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Need motivation (re: pumping)
I've been pondering this post for days now, and I don't know where else to turn. I'm so tired of pumping. We've reached my personal goals with nursing (six mos.), but after achieving that milestone, I thought we would try for a year of BM. The terrible thing is I'm SO close. If I can make it until the end of this month, I have enough stash to get to Mr. O's first birthday.
It seems silly to transition to formula then transition again to cow's milk. We also have a trip abroad coming up, and since the frozen milk is only good for 24 hours, I'll need to pump to supplement.
I know you have bigger issues to worry about, but could you send a little encouragement my way? (Or if you have other ideas, I'll take those, too.) Thanks.
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Re: Need motivation (re: pumping)
I too wanted to nurse until DD was 6 months and then said I'd do it for another 3 months. Once her teeth started coming in, I had to quit
it just hurt to bad.
I successfully BF my DD (now 3) until she was 9 months and then put her on Vit D. She did really good transitioning. Good luck!
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You can definitely do it! You've made it this far, you can make it a few more weeks. It will be over before you know it. I pumped until C was about 6 months but my supply sucked the whole time so we supplemented. If I had the supply I definitely would have kept it up to the 1 year mark.
And if it helps at all, we started transitioning to cow's milk at 11 months so he was fully on cow's milk by his first birthday. You can start the first week by mixing just a little cow's milk with BM and increasing the amount of cow's milk each week until they're switched over. This might help you stretch your supply out to one year. HTH
We did this too - so maybe if you only pump for another 2-3 weeks you'll be ok! I also wanted to BF for a year, but ended up EPing for a little over 5 months and had an AWFUL supply. You can do it! It's just a teeny tiny bit longer!
::fist pumping::
YOU CAN DO IT! YOU CAN DO IT!
Trust me when I say that making formula bottles, every day, is equally as sucky as pumping. Heck, it might suck more. Plus, it costs money. Have I convinced you, yet?
Yay for boob juice!
So where is the big trip to? Do tell!
I made it to 6 months and had to stop due to my pregnancy (I wasn't making enough) but that was my goal as well. I figured at 6 months I would re-evaluate if I wanted to continue. I SO wish I had been able to- formula is a pain! Actually fixing it is easy, it is the remembering to buy it, it the cost of it, and the making sure you always have some with you.
Anyway, sending positive boob juice vibes your way!
You can do it!!! You've made it so far and 2-3 more weeks is not too long in the grand scheme. I Ep'ed for 5 months and hated every second but I got DS to 6 months on just BM and was really proud of that-- you have a lot to be proud of too!
I agree with pp that you could also start the transition to whole milk a little early so that you dont have to pump quite as long. If pumping is making you really feel that horrible than give yourself 1 more week, think it over a lot and if you still want to quit the quit. Remember to factor in the time it might take you to wean your milk supply down too. GL in whatever you decide!
I greatly appreciate the words of encouragement! I know I can make it, but I just needed that extra boost and you definitely came through!
BTW - We're heading to London to visit my sister. She's "chatted" with Mr. O on Skype, but hasn't held him for 4.5 months. He may not remember the trip, but she's really proud to be his godmother and the two of us are excited to see one another.
Have fun! C has gone twice to see my DH's family (he's from just northwest of London) and everyone has enjoyed it! We got some great/cute England gear at BHS for less than 2-3 pounds each!
Have fun, keep on chugging and remember, FREE=GREAT!
Playtex makes this amazing freezer bag with the cold packs built into the walls. You might want to pick one up for your trip. You stick the entire bag in the freezer 24 hours ahead of time and it literally keeps your milk frozen solid for 12 hours. One day I left it in the hot car all day while I was at work and my milk was still 90% frozen at the end of the day. AMAZING! Anyway I just bring this up because you could put your milk in there frozen before the trip and I bet you it would still be frozen when you get to London. Then you could pop it back in the freezer over there. The only draw back is its kind of small but if you use bags instead of bottles you could probably cram a lot more in there.
Here's a link https://bettysbabystuff.com/baby-stuff/bottle-tote-bags/playtex-fridge-to-go-bottle-holder-double-3561