me. Never hurt, never got cracked nipples or anything like that. I don’t even care to nurse in public one single bit, shoot I wouldn’t even need a nursing cover if it were up to me . However, I am NOT good at pumping! I am just not! I would blame it on the fact that I have 3 small babies and don’t have the time, but to be honest even when I just had one baby I still never really prioritized it enough to make the time for it. I prefer nursing the child anytime they are hungry, whether it be in public or at the house. I do wish that I was better about pumping, I think my children would do better with bottles if I was a regular pumper. But, it’s just not me. Hopefully, with baby #4 (yes, we plan to have more and more and more) I will be better at pumping on the reg, but probably not.

Titus



Here are some tips I have learned over the years:


*Boppy pillows are awesome, I always take mine to the hospital with me when the baby is born, c-section mommies especially need it b/c mommies don’t want their babies lying on their incision

*Speaking of c-sections, you may want to try the football/clutch hold for the first couple of weeks until your incision is completely healed up and pain free

*I sit Indian style when I nurse, and it helps my arms not be so tired, I really don’t even use a bobby after like the 2nd or 3rd week of the baby coming home (I do, however, still sleep with mine in the bed…I am such a dork, ha!)

*Lansinoh cream works great, I put it on b4 the baby nurses and after the baby nurses, I don’t even know if I am the type of person who needs it or not, but just in case I have always used it and have NEVER had a problem with dry/cracked/bleedy nipples

*Drink LOTS and LOTS of water and have it close by…I get super thirsty when nursing and often that kind of thirst makes you feel hungry, it is true that nursing will burn lots of calories and help you lose that extra baby weight, but if you are eating all the time and consuming more cals than necessary, then you will not see the weight come off *as easily

Crissy with Titus, her current youngest 🙂

If any of you are new mommies and need some more help, tips, advice I would be happy to come and help. I love helping and feel VERY passionate and strongly about mommies, if they can, to breastfeed. I am not super Nazi about it, but I do believe that it is the best thing for your child (and mommy) so at least give it a shot, at least for the first six weeks, I mean come on bare minimum in the hospital and for the first week…colostrum is like gold for babies immune systems. Just view it as a part of pregnancy and something that your body still has to do for the baby.

~Crissy

Isn’t this fun? Plenty more stories to come! Be sure to give Crissy some comment love 🙂

Emily Parker
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