How long did you plan on breastfeeding and where are you now?

[lizajane]

i can TOTALLY understand about not having a single pain free nursing session. i was in horrific pain for 4 weeks, and the pain continued until 6 weeks. but i am SO GLAD THAT I DID NOT GIVE UP!!! i absolutely was NOT going to quit until 12 months, come hell or high water! i talked to every lactation consultant in the book, 2 women from la leche came to my house, i made an appt with the lactation consultant at my hospital and i cried. a lot.

so my goal was 12 months. we are down to nursing one time/day at 12 1/2 months. i had a hard time going to bed the first night i didn't nurse in the evening because i was so sad. i try to pay close attention every time i nurse him in the mornings now, just in case it is the last time. it breaks my heart to THINK about the last time!

i am weaning because i want to get pregnant again next month and i just don't think i will have the energy to nurse while pregnant. and extended nursing really isn't for me. i know that it definitely isn't for me now that i am nursing a one year old, even though i will be very sad when we stop. and i really am so happy to nurse him that one time per day. but part of me does want to wean. he looks like a little boy now instead of a baby. (i have a very tall child.) and i am ready to move on to (my view of) toddlerhood. but the other part of me wishes that i could just let him decide when he is ready to stop. who knows how long i will nurse my second child. probably not past 18 months, at the very latest. probably 12-14 months. we'll see!

at any rate (i am rambling because this topic is so close to my heart!) i would encourage you to hang in there. i don't know how long you have been breastfeeding... but just know that at 6 weeks, the pain usually disappears. at 3 months (after a growth spurt around that time where you will nurse A LOT) you will only nurse every several (4ish) hours, and maybe not at night anymore (my child slept from 10pm-5am at 9 weeks) and SUDDENLY each nursing session will be less than 10 minutes. faster that preparing a bottle, feeding it, and cleaning it up.

so good luck and best wishes for a happy nursing relationship if that is what you want. :)

[Rachels]

I planned to nurse for at least a year, and we're still going strong at 22 months. Support and information were what kept me going. We had a very, very rough start, and she nursed every hour during the day for the first five months. It was not easy. I surrounded myself with nursing moms and midwives, and that really did make a difference. I got help from a fantastic LC, after two less-than-fantastic LCs. And I read this: http://promom.org/101/index.html every now and then. It strengthened my resolve to do what was best for my baby, no matter what.

Toddler nursing is pretty great, FWIW. I never thought I would be nursing a two year old, but it is one of the sweetest things I've ever been a part of.

-Rachel
Mom to Abigail Rose
5/18/02

[smallestangel]

Thanks guys. It really does help so much to hear how you've hung in there and what helps get you through.

We've had thrush for three weeks now and before that I was terribly, painfully engorged. During that time, Jacob was unable to latch on because my nipples were flattening out. I didn't realize what was going on and thought he was rejecting the breast. I didn't expect breasfeeding to be a breeze and I know that it could be much worse but I think what made these things bring me down more than normal was that I was already upset about how my L&D went. I had a really rough time in the hospital with my two day induction and then subsequent c/s. Add to it that I had a really hard time finding help in my area. That made me feel even more discouraged.

But, I have finally found a LC, so I think we're slowly on the mend. LLL has helped too (they got me through the engorgement). Today was the first day I didn't cry when he nursed on my "bad" breast, YAY! The gentian violet seems to be helping (fingers crossed!). My husband keeps me going as well and is really supportive of whatever I decide. I'm sure I would of quit two weeks ago if it wasn't for him.

Like I said, we're still hanging in there. I'd hate to give up right before it gets good! :)

Amanda & Jacob (born 3/11/04)

[suribear]

I had a very similar induction/ c/c experience the first time. We had a lot of BF problems initially, but after the first couple of weeks things DID improve and we went on to nurse for two years. I'm going for two years with #2, also.

Yes, hang in there! It does get easier. I used labor pain relief techniques to deal with the initial nipple pain. That subsided in about a week or so - it's worth it!

Funny story... I was really impressed with myself after the c/s with #2, thinking that my BF technique was really good as there was no pain. Then I went off the narcotics :) Oh well.

Kris

[msarna]

When I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to nurse for at least 3 months (until I returned to work). Well my baby girl is five months, and we are still breastfeeding. My goal now is one year.I pump 2xs a day at work, then take the milk to my caregiver the next day. It is a little hassle with big payoff! The right pump makes all the difference too. Formula is used in case of emergency, but now that she is starting solids I think we'll be fine.

