Pain At The Pump

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Not that pump....but hilarious.  This pump:

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I wrote before about how pumping wasn't my favorite way to spend 15 minutes and it seemed like only a few days later my pump said "you WILL learn to like me."  I wasn't really pumping that often - twice a day and not even every day.  I would pump in the morning after Tripp finished eating to make a bottle for that evening and then I would pump while he was taking the bottle.  I had a small freezer stash going, but didn't really need to build it up a lot.

The day after I started working out again, I immediately noticed a difference.  Normally, Tripp would fall back asleep before completely draining both sides during his early morning feeding, so I'd put him back down and get the rest into a bottle.  One day I went to pump...and nothing.  He hadn't eaten any longer than he normally does, but I thought maybe my supply was just regulating to his appetite.  I knew something was wrong when I went to pump that evening and nothing came out - and he hadn't nursed in about 3 hours.  Obviously, I had a minor panic attack.  I had heard of working out affecting breast milk supply in some women, but why worry about something before it even happens?  Tripp hadn't been fussy or seemed hungry that day, so he was getting what he needed apparently...but what if next time he wanted to nurse there was nothing for him?! 

I got pretty upset that night.  Breastfeeding has been so important to me and something that I really enjoy being able to do for our son.  I felt like my body was failing me and I wanted to fix it.  I did my research that night and maaaay have gone a little overboard the next day haha.  Things that can increase milk supply:

-concentrating on healthy fats in your diet (nuts, eggs, avocados, etc)

-staying well-hydrated & making sure you take in enough calories

-herbal supplements (Fenugreek & Blessed Thistle)

-pumping after each nursing session (even if nothing comes out, production is a supply & demand thing)

Obviously feeding Tripp was priority #1, so I absolutely would have stopped working out if I needed to.  That wasn't my first choice, but I did take a break for 2 days while I tried all of the above.  I went to the store and stocked up:

I take 2 Fenugreek capsules 3x a day and 1 mL of the Motherlove (Blessed Thistle) drops 4x a day.  I could have guessed from drinking Mother's Milk tea (a combination of the two herbs) that I wouldn't love the taste of the drops, but yikes.  Not delicious.  I also stocked up on about 275 avocados (not really...but close), raw walnuts for my oatmeal, and coconut water (in addition to the ridiculous amount of water I already drink).  I have either eggs or oatmeal every morning for breakfast and try to eat an avocado every day.  (try?  who am I kidding?  I have to try and not eat 4 haha.)  When you're breastfeeding is definitely not the time to cut calories, so I'm more focused on getting in snacks between meals.  Even if I'm not hungry, I'll have something small like a spoonful of almond butter for the healthy fats and calorie boost. 

I also got really friendly with my pump.  Best $300 I've spent in a long time.

Verdict:  two days after this regimen started, I woke up in the morning looking like I had just been in a wet t-shirt contest.  I guess it worked. :-)  I felt comfortable going back to working out, but ramped up slowly to try and monitor what would happen with my milk.  Everything seems to be going just fine.  I've backed off on pumping after every time Tripp eats, but am continuing with the rest - probably for however long he breastfeeds. 

Crisis averted...for now.  As much as I already loved breastfeeding him, I've learned to not take it for granted.  So many women have problems and can't breastfeed at all or have to supplement with formula, so I feel very lucky that I can give him all the nutrition he needs right now from my body.

Was it a combination of all the changes I made that actually worked?  Or was I subconciously stressing about working out affecting my supply and the placebo affect took over after I started making those changes?  I'll probably never know - and as long as my baby keeps growing, I honestly don't care.

*the opinions in this post are my own and I was in no way compensated for product reviews*

Thoughts From My First Week As A Mom

Morning!  I was wide awake after Tripp's 5am feeding, so I thought I'd come down and enjoy a quiet breakfast while my two favorite men snooze away upstairs.  As I'm sitting here, I started reflecting on the last week.  Yesterday, I was supposed to be taking my 39 week pictures.  Instead, I snuggled, smelled, loved, fed, changed and stared at this handsome guy:

Its amazing the difference 1 week can make!

-I don't feel nearly as sleep deprived as I expected to.  Maybe that's because the only time Tripp ever wakes up is when the buffet opens, or maybe my body just snapped right back into SWO mode and my Navy days prepared me for this.  Who knows.  I've been getting solid 3 hour stretches at night and I feel great (who says that btw!?).

-Whatever someone tells you about the major hormone dump after delivering a baby - believe them.  I must have cried about 12 times the day we came home from the hospital.  I finally told Patrick I needed to just get in the shower and have a good cry instead of always trying to fight it - so not to worry if he heard me crying in there.  I felt SO much better afterward, but it still sneaks up on me once or twice a day.  I was holding Tripp and singing to him on Monday while we were watching Patrick put the grill together.  It was some sappy Carrie Underwood song and the tears started flowing.  Fast, fun songs are definitely the way to go right now haha. 

-Doing your research and having a fantastic doctor/midwife/doula/whoever is so so important.  My OB was freaking fantastic and I will be forever grateful to him for the amazing experience we had.  You can't pick your nurses in the hospital (although I may try to request the same ones next time haha) but we hit the jackpot with our team.  My L&D nurse was OHmazing and I was honestly sad to leave my maternity nurse.  Is it weird to go to lunch with someone that's been checking your girlie parts for the last few days?  I felt so attached to her by the time we left!

-I am so grateful for Patrick.  He continues to amaze me when I watch him interact with our son.  He doesn't really have any experience with babies and has taken to caring for Tripp like he's been doing it for years.  The fact that Tripp peed on him while napping and he just sat there for 45 minutes because he didn't want to wake him made me laugh and cry.  The things you do for your kids....

-Speaking of peeing - a 3 day old little boy can have a REALLY forceful stream going!  At 1 am, Tripp managed to completely miss himself, his clothes and any part of the changing table...but shot completely up the wall and over his own head to the huge teddy bear sitting next to the dresser.  Impressive. 

-One of my fears during my pregnancy was that breastfeeding wasn't going to work for one of a million reasons.   I'm so thankful that its working out and I cherish that time that we spend together.  One the flip side of the coin, I can see where it will be a little bit of a relief to start pumping bottles so that other people can feed Tripp and I can take a few hours to maybe go for a long run or go out shopping without staring at the clock.

-Speaking of running, our first stroller outing was on Monday.  We needed a few things from Trader Joe's and I wanted to shake my legs out so off we went for a walk with my Mom.  It was about 2 miles round trip...and kicked. my. ass.  Didn't see THAT one coming.  It didn't hurt at all - it actually felt really good - I was just *really* tired that night.  Running might suck at first haha.

-More so when we're driving, but even when we are walking around the neighborhood with Tripp, I am the most vigilant person ever.  Eyes darting around looking for other cars & crazy drivers.  This Mama Bear protective instinct is no joke.  I'm not a violent person, but I wouldn't think twice about killing someone that tried to hurt my baby.

-I've always heard that having your own children makes you finally realize everything your parents did for you.  I have no idea how my Mom came home from the hospital and did this by herself.  I'm sure there will be many times that I say this over the next 30 years but Mom - I love you.  Thank you. :-)