In my opinion, I am much closer to my daughter because of breastfeeding. Because I am a working mother, I don't get to spend much time with her during the week, so the most time I get with her is during our bedtime routine. I couldn't imagine not breastfeeding her. I get pressure everyday about "are you STILL breastfeeding?" I actually considered weaning her, then I reminded myself that I decide what is right for my child and I not society.

I have not had one single problem with breastfeeding once we really got started. It was rocky at the hospital, I had an emergency c/s and she was very jaundice and was not getting enough milk. Once we got home I tried breastfeeding again and she caught on immediately and even got to the point where she would no longer take bottles!

My advice, HANG IN THERE!!! The benefits are so worth it!

[hez]

Hi!

Spent the weekend away from the computer, so just saw your post. Wanted to add my congratulations on your baby & congratulations on making it this far BF'ing. If a friend of mine hadn't told me there was a 'magic' window at 6-8 weeks, I would have thought it was just me (though I did have a couple things I had to figure out along the way, too)... Things got really good for us at 7 weeks, so keep hanging in there! We also delivered via c/s after induction, and I feel your pain.

We did baby step goals-- first it was to the 6-8 week mark, then 3-4 months, and then once I got back to work (pumping) it was a minimum of 6 months. Now I'm seriously eyeing that one year mark. It definitely helps to have a very supportive DH, friends/co-workers who've BF (and pumped), and a lot of personal stubbornness :) If I had to single out any one thing that helped, it was my DH: he was willing to get up every couple hours to help us latch on at the beginning, and his support in general made a huge difference.

Wishing you the best as you get through the 'start-up curve'!

[jerseygirl07067]

I am so glad to hear that you are hanging in there! My initial goal was six months but I never thought I would could make it past one initially. DD took such a loooong time to nurse. She was a very lazy and sleepy nurser and the whole session would take like an hour and half!! I had some barriers along the way (DD not latching on due to a flattened nipple, an inverted nipple, plugged ducts, and an excess lipase issue causing me dump my freezer stash and start over again) and remember hating anything touching my nipples in the beginning.

Things got way easier at about six weeks or so. DD became much more efficient! However, I do remember getting more nipple pain at about 6-8 weeks and wasn't sure why. Turns out it was DD's suck just getting stronger and I just had to adjust to it.

Now DD is almost four months old and I feel like a pro! She nurses in 10 minutes and only 5-6 times a day at the most. Luckily I have returned to work full time but work from home which makes things easier. I also pump in addition, to build a freezer stash and I think it really has kept my supply up! I will likely extend my initial goal of six months up to possibly a year! (The only thing is that I would like to start trying to conceive again so I will see how that goes..)

I also think for me, what helped me to hang in there was not only knowing all of the great benefits of BFing to DD and me, but the fact that my own mom was not super supportive of my efforts to BF. She keeps pushing for the darn rice cereal and giving DD more bottles, only making me more determined to go longer! (But I think deep down she is secretly wishing she would have tried harder to BF instead of giving up after only a FEW HOURS- LOL!)

Good luck on reaching your goal!
Marcy

[mharling]

My deep-down goal was to nurse for at least a year. Early on, the goal in my head every week was to nurse 'one more week'. When we made it to 2 months, my goal every month was to nurse 'one more month'. Breaking it up that way made it seem much less daunting and yes, it did get easier every month.

Good luck; you are smart to take it day by day!!

Mary
Lane 4/6/03

[msarna]

My mother is not very suportive of my breastfeeding either. There are so many things that have changed since we were kids and it is hard to make my mother understand and respect the ways I want to raise my daughter.

[barbarhow]

My initial goal was 6 months. We had a pretty miserable time for the first 4-6 weeks due to thrush, mastitis, latch difficulties, etc. I had to shorten my goals and really took it day by day. I told myself that if I had to give up I would. I returned to work after 12 weeks-pumping 3 times a day. Slowly I have cut back on the pumping and decided this morning I would stop pumping at work. It has now been 12 1/2 months and we are still going. I never dreamed I would still be nursing. I love it. That being said-I think I am ready to start thinking about weaning. I am right there with Liza-it makes me so sad to think about it. We, also want to try and get pregnant in the next few months. I know that it is possible to still bf and get pregnant but am pretty certain that I don't have the energy to bf, work and be pregnant.
Hang in there. It definately gets better. Use the support of the mommies on the boards. They are without a doubt the single most influential factor in my ability to continue bfing.
Barbara-mom to Jack 3/27/03